Andrea "Andy" Cunningham is an American strategic marketing and communications entrepreneur. She helped launch the

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

in 1984 as a part of Regis McKenna, and founded Cunningham Communication, Inc. She is currently the President of Cunningham Collective, a brand strategy, marketing, and communications firm. Her book, ''Get to Aha! Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition'' was published in October 2017.

Career

Early career

After graduating from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1979, Cunningham started her career as a feature writer for Irving-Cloud Publishing Co. covering the trucking industry, but decided that she didn't belong in that industry.

San Jose Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...

, April 3, 1989. ''Cunningham's PR Cunning'' (Archived Article ID: 8901260490) She joined

Burson-Marsteller Burson Cohn & Wolfe is a multinational public relations and communications firm, headquartered in New York City. In February 2018, parent WPP Group PLC announced that it had merged its subsidiaries Cohn & Wolfe with Burson-Marsteller. The comb ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

soon after, where she helped to launch

Asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

for Atari, as well as Equal and

Nutrasweet The NutraSweet Company is an American nutrient company that produces and markets NutraSweet Neotame, their trademarked brand name for the high-intensity sweetener neotame. In 2021, NutraSweet was placed 43rd by FoodTalks' list of Top 50 Global S ...

for

G.D. Searle G.D. Searle, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer. It is currently a trademark company and subsidiary of Pfizer, operating in more than 43 countries. It also operates as a distribution trademark for various pharmaceuticals that were devel ...

Regis McKenna and the Apple Macintosh

In 1983, Cunningham moved to Silicon Valley, where she joined Regis McKenna and was immediately given project lead responsibilities to work with Steve Jobs for the launch of the

. She collaborated with Jane Anderson to write the Macintosh launch plan. After the launch, she continued to work with Apple as a client, helping them launch the desktop publishing category with

Aldus Corporation Aldus Corporation was an American software company best known for its pioneering desktop publishing (DTP) software. PageMaker, the company's most well-known product, ushered in the modern era of desktop computers such as the Macintosh seeing ...

and Adobe Systems. She contributed her experiences with Jobs to the

Walter Isaacson Walter Seff Isaacson (born May 20, 1952) is an American author, journalist, and professor. He has been the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C., the chair and CEO of CNN, ...

-penned biography and the

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime ...

-written Steve Jobs movie, where

Sarah Snook Sarah Snook (born 1 December 1987) is an Australian actress. She is known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the television series ''Succession'' (2018–present), for which she earned critical acclaim in international media. She has won sev ...

portrays her.

Cunningham Communication

After leaving Regis McKenna in 1985, Cunningham founded Cunningham Communication, Inc., where she retained Jobs as a client for

NeXT Next may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Next'' (1990 film), an animated short about William Shakespeare * ''Next'' (2007 film), a sci-fi film starring Nicolas Cage * '' Next: A Primer on Urban Painting'', a 2005 documentary film Lit ...

and

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

. Her firm's work included launching RISC microprocessors for consumer personal computers with IBM and

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorol ...

very light jets A very light jet (VLJ), entry-level jet or personal jet, previously known as a microjet, is a category of small business jets seating four to eight people. VLJs are considered the lightest business jets and are approved for single-pilot operati ...

with Eclipse Aviation, digital imaging with

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

, and software-as-a-service with Hewlett-Packard. The firm was acquired in 2000 and renamed Citigate Cunningham.

CXO Communication

In 2003, Cunningham spun CXO Communication, a brand strategy consultancy, out of Citigate Cunningham and became CEO. Instead of focusing on traditional public relations and corporate communications, CXO focused on brand strategy and positioning. Clients included

AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufactur ...

Beautiful! ''Beautiful!'' is an album by Charles McPherson which was recorded in 1975 and released on the Xanadu label.Xan ...

Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, ...

Eclipse Aviation The Eclipse Aviation Corporation was the Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States-based manufacturer of the Eclipse 500 very light jet (VLJ), and also at one time proposed developing the Eclipse 400 single-engined jet. The company was founded ...

FutureMark Futuremark Oy was a Finnish software development company that produced computer benchmark applications for home, business, and press use. Futuremark was acquired by UL on 31 October 2014, and was formally merged into the company on 23 April 2 ...

, Liveops, MarketTools, PivotPoint Capital,

PRTM PRTM is a management consulting subsidiary of PwC. The firm's business centers on the areas of operational strategy, supply chain innovation, product innovation, and customer experience innovation. PRTM works in these industry sectors: aut ...

, RSA,

UCSF The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It con ...

, VantagePoint Venture Partners, and XOJet. She left the firm in 2010 to become CMO of Rearden Commerce, where she repositioned the company's solutions under the Deem brand.

