Case Study: Executive Visibility

A new vice president was hired to lead a business unit of a global manufacturer that did not have an existing leader visibility strategy. The business wanted to elevate the reputation of the new vice president and position her as a thought leader in relevant industries, including coatings, packaging, labels and optical lenses, while also amplifying her voice as a female executive in manufacturing.

The business realized it needed an expert in reputation management, public relations and executive communications to develop a multifaceted visibility plan, assist with messaging and content development and prepare the vice president for media opportunities. The marketing leader hired Kirkpatrick Group to lead the effort.

Kirkpatrick Group followed a five-step process to establish and build the vice president’s presence within trade media, the broader industry and on LinkedIn:

1. Discovery and analysis
2. Development and approval of strategic approach
3. Development and approval of a detailed plan and timeline
4. Ongoing execution and overcoming challenges
5. Monitoring, tracking and maximizing

Step 1: Discovery and Analysis

The Kirkpatrick Group team interviewed the vice president and other business leaders to align on priority topics to support the business’s strategic goals. Priority publications were identified to reach target audiences, and editorial calendars were reviewed for potential bylines and upcoming features. The team also researched industry awards, panels, conferences and speaking opportunities.

Step 2: Strategic Development

The team used the interviews and editorial calendars to develop an executive visibility strategy that would provide consistent on-brand messaging for the vice president in a variety of outlets. The strategy involved leveraging trade media, her personal LinkedIn profile and additional events and awards that would build her reputation as an industry expert, including:

• Thought leadership in trade media publications
• Consistent social media posts and engagement with others
• Speaking opportunities
• Award submissions

Step 3: Detailed Plan and Timeline

The project began in April 2023 and continued through the end of 2024. The detailed executive visibility plan involved ongoing media pitching and relationship building, monthly content suggestions for LinkedIn posts and coordination with corporate communications to share media placements and other news about the vice president and the business unit on internal and external channels.

Step 4: Ongoing Execution and Overcoming Challenges

The team provided training for the vice president that covered key messages she should highlight, LinkedIn and social media engagement guidelines as well as media refresher sessions. The team drafted bylines and Q&A articles for multiple publications and ensured that all materials were reviewed, approved and delivered on time. 

Executive visibility plans can be challenging to implement because of the many demands on every leader’s time. To help overcome scheduling difficulties and make it easier for the vice president to maintain a consistent schedule of posts, Kirkpatrick Group curated content and post ideas for her to share on social media related to related to thought leadership and industry insights.

Step 5: Monitoring, Tracking and Relationship Building

The executive visibility strategy resulted in:

• Five publications featuring the executive in women in packaging leadership stories
• Numerous bylined thought leadership articles on developing technologies
• Speaking slot at a national networking forum
• Participation in a women’s leadership panel at a major trade industry event
• Follower growth of 24.8% and an average engagement rate of over 5% on LinkedIn, nearly double the 2% industry average rate

Conclusion

Executive visibility requires a dedication to consistent messaging and a regularly updated online presence through earned and social media. The business unit recognized the potential of elevating its leader and sharing her voice, both to increase visibility for its products and also to inspire the next generation of women in manufacturing. Kirkpatrick Group’s proven experience, project management, and messaging enabled effective content curation and trade media placements that effectively leveraged the senior vice president’s expertise and provided valuable media coverage for the business unit.