Andrew Cohen ’78, M.B.A. ’82

Member of Adelphi University’s Profiles in Success program.

President, The A Team LLC

Branding: With a Capital “A”

Andrew Cohen’s unique marketing ideas have involved lining Rodéo Drive with celebrities and luxury automobiles, and sending thousands of eager contestants onto the streets of major American cities in search of a “mystery cougher.”

With more than 25 years experience creating innovative promotions, and eight years as president of The A Team LLC, Mr. Cohen has brought many great ideas to life. Recent promotions for Jaguar Cars and Ricola cough drops are just a few examples of his innovative approach to promotional marketing.

Mr. Cohen founded A Team Promotions in 1999. With 22 employees and offices in New York City and Irvine, California, the company has worked with major brands including vitaminwater, Weight Watchers, American Express, and Hess Express. The A-team was honored in 2006 with a gold Reggie Award and a Pro Award in Event Marketing.

Prior to founding A Team, Mr. Cohen was a founding partner of Diamond Promotions. An avid sports fan, he pioneered the development of customized baseball fantasy camps for corporations, as incentives or contests.

His creativity also extended to the hardwood. Where most people saw basketball star Dennis Rodman’s eye-catching hairstyles as a distraction, he saw an opportunity. Soon thousands of fans were tuning in to see if Rodman’s hair color matched the color of their Mistic beverage caps.

Mr. Cohen credits part of his success to his experiences in the marketing departments of major corporations such as Nabisco and PepsiCo. In his five years with the soda giant, he worked on product placement contracts, television shows, sponsorships, and high-profile events, including The Grammy Awards.

“Working for a big company really taught me to think big,” he says. Big thinking has helped him navigate the digital age.

“The creative process takes time,” he says. “Technology has greatly expanded the things we can do, but now everything has to happen much faster. People have to remember, you still need time to think creatively.”

The A Team has been quick to incorporate digital media into its work. “We’ve been successful in getting bloggers to cover some of our promotions, that kind of exposure is really unprecedented,” he says.

A native of Brooklyn, Mr. Cohen was drawn to Adelphi’s small campus and strong reputation in business education. His favorite memories include serving as president of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, and competing in a charity dance marathon with well-known radio DJ Jim Kerr.

Mr. Cohen lives in Manalapan, New Jersey with his family. He is an adjunct professor of marketing and advertising at Pace University. In his spare time, he manages his children’s softball teams and enjoys cheering for the Yankees and all things New York sports.