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 Company: iCrossing
Company Description: iCrossing is a global digital marketing company.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Corporate Communicator
Nomination Title: Dana Mellecker, Director of Public Relations
- Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since January 1 2007 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
When Dana Mellecker joined iCrossing in late 2006, his mandate was simple, help
grow the iCrossing’s media coverage both in terms of quality and quantity during
a time of great transition for the company.
2007 was a watershed year for iCrossing. Founded in 1998, the company had
established itself as the largest search agency in the country. However, the
vision of the company founders was to transition the company into the largest
digital marketing company. Through a series of acquisitions, the company
expanded its digital offerings, but the broad media impression was that
iCrossing was still “just” a search agency. Mellecker was charged with changing
that perception.
Mellecker worked closely with the VP of marketing and other senior executives to
ensure that iCrossing’s new positioning was consistently reflected in all
external communications.
A media training veteran, Mellecker then led several intensive media training
sessions with top executives. He established a solid news pipeline and tapped
into the company's extensive pool of experts available to comment on a wide
variety of digital marketing topics to thought leadership for iCrossing.
His media strategy in 2007 was to focus initially on the trade press to solidify
the new corporate positioning, and then leverage that coverage into business
press coverage. Through aggressive pitching, well prepared spokespeople, and
exploiting every thought leadership opportunity for his spokespeople, Mellecker
secured extensive coverage in the trade press, including the February cover
story of AdWeek, which positioned iCrossing as leading "Search Marketing's New
Direction". iCrossing also appeared on the cover of AdAge, the other top trade
publication, as one of the "Hottest Agencies Around. The buzz began to build
about the company’s potential. As one journalist queried, “Is iCrossing the next
aQuantive?"
Mellecker then leveraged the success in the trade press to build relationships
with top business press. Countless backgrounders and media tours were conducted,
a strategic news pipeline was established, and spokespeople were offered as
expert sources on breaking news.
The culmination of his work in 2007 was a profile in the Wall Street Journal of
iCrossing President Don Scales as an "Ad Maker to Watch" under the
headline, "iCrossing to Take on the World's Omnicoms."
Other coverage in 2007 also included articles in The New York Times, CNN, The
Boston Globe,
and The New York Daily News. Coverage as a whole in 2007 was up 65% over
2006 and 98% of it was positive.
Mellecker operates as part of a very motivated and skilled marketing team at
iCrossing. However, it should be noted that he is a PR staff of one. All of the
media success in 2007 was achieved without an outside agency or additional PR
staff.
- List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
Highlights of iCrossing coverage in 2007
http://news.icrossing.com/articles_2007.php
Search Marketing's New Direction (Adweek cover story)
http://www.icrossing.com/articles/adweek_search_marketings_new_
direction.pdf
iCrossing Takes on the World's Omnicoms (Wall Street Journal)
http://www.icrossing.com/articles/wsj-omnicom.pdf
The Hottest Digital Agencies Around (AdAge cover story)
http://www.icrossing.com/articles/the-hottest-digital-agencies-around-
adage.pdf
- Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:
Mellecker has more than a dozen years in PR and marketing. He began his career
in the energy industry, handling marketing for the Solar Energy Industries.
Mellecker later transitioned to PR agency life as a director at New York
boutique PR agency NYPR, where he helped launched Synchronoss Technologies
(which went on to become the most successful IPO of 2007). Mellecker's clients
have included the hottest start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, and even an astronaut.
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