Bob Finlayson

Bob Finlayson is a seasoned public relations and marketing consultant with more than 15 years experience working with a diverse range of companies from startups to major brands to help them develop and implement effective public relations, marketing, branding and social media strategies.

Finlayson has served as a senior communications counselor, strategist and tactician to many category-leading and challenger brands, including Activision, Charles Schwab, Electronic Arts, Gap, HP, Microsoft, MSN, NTT, Ofoto, RealNetworks, SAP, Sony, SRI International, TiVo, Visa and Xbox. His expertise includes new product and brand launches, IPOs, social media marketing, brand positioning, thought leadership, corporate reputation management, media and analyst relations, and crisis communications.

Currently Finlayson works with Diboll & Associates Marketing and Public Relations for diverse range of startup companies helping them develop and implement strategies and tactics designed to achieve market leadership.

Prior to his work with Diboll & Associates, Finlayson served as vice president of corporate communications for THQ Inc., a worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. At THQ he was responsible for overseeing the company’s global communications activities across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Finlayson was general manager of Burson-Marsteller, Northern California, prior to joining THQ, where he was responsible for managing the firm’s San Francisco office, including a 65-person professional staff and $16 million in annual fee billings. His clients included Adobe, Electronic Arts, Gap, HP, SAP, Sony, SRI International and Visa.

Before joining Burson-Marsteller, Finlayson was executive vice president with Edelman Worldwide where he oversaw the firm’s work with Microsoft, including providing senior counsel to top-level Microsoft executives and leading the launch of the Xbox interactive entertainment system, Xbox Live online entertainment service and all Microsoft game titles.

Finlayson joined Edelman after serving as general manager of the Silicon Valley office of Blanc & Otus, Hill and Knowlton’s technology practice, where he provided counsel to mostly startup clients in the areas of corporate, executive and product positioning, crisis communications, IPOs and overall marketing and communications strategy. His clients included Epiphany, TiVo, Live Planet, Sony, Ofoto, PeoplePC and a range of b-to-b and b-to-c Internet startups.