Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area
Benjamin Kaplan is the founder and CEO of TOP, the fastest growing viral publicity company in the world. Kaplan is a rare "quadruple threat" PR and media expert: Over the course of his 15-year career in the media, he has been featured on 2,000 TV and radio shows (such as Oprah and Good Morning America), served as a media spokesperson for major brands (such as Dr. Pepper and Discover Card), founded a boutique PR firm (with clients like Citibank and Sallie Mae), and worked as a syndicated columnist and commentator (including columns for The New York Times and TIME). Kaplan is regularly featured and quoted in worldwide media about how to spread ideas and "go viral" -- including how to build an audience for your YouTube video, thought leadership platform, worthy cause, or new product launch. He is also an accomplished coder, startup founder, and Harvard-trained economist.
A global agency network comprised of nine unique agencies with boots on the ground in 20+ countries. Each TOP agency has a different specialty—from industry verticals like healthcare to demographic groups like millennial consumers. We deploy our TOP methodology — Test, Optimize, and Perform — across 35 marketing disciplines including advertising, digital marketing, PR, market research, and sales optimization.
PR Hacker is the world's most data-driven PR agency. We A/B test and optimize everything—from PR pitches to core brand messaging. With proprietary internal capabilities to conduct surveys and market research anywhere in the world in 72 hours or less, we help our clients use data to become rapid thought leadership. We were also selected by PRWeek as the #1 agency in the world for Corporate Social Responsibility.
National Today was built on a simple observation: Some of the most buzzworthy and viral moments on the cultural calendar are unique and interesting holidays. From Mother's Day and Cinco de Mayo to National Hamburger Day and International Yoga Day, the National Today media platform leverages online, social, and broadcast channels to help consumers celebrate each holiday — empowering brands to connect with these consumers and drive desired online and offline conversion in a single day.
Consultant and Advisory Board member for the "Keeping College Within Reach" web initiative. Supported and advised state 529 college saving plans in Illinois, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas.
Wrote a weekly "Scholar & Dollars" education column for Portland, Oregon's daily newspaper. The column was later syndicated to other publications throughout the U.S.