Margaret Kelly
Margaret Kelly was an advertising placement executive. She led a fast-paced life, working for large corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, AT&T and Clairol.
“Every year for 30 years, I would spend a whole week in May in dark rooms, watching television,” Margaret said. “This was the annual ‘upfront’ week when the TV networks would preview all their new shows for the fall season to the advertising community.”
“It was part of my job, as a media executive, to pick what I thought would be the winners and the losers, and to decide where to place my clients’ commercials. Hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing spending rode on my decisions,” she explained.
“I was responsible for negotiating the purchase and placement of ads on television and radio and in magazines and later in online media. Of course, digital made up a much bigger slice of the advertising pie by the time I retired,” Margaret said.
“I loved my work. I liked the responsibility, the fast pace, and the challenge of negotiations. I spent most of my time in New York and Los Angeles but it was exciting to be part of the broader entertainment business also and attend some of the many events we sponsored, including 12 Olympic Games and many other notable events.“
“Sometimes I would go with my husband, Jack, especially to Super Bowls. We were at the 2008 game between the Giants and the Patriots. I knew our ad cost $2.7 million. But I was not much of a sports enthusiast. I wanted to catch the bus home before the crowds. So, I dragged him out of the stadium before the end of the game. After we had left, in the last 35 seconds, the Giants won in one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history. He has never forgotten it.”
Margaret has a degree in sociology which, she says, “turned out to be a good academic field. It helped me understand how people respond in different situations. In my work, I needed to keep in mind the audience for each media selection, how it might react to the ad and whether my choice met the client’s goals.”
Margaret is a longstanding member of Good Neighbors. She is a Board member where she serves on several committees and, as an enthusiastic cook, she often is responsible for the food for GNPS events. When members are asked to bring desserts for annual meetings or other get-togethers, people always look for Margaret’s contribution!
She also leads one of the GNPS contemporary fiction book groups. “Reading recently published books is a wonderful way to start a broader conversation. I’ve always been interested in other people’s viewpoints and books allow people to express opinions on a broad spectrum of issues,” she says.
Margaret is also an avid gardener. When you look out at her garden, you might think that it was the work of a professional gardener. “When we bought the house, what is the garden now was all concrete. I like gardens that are full and also have a sculpted look so that’s what I’ve tried to create. I led a rather hectic life when I was working so it was always nice to return to the calm of the garden.“
With advent of a wider interest in genealogy, Margaret started looking into the roots of her family and was surprised to find that she can trace them back to a settler who arrived on “The Fortune”, the ship that set sail following the Mayflower.
Some family members traveled west to farming country. Margaret was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She and her husband moved to Brooklyn in 1991. They have a daughter who now lives with her husband in London.
“The great thing about her living in London is that I can visit her and, at the same time, indulge my passion for gardens. The English have the gardening gene and England has some of the greatest gardens.”