Industry Series 4.0 - Brittney Miller & Seana Miller, PPG

EATS: Emporio: A Meatball Joint (942 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222) – emporioameatballjoint.com

Jack’s EATS: Spicy pork meatball(s) - and do not forget the parmesan-herb french fries & crispy parm brussels sprouts for your table!

Jack: Can you describe your current role at PPG?

Brittney: I am a Marketing Communications Manager for PPG. My main job responsibilities are managing & activating our corporate sponsorships and partnerships. I also assist with corporate branding and corporate marketing efforts.

I work closely with the Penguins and PPG Paints Arena, as well as the NHL, the Carnegie Science Center’s new PPG Science Pavilion and the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.  

Seana: I am a Senior Manager of Digital Communications for PPG. My main responsibility is digital communications, which covers our websites, Internet, social media, and many other digital properties. Along with Brittney, I am also involved in the day-today management of our sports partnerships with the Penguins and NHL.

Jack: Why do you enjoy it?

Brittney: I enjoy it because every day is different. I have had jobs in the past where it is a constant grind – always doing the same things and the same routine. At PPG, every day my job is different.

For example, yesterday we were doing a surprise and delight event at a customer job site. My role is fun, different and fast-paced. I really enjoy working on all the partnerships in our portfolio.

Seana: I enjoy working on the partnership because of the tremendous marketing opportunities. Whether it’s digital or experiential, we can be creative and be immersed in new technology. There is always something new!

Jack: You both have unique and interesting jobs. How did you get hired for your current roles? 

Brittney: I started with PPG right out of college. I have been a PPG employee my entire professional life. When I started with the company, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my career. PPG gave me an opportunity to explore what worked for me professionally, as I started in a customer service position.

After my stint in customer service, I worked in the finance department. At that time, I began to have a mentor relationship (which was supported by PPG). After some self-analysis, I realized that I wanted to be more involved with starting/managing/developing relationships in a day-to-day role.

I decided to get involved with extracurricular activities and network inside the company. After making new internal contacts, a job in marketing became available. The hiring manager happened to be a person that I worked with on our United Way Campaign in the past. Because she had worked with me on this campaign and got to know me, she gave me a chance at an interview. That was my big break - I ended up getting the job (Thanks Tracy!)

Two things happened since: 1) I now have a foundation in marketing (and the experience to go with it) and 2) that hiring manager became a mentor. I am thankful I received the opportunity and to have someone I know I can go to for advice or support.

Jack: In business, networking is a skill that is always emphasized. However, I don’t know if networking once inside a company is talked about enough, as your personal story indicates it can change a career (for the better).

Brittney: It’s extremely important. When opportunities to get involved inside your company appear, get involved! Most people don’t want to do the extra work, but you meet many different people inside your company from many different functions. It’s invaluable.

I feel like I have two professional networks. One is outside of PPG – a traditional professional network. The other is my internal network at PPG – it has been so helpful. Not only does this internal network provide professional opportunity, it helps me do my job more effectively.

Jack: Seana, how did you get hired?

Seana: My career path evolved from a writing/editing role with my first job out of college to digital communications today with PPG. A fellow writer give me a great piece of advice years ago – “stick with technology” and I’ve taken this statement to heart in my career. I was eager to learn how to use technology as a communication platform and I’ve been lucky to have the support of senior leadership to freely experiment to find what works and what doesn’t.

Jack: “Stick with technology.” It’s interesting that your colleague didn’t say “stick with the website”.

Seana: It was great advice!

Jack: Let's discuss naming rights. Why PPG was interested in the naming rights partnership here in Pittsburgh?

Seana: PPG Paints Arena provides a significant platform to showcase our products. PPG exists to protect & beautify the world, and our goal is to tell the city/state/region/world about our mission.

We were looking for a specific brand awareness opportunity and the timing made sense. How could we create awareness nationally that PPG is a paint company? Before the naming rights partnership, many believed PPG was a glass company. The public didn’t know that PPG sold paint.

We chose the Penguins because of the organization’s commitment to winning in our hometown of Pittsburgh. Additionally, when the arena was built, PPG products were used. PPG was involved with the color selection, the paint on the walls, steel structure coatings – we were a part of the arena’s construction. We look to do business with companies that do business with us.

Jack: What happens “behind-the-scenes” in managing this naming rights partnership?

Seana: Every day we think about how we can maximize this partnership. PPG isn’t in the business of writing a check and forgetting about this naming rights investment. Lots of “Cs” – consistent collaboration & communication – both internally at PPG and externally with our counterparts at the Penguins.

Brittney: Here’s an example: in the previous offseason we added color identifiers in strategic locations around the arena. It’s just another way to demonstrate how we protect & beautify PPG Paints Arena. We’re constantly planning and evaluating our partnership strategy.

Seana: Ideas and the actual execution happens quickly. We will come up with a concept – like a painted mural by an artist on a wall at PPG Paints Arena – and we execute. Quickly. It’s about being proactive and flexible.

