AAA Washington hires Harry A. Thomas as Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer to Achieve Aggressive Marketing Goals

AAA Washington, the preeminent provider of emergency roadside assistance to more than 1.1 million members in Washington and northern Idaho, is intensifying its strategy to increase membership, grow its travel and insurance businesses and expand its mobile presence. To help accomplish these goals, AAA Washington has chosen entrepreneurial leader Harry Thomas as its new vice president and chief marketing officer to lead its creative, web, public relations, social media, publication and discount teams.

“Harry’s broad experience as a marketing executive in the wireless industry and track record of driving long-term strategic visions fits with AAA’s desire to be more agile on mobile platforms and deliver products and services in new ways,” said Kirk Nelson, AAA Washington’s president and CEO. “We plan to leverage Harry’s experience leading innovative brand building efforts for large- to small-scale businesses to take AAA Washington to the next level with campaigns that reflect who we are today and who we will be in the future.”

Harry A. Thomas joined Bellevue-based AAA Washington as vice president and chief marketing officer on January 11. Thomas is an accomplished marketing leader who specializes in developing highly effective marketing teams and creating strategic marketing initiatives to support, strengthen and grow key business objectives and drive brand differentiation.

Prior to joining AAA Washington, Thomas worked for T-Mobile as the Director of Product Marketing, where he was responsible for the products and messaging that supported their “Un-carrier” positioning, which resulted in them becoming the fastest growing wireless carrier. He also has impressive experience running key marketing campaigns and brand positioning efforts for Verizon, General Mills and Johnson & Johnson, as well as consulting with many small businesses. A couple of highlights from Thomas’ career include: turning around the Bisquick franchise by developing and executing a new marketing plan based on consumer insight and behavior, which increased product usage by 10%; and winning an Effie award for building T-Mobile’s brand recognition to 80% when he managed their U.S. market launch efforts.

Thomas has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in Seattle with his wife and two children.

AAA Washington has been serving members and the traveling public since 1904.  The organization provides a variety of exclusive benefits, including roadside assistance, discounts, maps and personalized trip planning, to its 1.1 million members. In addition, its full-service travel and insurance agencies provide products and services for members and the public.