ROSALIND R. CHERNOFF
Rosalind R. Chernoff, Executive Vice President and Global Planning Director at Publicis USA, the advertising and marketing agency, died in New York City on September 13th. She was 55 and lived in Manhattan.
The cause was complications of endometrial cancer, said her husband, Carl G. Chernoff. Ms. Chernoff was promoted to Executive Vice President last year, and this promotion culminated a long career in advertising and marketing where she was responsible for the in-depth research and analysis of marketing that led to major strategic decisions on significant brands represented by Publicis, which included all of the agency's Procter and Gamble brands. Amongst these were Bounty, Charmin, Vicks, Prilosec and Thermacare. Ms. Chernoff’s colleagues and clients at Publicis, where she worked for nearly ten years, regarded her as a true friend. Her presence will very much be missed.
Prior to her tenure at Publicis, Ms. Chernoff held a similar executive post at D’Arcy and was a consultant and Partner for Yankelovich Partners, where her work on consumer healthcare trends coincided with the blossoming of Direct-to-Consumer advertising in the U.S. Before that she she worked for such agencies as Euro RSCG agency, Foote Cone & Belding and Grey Advertising. At one point in her career, she was President of R. Chernoff Consulting, a company that developed marketing and business plans for clients as well as strategic planning, research analysis, and competitive business intelligence.
She won several significant awards during her career, including two Gold EFFIEs, in consecutive years, for her work on the NyQuil account. Additionally, in 2004, she was on the "short list" at the Cannes International Advertising Festival for a TV spot for Pepto Bismol and was the recipient of a Gold Lion in 2005 for her work on Vicks. In 2003, Ms. Chernoff led an important creative initiative for the Advertising Council that involved an unprecedented collaboration between the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.
In addition to her business responsibilities, Ms. Chernoff was also active in charitable causes in Larchmont, New York, where she and her husband and two sons, Jason and Sam, resided for a number of years prior to moving to Manhattan. Amongst these were her activities for Meals on Wheels, Larchmont Temple volunteerism, and as a Board Member of The Children's Corner, a not for profit agency which provides day care services in the area.
In 1973, she earned a Bachelors of Arts Degree in English from Brandeis University, and in 1977 was awarded a Masters Degree of Business Administration in General Management by the Darden School of Business at The University of Virginia.
Born in Portsmouth, Virginia on March 10, 1952, Ms. Chernoff was the daughter of Bernard and Zelma Rivin, both of whom survive her. Besides her husband sons and parents, Ms. Chernoff is survived by two brothers, Richard and Jonathan Rivin, and a sister, Anne Stanfield.
A funeral for Ms. Chernoff will be held at Larchmont Temple in Larchmont New York on Sunday, September 16th at 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Pediatric Aids Society in her honor.