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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: So, Jen, obviously you have an expansive role at Citi. Could you maybe give us a couple of the bullet points of what that encompasses?

JENNIFER: Sure. In terms of the coverage we do, the enterprise level communications, internal and external support each of our executives. We do firm-wide initiatives like our HR initiatives and any global announcements the firm would make. And then we also have teams that support each of our five core businesses.

DOUG: Yeah, obviously that’s a huge responsibility. How do you sort of navigate managing all of it to sort of set priorities? Obviously, you have a strong team that would be critical.

JENNIFER: I absolutely have a strong team that have deep expertise, not only in communications, but many of whom have been at the firm for most of their careers and who know our businesses really well inside and out. I think most of us in communications have enjoyed our profession because of the diversity and because of the pace, and because we’re always being thrown a new curveball. So, the best way of coping with it is embracing it and enjoying that every hour of every day is different and probably not what you expected when you started the day.

DOUG: Would you say you? It’s important for you to be taking a 360-degree approach. Is that something you focus on?

JENNIFER: Although, you know, I don’t always articulate it as such anymore because I feel like we’ve moved to the point where everything is so closely connected and integrated that if that’s not your baseline going in, there’s a challenge, but it’s a worthwhile reminder and something to think through internally. At a company that’s big is reaching, you know, nearly a quarter million people, it’s really critical, really influential, but the external world and our reputation are obviously important. And how that external coverage and work that we do influences our internal audiences is something that we’re mindful as well. And then obviously, in terms of external communications, the landscape through which you’re getting out your messages is changing and much more heavily focused on social and digital mediums. And, you know, the range of new media forms that are emerging.

DOUG: Yeah, I love that you talked about the external impacting internal. I’ve been on the soapbox for years about that. And even with the media work that we do for clients, so much of it is under the belief that what you say externally will almost be even more trustworthy to the internal audiences than what you might be sharing with them. Of course, now anything you share internally could be expected to go public, so you have to navigate those pieces. You also spoke about the platforms that you’re using, and obviously, is a mix of what we’ll call traditional. And then there are newer platforms to disseminate information. How are you allocating the choices? Does everything go everywhere or are there different types of content that you’re trying to place in different channels?

JENNIFER: The distribution means need to be customized for what those audiences are expecting. So, you know, just to dive one layer deeper into that, what we’ve been trying to really push amongst my team and the executives we support is how people consume information externally is what they want and how they want to consume information internally. So, the idea that somebody who’s getting most of their information from a news aggregator via email or one of the digital platforms, like X, is then all of a sudden going to be engaged for a six, seven, or eight paragraph corporate memo is just nonsensical. So, how are we understanding what people’s information consumption habits are, and then adapting the work that we’re doing for those channels, for that mindset, and appetite for information.

DOUG: Yeah, it’s interesting you say that because I was just seeing some data from Pew that for local TV news, 37% of their audience actually consumes it on a digital platform. So, that’s completely changed things. Another big factor, and I’m sure there are many agencies that are possibly partnering with you. What are some tips for agencies to have the most effective relationships with large enterprises like yours?

JENNIFER: That’s a great question. And I spent the entirety of my career before coming to city on the agency side, and I definitely have a bias for hiring agency people to my team. So, it’s something I think a lot about. And I would say, you know, you ask what the agencies can do, but really, I would start with the perspective of what the client has to do, and that really is make the agency feel and be treated like an extension of your team, because if you treat them as an outsider, that kind of dips in and out, then that’s what you’ll get back. I really try and make my agency partners feel as valued and as important to what we’re trying to achieve as I do my internal team. That’s a big piece of the puzzle. And, you know, I feel like we get the same thing back. What’s difficult and important, I think, for agency partners to realize is I have a hundred things going on in any hour of any day, and I’m calling in outside resources to help and complement my team because I need outside thinking and outside perspective, but I also need people who can, you know, move the ball 80 yards down the field without a whole lot of guidance. And then we can kind of start from a place of having given it a lot of thought and put some work into it and refine what works best for Citi, but if I’m handholding every step of the way and having to be really involved in the weeds, then that’s not kind of easing up the burden that I think most people are relying on agencies to help with.