Bite Communications

After leaving Rearden Commerce in the Fall of 2011, Cunningham advised the Bite Communications executive team on a turnaround in North America. Soon after, she was asked to become President of Bite Communications North America. She was promoted on January 1, 2013 to become the CEO of Bite's worldwide operations. She resigned in June 2013 to focus on SeriesC.

Cunningham Collective (formerly SeriesC)

While Cunningham was advising the Bite Communications team, she began to assemble the group that eventually became SeriesC. SeriesC officially launched in the Spring of 2012 with Cunningham retaining leadership positions in both SeriesC and Bite. The firm changed its name to Cunningham Collective in August 2015. From April 2014 to August 2015, Cunningham was the interim Chief Marketing Officer of

Avaya Avaya Holdings Corp., often shortened to Avaya (), is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, that provides cloud communications and workstream collaboration services. The company's platform inclu ...

. Her tenure there was a Cunningham Collective engagement, as she continued to lead the firm during that period. She led the team that spearheaded the shift in positioning from collaboration to engagement, with an initial focus on Silicon Valley as a catalyst to revitalize awareness of Avaya to the broader tech audience. She also held an interim CMO role with Tendril and was an interim Chief Communications Officer with

BlackBerry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy ...

, all as Cunningham Collective engagements. Cunningham is the author of the book ''Get to Aha!: Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition''.

Boards and non-profit activities

Andy serves on the following corporate boards: MixR(workplace community building software),

Motiv Power Systems Motiv Power Systems is an American manufacturer of all-electric chassis for medium-duty commercial vehicles, based in Foster City, California. History Jim Castelaz founded Motiv in 2009, working from his residence in Mountain View. In 201 ...

(electric vehicles), Onclusive,

Specialized Bicycle Components Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc., colloquially known as and stylized as SPECIALIZED, is an American company which designs, manufactures and markets bicycles, bicycle components and related products under the brand name "Specialized", as well ...

(bicycles and related gear), and Woodward Communications, Inc. (media and marketing services). She also serves as a trustee of

The Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...

(since 2000) and

Menlo College Menlo College is a private college specializing in business and is located in Atherton, California. Campus Menlo College is situated on 45-acre (0.18 km2) campus in Atherton, California, 25 miles southeast of San Francisco and 20 miles nort ...

(since 2014). Andy serves on the following not-for-profit advisory boards:

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and ZERO1: The Art & Technology Network, an organization she founded in 2000 with the mission to shape the future at the intersection of art and technology. She also serves on the Freeman Design Council, a “special forces” unit of The Freeman Company. In addition, Andy serves as an advisor to Traackr, an influencer marketing software company. Past board positions include

RhythmOne RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...

(adtech) and Finelite, Inc. (lighting design). She also served on the not-for-profit boards of YPO, CEO,

Peninsula Open Space Trust The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) is a nonprofit land trust headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Mission and Work POST mission is to protect open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. The organization has bee ...

(POST) and the Computer History Museum. Andy is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow,AGLN Programs - Henry Crown - Classes
/ref> holds memberships in WPO, CEO, TED and Women Corporate Directors. She has taught marketing classes at Carnegie Mellon University,

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

, Santa Clara University, Stanford University and the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

References

Interviews and other mentions

, May 16, 1993. ''The Graying of Silicon Valley PC Mavericks Evolve Into 'Old Nerd' Network'' (Archived Article ID:9302060054) *

, April 24, 1998. ''Where are S.J.'s Female-Owned Businesses?'' (Archived Article ID:9804250153) *

Bloomberg Television Bloomberg Television (on-air as Bloomberg) is an American-based pay television network focusing on business and capital market programming, owned by Bloomberg L.P. It is distributed globally, reaching over 310 million homes worldwide. It is hea ...

. October 2011
Apple Earnings, Business Outlook, iPhone
Retrieved May 28, 2013. *

FleishmanHillard FleishmanHillard Inc. (formerly, Fleishman–Hillard) is a public relations and marketing agency founded and based in St. Louis, Missouri. It was acquired by Omnicom Group in 1997, becoming part of the Diversified Agency Services (DAS) division. ...

TRUE. December 2014
Finding Avaya's Silicon Valley Cool
Retrieved February 23, 2015. *

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

. February 23, 2015
The Entrepreneurial CMOment: Something bigger
Retrieved February 23, 2015. * Press: Here on NBC. May 1, 2015
Andy Cunningham
Retrieved May 2, 2015. * Marketing Magazine. June 24, 2015
Steve Jobs' marketing maven on smashing the silicon ceiling
Retrieved June 24, 2015.

External links

Cunningham Collective Website

CXO Communication Website

ZERO1 Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Andrea Webarchive template wayback links 1956 births Living people American computer businesspeople Silicon Valley people American marketing people American public relations people Northwestern University alumni Businesspeople from Chicago People from Palo Alto, California Marketing women Henry Crown Fellows