Breaking Down Silos: Standardizing Global Marketing Collaboration Post-Acquisition

Project Type: Cross-Regional Process Development & Change Management | Role: Global Brand & Content Lead | Year: 2023-2024

Context & Need

Following People2.0's rapid global expansion through 12+ acquisitions between 2016-2022 spanning North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East, our marketing team faced significant operational challenges that threatened brand consistency and workflow efficiency. Stakeholders from acquired companies had vastly different expectations about marketing collaboration:

• Inconsistent Request Processes: Stakeholders from different entities sent vague directives based on previous experiences with external agencies

• Misaligned Expectations: Teams expected agency-level turnaround times despite our global team managing concurrent projects across regions

• Perception Challenges: Our structured workflows were viewed as unnecessarily complex by stakeholders accustomed to informal processes

• Review Cycle Disruptions: Stakeholders frequently failed to respond to reviews, creating production bottlenecks

• Brand Inconsistency Risks: Without standardized collaboration, we risked creating inconsistent global brand experiences

Tools & Systems Used

Our solution leveraged several operational systems and frameworks:

• Marketing Project Management System: Enterprise-level workflow tracking

• Cross-Regional Stakeholder Mapping: Documentation of key contacts and their needs

• Process Visualization Framework: Visual communication of complex workflows

• Multi-Format Communication Strategy: Combined video and print materials for comprehensive guidance

• Intake Form System: Structured request capture for consistent briefs

Execution & Roles

Working closely with the VP of Marketing and Marketing Operations team, I led the development of a comprehensive "Working with Marketing" initiative:

Strategic Development

• Conducted stakeholder interviews to understand pain points and expectations

• Collaborated with Marketing Operations to map and optimize production workflows

• Identified key communication needs and developed multi-format strategy

Asset Creation

1. Instructional Video

   • Scripted and oversaw development of an engaging, animated walkthrough

   • Used visual storytelling to explain project pipelines and key milestones

   • Positioned process compliance as a business value driver

2. Companion Reference Guide

   • Created detailed documentation outlining timeframes for different asset types

   • Clarified expectations for review cycles with specific guidance

   • Provided direct links to forms and resources with context for each

Process Refinements

Beyond documentation, we implemented several operational improvements:

• Standardized Email Templates: Clear language for review requests

• Enhanced Form Instructions: Better explanations for required fields

• Consistent Review Windows: Established 48-hour feedback expectations

• Escalation Protocols: Created processes for addressing non-responsive stakeholders

Improvements & Measured Impact

The initiative delivered meaningful operational improvements across three key areas:

Operational Efficiencies

• Reduced back-and-forth communications requesting additional project details

• Improved review completion rates, reducing production delays

• Decreased project bottlenecks with fewer stalls due to pending feedback

Stakeholder Satisfaction

• Significantly improved understanding of marketing workflows across regions

• Decreased complaints about marketing processes being overly bureaucratic

• Enhanced visibility into project status and timelines for requesters

Brand Consistency

• Achieved greater standardization in marketing requests across global regions

• Improved review processes ensured better maintenance of brand standards

• Created more unified experience across diverse markets despite regional differences

The assets became valuable onboarding tools for new employees joining through acquisitions, extending the initiative's impact beyond initial implementation.

Reflection & Strategic Insights

This initiative revealed several valuable insights about effective content operations in a rapidly expanding global organization:

1. Process Education Requires Context: Explaining not just what to do but why it matters drives adoption, particularly post-acquisition. By focusing on business value rather than compliance, we achieved higher stakeholder buy-in.

2. Format Diversity Enhances Comprehension: Different stakeholders respond to different communication approaches—our combination of video and print materials significantly improved understanding across learning styles and regional preferences.

3. Operational Transparency Builds Trust: Clearly explaining how processes benefit stakeholders' business objectives reduces resistance. When teams understood how structured workflows improved their outcomes, perceived bureaucracy diminished.

4. Expectation Management Prevents Friction: Establishing clear timeframes and review cycles creates realistic expectations. By setting consistent standards for review windows and turnaround times, we reduced confusion and frustration.

5. Visual Process Mapping Enhances Accessibility: Using visual storytelling makes complex workflows more approachable. Our animated process visualization transformed what could have been a dry procedural document into an engaging, accessible resource.

This initiative connects to our broader content operations framework (see 2024 Strategic Content Framework) and demonstrates how targeted process documentation can transform potential friction points into opportunities for enhanced collaboration. The approach also leverages insights from our Buyer Persona Development work, ensuring communications were tailored to internal stakeholder needs.

The success of this initiative further informed our approach to Crisis Communications Framework development, applying similar principles of visual clarity and stakeholder education to another critical operational area.