Jack: What is a common misconception of being a naming rights partner?

Brittney: Two misconceptions:

1)    People believe we can do whatever we want whenever we want within the building. (Not true!)

2)    Activation isn’t as important because of the brand presence physically on display within the arena. (Also not true!)

It’s all about being creative. How do we better utilize & activate our valuable assets? How can we engage PPG customers? How should we improve engagement with PPG employees? We learn, we act, we execute.

Seana: Employee engagement is an important aspect of the partnership. Our employees are our best brand ambassadors. There was an opportunity to have our PPG Paints store employees come to PPG Paints Arena. They told us they were so proud to be employees of PPG because of this partnership. Our employees matter, and we do our best to show them they matter through this partnership.

Jack: What type of feedback did you receive from your employees after signing this naming rights partnership? 

Brittney: It’s been quite positive and it’s great to see employees comment on our social channels that PPG is a great place to work. We often hear from employees that they no longer have to answer the question “What is PPG?” in conversation. People now know we make paint and associate our company with the Penguins.

Jack: How do you measure the success of this partnership?

Seana: There are layers. We started with a simple metric – brand recognition. Unaided awareness is now 96% in the market. We also measure engagement on social media. When we activate on social media with the Penguins, our engagement metrics skyrocket.

Brittney: We can measure our promotional activations. We measure PPG Paints store sales growth in the Pittsburgh market. We evaluate the naming rights media valuation on an annual basis.

Seana: An anecdotal story about the naming rights awareness & effectiveness I love to share is my personal NHL Coors Light Stadium Series experience. PPG is the Official Paint of the NHL. As part of the NHL partnership, we have the ability to activate on-site at the Coors Light Stadium Series games.

Last season, we activated in Annapolis for the Stadium Series game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals. We provided free PPG-branded lip balm to fans attending the game. We had Caps fans REFUSE our free lip balm.

Jack: Let me guess – they knew PPG was associated with the Penguins and Pittsburgh?

Seana: Yes – they knew!

Jack: What’s been most surprising to you about this partnership?

Seana: I remember being surprised when the partnership was announced, because PPG as a company had never done a partnership like this before. To me, the most surprising thing is how well it fits both organizations.

When we first announced the partnership, we showed a video to the media that emphasized how PPG and the Penguins can work together. We’re a good fit. 

Jack: What surprised you, Brittney?

 Brittney: I previously had experience working on sports partnerships on a much smaller scale. It was fairly basic and transactional.

In contrast, managing the naming rights partnership is NOT transactional. It’s a true partnership. The Penguins are willing to work with us on new ideas even if it is potentially outside the scope of the contractual agreement.

Both sides in this partnership will ask the question: how is what we are discussing mutually beneficial?

The Penguins partnership marketing team goes above and beyond to make us feel valued and considered. It matters.

Jack: What advice would you give to a company that is considering a naming rights partnership opportunity?

Seana: The objective of the naming rights partnership must align with your company’s purpose.

Brittney: Consider the opportunities that will exist because of the naming rights partnership. It will encourage you to think differently. It is not a donation, it’s a partnership. The property/organization selling the naming rights must show a willingness and a desire to collaborate. Resources to manage the naming rights are essential.

Jack: Any success stories come to mind outside of the naming rights partnership?

Brittney: I’m proud of PPG’s work in the community. Our Colorful Communities initiative is worldwide. We are contributing $10 million over the next ten years to protect & beautify the communities where we live and work around the world. 

Seana: It aligns with our company’s purpose.

Another example (and this is naming rights-related) is the global impact of the brand’s awareness because of the partnership.

Seana: We’ve been able to surprise a customer in Russia with an Evgeni Malkin autographed jersey. We’ve been able to delight a customer who lives in Montreal with Kris Letang swag (editor’s note - Kris grew up in Montreal). Employees and customers all over the world have an awareness of PPG Paints Arena and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jack: You are approached often by salespeople. How does a salesperson earn your time and attention?

 Seana: Understand our company’s strategic goals and objectives that are applicable in my role. A recent focus for PPG was improving employee engagement and vendor approached with their pitch. The timing and value proposition made sense. If your product or service is aligned with our goals and direction, I will likely listen.

Brittney: I get approached fairly consistently. It can be difficult to work through all of the requests for my time. My advice would be to pay attention to what I’m liking & sharing on social media, as it is information that is tied to our objectives here at PPG. Understand what my role is to PPG regarding partnerships. You must have a specific product or service that can help me do my job more effectively. 

Jack: What are your thoughts on the future of sports partnerships?

Seana: More integration of consumer products in the game – how can the partnership be more authentic?

Brittney: As consumer marketing continues to evolve and technology plays a more important role, I think that there are many exciting opportunities with in-game experiences and broadcast technology to really engage and reach more fans with a higher value of messaging.