Company: Boost Mobile
Team size: 16
What's new: Significantly growing the PR department and going beyond consumer outreach
"This past year, we've quadrupled in size," explains Andy Colley, Boost Mobile's corporate communications director. "It's been a pivotal year for the PR function."
Much of that change was driven by a shift in leadership. When Matt Carter joined the company as CEO in 2008, he directed Colley to build a corporate communications program and team that could elevate the Boost brand among business audiences; generate brand awareness among a broader segment of consumers; and make the brand locally relevant in different geographic markets. So, Colley set to work on developing a team divided into four groups: field (or regional) communications, internal communications, corporate PR, and consumer PR.
Telling the corporate PR story was especially key because previously at Boost "if the end result didn't touch the consumer, there was very little interest in doing it," he says.
Yet with a new team and structure in place, Boost has recognized the value of outreach to business audiences, including retail partners and handset manufacturers. It has also expanded its consumer outreach to go beyond just the youth market. Says Colley: "Boost has evolved from a youth brand to a value brand."
