Billee Howard, Executive Vice President/Managing Director of the Global Strategic Media Group, Weber Shandwick
Last year, when the media landscape was convulsed by massive shake-ups and a reeling economy, Billee Howard devised ways to make executives at companies such as MasterCard,
Bext Buy and Honeywell put their best public face forward. For her, treading the line between traditional and nontraditional media has been imperative to forging relationships
with journalists and engaging global audiences.
Yet the evolution of today's media relations has presented challenges for Howard. "Many [clients and those in the industry] view media as a commoditized component of PR, when
in fact, the need for 'decommodization' in this aspect of our business has never been greater," she says.
Hit Parade of Campaigns
Of the many campaigns Howard has worked on, she says her efforts for Royal Caribbean and Honeywell Aerospace are her most noteworthy. For the former program, launched post
9/11, the objective was to encourage the U.S. government and the public to view maritime safety as an area requiring as much attention as airport security. The latter initiative
focused on globalizing the Honeywell brand "during a time where business globalization itself has never been more important to a company's future growth trajectory."
Pros & Cons
"The most rewarding thing related to what I do is identifying a trend that I believe is going to drive corporate reputation in the future, helping a client sculpt their
corporate brand around it and then watching that trend and that corollary platform work together to enhance a client's reputational capital," explains Howard. "It's really
rewarding to develop a campaign idea for a client, communicate it and see your idea 'concretized' in real results."
The contracting of the media landscape can be problematic for Howard, particularly in the wake of the Web 2.0 world. "Fewer journalists means fewer subject matter experts as
opposed to generalists," she says. "Producing deep industry coverage, which is both accurate and effective, is a mounting concern."
Honorable Mentions
Joann Donnellan, President, JD Media, LLC
Donnellan's reputation for strategic thinking and problem solving have resulted in an extensive client network. Prior to founding her own firm, she directed crisis media
relations for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and did a stint as traveling press secretary for the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning
Wounded Warriors.
Sean Dougherty, Group Vice President, MWW Group Inc.
When the Scottish Enterprises engaged the MWW Group to set up a media tour for the First Minister of Scotland, Dougherty created a program that would get the First Minister
maximum exposure in major U.S. and international publications. It worked: Dougherty secured features representing Scotland as a business capital in well-respected publications,
including the formerly inhospitable Wall Street Journal.