By Debra Silimeo

“Knowing who your stakeholders are, and how we connect them to the organization, is the essence of communications,” according to Martha Boudreau, right side above, EVP, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, AARP, speaking to Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) executive level communicators in a Zoom session on May 23. She and Jean Medina, left side above, Chief Communications Officer, Washington Commanders, shared how they identify, segment and target stakeholder communications efforts to support their organizations’ goals.

Medina and Boudreau emphasized the value of social media and its importance for sharing information as well as listening and learning how people are receiving their brands. AARP has about 150 social accounts, counting state chapters. Medina uses it to help fans engage with the team. Commanders outreach includes a FAN Ambassador Network and is multi-generational. She said it’s important to recognize how passionate people are about football. “Fan, after all, is derived from the word “fanatic,” she noted.

They emphasized that how people consume media is constantly changing and the good PR pro must stay on top of it to reach people where they are. For AARP, stakeholders run the gamut in ages, including Gen X’ers who use TikTok.  “Legacy media” such as The New York Times and The Washington Post are still crucial to reach federal, state, and local policymakers for AARP’s policy goals.

They agreed that AI is “not a tomorrow technology, it is today” and PR pros should feel a sense of urgency to stay up with it. “Our industry requires us to be intellectually curious,” said Boudreau.

Asked about the team’s sale, Medina said not enough attention has been paid to the many things that have been done in recent years to improve the Commanders’ organization; among them, a more diverse leadership team.

This WWPR event was moderated by Susan Matthews Apgood, Executive Vice President, 4media group, inc.

WWPR provides executive level members the opportunity to learn from each other in member-exclusive conversations with other recognized leaders.