Project: Opinion Leadership Program
Building U.S. Brand Visibility Through Thought Leadership & Strategic Communications
Challenge:
As the world’s largest wire and cable manufacturer, Prysmian Group was globally respected for its technical excellence—but in the U.S. market, it was often misperceived as a foreign brand. Despite having over 1,400 employees, 9 manufacturing facilities, and 2 R&D centers in North America, its local impact remained underrecognized. The company lacked a strategic framework to elevate its subject matter experts or share its regional innovations. The goal: reposition Prysmian as a U.S.-based leader and contributor to critical sectors like energy, telecom, and sustainability.
Solution:
In 2017–2018, I launched and led a comprehensive opinion leadership program designed to shift perception and increase brand visibility across North America.
Strategic Framework & Program Design: Created the Prysmian Experts Bureau to identify and elevate internal thought leaders aligned to timely market narratives. Defined messaging priorities and developed an editorial calendar mapped to corporate strategy and industry trends.
Agency Partnership & Content Development: Selected and managed a public relations agency to support program execution. Together, we produced high-impact content—bylined articles, press releases, expert Q&As, and case studies—that emphasized Prysmian’s U.S. presence and innovation.
Collaborative Media Relations: Partnered with the agency to build and refine targeted media lists, pitch story ideas to regional and trade outlets, distribute monthly press releases, and monitor media performance. I shaped storylines and served as the brand’s voice; the agency helped translate them for media.
Customer Co-Marketing: Introduced a strategy to spotlight customer partnerships via testimonials, co-hosted presentations, and award nominations to build third-party credibility.
Planned Executive Visibility (Paused): Developed an executive media strategy, including a CEO deskside tour in NYC and editorial board introductions, which was placed on hold during the General Cable acquisition.
Impact:
This initiative laid the foundation for Prysmian’s brand evolution in North America. Notable results during the program’s active phase included:
8.5 million+ in total media reach, with coverage in both national and trade outlets highlighting Prysmian’s innovation, plant expansions, and sustainability leadership.
Launch of a structured, editorially driven press strategy, with high-profile releases covering key milestones including the $300M Verizon contract, the opening of a new R&D Innovation & Training Center, and $83M in capital investments across manufacturing facilities in North America.
Published bylines and executive op-eds on critical topics such as undergrounding infrastructure and year-end industry trends, contributing to a growing cadence of thought leadership.
Increased brand visibility in the company’s North American headquarters region, particularly in South Carolina, resulting in local business media features, congressional visits, and recognition through multiple award nominations.
Although long-term media engagement plans were paused due to the General Cable acquisition, the program marked a pivotal turning point—redefining Prysmian’s U.S. narrative and laying the groundwork for future communications and brand positioning.