DOUG: Yeah. And I think that’s really interesting that I think there’s something on agencies where they really have to learn about the business and understand it. And I think you’re open-minded approach, treating them as an internal resource, can help that because, you know, sometimes there are many projects. You don’t necessarily have the context, you know, what needs to be done. And that makes it much harder to bring alternative thinking to it that can help move it forward. What are some of the things that you’re seeing on the horizon that might affect communications? Obviously, you know, the political world globally is on a level of sort of a topsy-turvy as opposed to sort of a smooth path forward at this moment. What are some ways that you would advise other communicators to be thinking about how to navigate, whether they’re an agency for their clients or an internal organization, some best practices to navigate the changes that are happening?

JENNIFER: Sure. I guess I’d highlight two thoughts that come to mind. You asked me a question earlier about the various channels and a 360 approach. What we found is, even though there is a growing set of channels and the means by which you reach them are quite disparate. What we’re finding is that most of them are pulling from old school, if you will, sources of information. So, while many young people may not be reading the Wall Street Journal or the Financial Times, for example, um, they’re getting Instagram feeds that are still being driven by the news that those major outlets are producing. So, one is just we’re looking at the diagnostic of how information is traveling through to non-traditional channels and what the sources are, and analyzing which types of coverage from a business and corporate lens get picked up in those channels. And then ideally, we’re going to do the reverse to say, okay, so there is an appetite for some of these, you know, hip hop influencers who cover world events on occasion on their feeds to learn and think about and share information about what businesses are doing. How should we think about what and when is the right time to engage them? So, that’s one channel where there’s a higher degree of interconnectivity than I think is really being appreciated. The second is, you know, there’s obviously, you know, people are talking about some of the podcasts that have become more popular and culturally influential, and most of those are not the right place for a big company like ours to show up. However, they are places where issues and frustrations are surfaced and where they gain traction. So, really thinking through them, through those mediums and those influencers with the lens of is there there’s an early warning system there and something we have to tune in and be mindful of, about our business at times. I think that’s a more immediate way that we have to think about those, then really opportunities for us to show up in a place where we would look quite out of place.

DOUG: And it might be interesting to develop people within the organization that might be fit for those types of outlets, if that’s where they’re getting information, I think. Are you also trying to be strategic when you get a media placement? If you’re looking at sort of an earned first mentality? How to create a multiplier effect with that through all of your audiences, external and internal.

JENNIFER: One of the things that we’re thinking about is how do we not only talk and do communications that support the reputation of the bank, but that also support the commercial endeavors of the bank? So, we have a major wealth business that we’re working to grow. What are the media outlets, traditional and non-traditional, that the desired customer base of that business is looking at? Some of them are older people who are still reading the, you know, the newspaper, a magazine in Palm Beach. Some of them are up and coming. Family offices with younger people, younger generations who are engaging mostly online through smaller influencer communities, not even on, you know, social media networks necessarily. So, yes, we have to look through all the different means. And how are we supporting the business objectives, as well as working on the reputation of the bank?

DOUG: And also, we like having you share something that the audience might not know about you.

JENNIFER: That’s a good question. I am an excellent boogie boarder, proud Jersey girl, love the Jersey shore, love the water and the beach. I have three kids whom I’ve instilled a similar love in. So, it’s great to be out in the in the ocean with them having some fun. So, I’ve refined my skills.

DOUG: This has been fun and informative. Switching back to content, do you want to let the audience know or share any final thoughts about this conversation, about what communicators should be thinking about going forward? Say there within a large organization.

JENNIFER: You know, I think there are a lot of pressures that every company is facing these days. And whether you’re in-house, working with them or in an agency supporting them, don’t lose sight of the pressures at the human beings across the table from you are under, separate and apart from what’s happening in the business. They’re being asked to do a lot with a little. They’re asked to be, you know, putting, putting in positions that are quite new and stressful without a roadmap. So, remember the human piece and remember to be a partner and supporter for each other, your clients, and your business partners, because that goes a long way to being able to be a good advisor.

DOUG: And empathy can never be a bad way to go. Thanks so much for being with us, Jen. Really informative and fun conversation, and we’ll see you on the boogie board.

JENNIFER: Yeah. Down at the beach. Have a great day.