Marc Paulenich

Marc Paulenich is a marketing executive whose career has been defined by his ability to transform brand strategy into measurable results. Passionate about demonstrating how strategic thinking, consumer insights and authentic storytelling can transform business outcomes, he has distilled decades of experience into a practical framework to help organizations build the kind of brand loyalty that drives sustainable growth in the book, Brand Mover: How to Lead Audiences from Apathy to Advocacy.

Paulenich has spent more than two decades helping mid-market organizations move customers from indifference to advocacy by giving marketing leaders a way to measure what actually matters: not what people think about the brand, but where they are on the path to advocacy and what it will take to move them forward.

CEO of Hart, one of Ohio’s largest independent marketing and advertising agencies, Paulenich leads the firm’s strategic vision while driving profitability and service innovation for a diverse client portfolio. His career trajectory, from SVP and COO to President and CEO, reflects his deep understanding of both the creative and business dimensions of marketing excellence, and his commitment to prioritizing data-driven marketing and integrated solutions. During his years at Hart, the agency has more than doubled in revenue, and expanded from one office to four locations in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio, Detroit and Washington, D.C.

Paulenich has experience in many verticals, both B2B and B2C, in sectors such as food and beverage, place-based marketing, finance, economic development, nonprofit, gaming, health care, travel and tourism, consumer brands, education and more.

He is a former Managing Director of Consumer Insights at Teach For America, has taught marketing coursework at the University of Toledo and is a regular contributor on the invitation-only Forbes Agency Council. And his academic and real-world background have provided him with both a theoretical grounding and practical application skills.

Paulenich has demonstrated that apathy isn’t a consumer failure; it’s a brand failure. He’s created a framework that can be applied immediately to move people from indifference to interest, from interest to belief and from belief to advocacy. And in Brand Mover (Entrepreneur Press, 2026), he helps show organizations how to turn moments of change into visible, measurable progress in reputation, relationships and revenue.

Paulenich resides in Toledo, Ohio. He holds an MBA in marketing from the University of Toledo and dual degrees in communications and economics from Hiram College.