Jennifer Messenger
senior executive vice president
Kirsten Gunst
Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.— Cher
Kirsten’s work in MG’s strategic communication practice area reflects her passion for meaningful and effective projects and campaigns that create long-term social and individual improvements in people’s lives.
Kirsten is passionate about working with clients on thought-provoking, creative projects in unique and compelling ways that elevate brand awareness. One example is her work with Portland’s Metro on the Let’s Talk Trash campaign—fun events designed to engage the public in how to best manage our garbage. Kirsten worked with the Oregon Health Authority’s Tobacco Prevention and Education Program on a five-year media campaign to reduce tobacco use in Oregon and establish the Smokefree Oregon brand. She met with focus groups and created nontraditional media channels, e.g., Facebook and Pinterest, to engage multicultural audiences to spark change.
Kirsten’s areas of expertise:
- Branding
- Digital marketing
- Formative research
- Using emerging nontraditional media channels to engage audiences
- Earned and paid communication strategies
Experience
- Patient services, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, providing patients with counseling, testing, education and other health services; directed the after-school teen clinic
- Member, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Affiliate Branded Products Advisory Committee
In Community
Kirsten is especially concerned about making healthy foods accessible to all communities. And she walks her talk—she is a founding board member of her neighborhood farmer’s market and is currently helping Friends of Green Loop with her communication expertise.
