Lisa Joy Rosner, CMO of Neustar, doesn’t mince words when describing the state of PR at the company when she took charge in May 2014. “Things were highly fractured,” said Rosner, who was CMO at social intelligence company NetBase before joining Neustar, which provides real-time information and analytics.
Part of the problem was that every business unit—marketing, security, data and registry services—had its own GM and PR manager.
Job one for Rosner was to start breaking down the silos. She hired a VP of communications, so all communication efforts, including social messaging, would be integrated.
Rosner also consolidated the PR and marketing disciplines so PR managers would report to her department. More specifically, Rosner implemented three programs designed to create better overall communications within the company and more cohesion.
▶ Created measurement dashboard for all the company’s PR and marketing disciplines. Before she arrived, there was very little tracking of the company’s PR efforts. Rosner created companywide metrics for press releases, share of voice, ”buzz” metrics and resonance of messaging. “Now we can see how PR correlates with website visits, resulted leads and will impact the bottom line.”
▶ Introduced the ‘Super Smart People’ program. The program gathers executives from throughout the organization—PR managers, product managers, technology executives, HR pros—who can be used for commentary and adding to the conversation online. The goal is making sure everyone is on the same page. “We’re bringing people from across functions together,” Rosner said, “and using that to help tell our story.”
▶ Rolled out ‘Identity Matters’ campaign. Neustar needed a message that would resonate inside and outside the brand. Last year Rosner’s team launched the “Identity Matters” campaign that included PR, social, advertising, website, pubic speaking, tradeshow and lead generation components. The program was a hit in the market, but also internally, where leaders from various groups started advocating that ‘Sales Matters,’ ‘People Matter’ and ‘Budgets Matter.’ “We are using PR to find messages that not only inspire customers, but employees as well,” Rosner said.
Rosner stressed that the company still has a few miles to go in completely breaking down its silos, but there has been “tremendous” progress. “It’s like night and day,” she said. “People from finance, HR, IT and sales are knocking on my door, sharing their ideas for programs.”
CONTACT:
Lisa Joy Rosner, [email protected]
This article originally appeared in the February 2, 2015 issue of PR News. Read more subscriber-only content by becoming a PR News subscriber today.