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Supply chain disruptions have been all over the news headlines. But Padilla client Crisp, a company using AI and real-time analytics to tackle supply chain bottlenecks for consumer goods manufacturers and brands, is making headlines of its own. They’re experts at helping companies ride out this turbulent time and leverage technology to build efficient, resilient supply chains that truly “deliver the goods.”
Dana Miller is the senior vice president of marketing at Crisp, with specialties in brand marketing, public relations, content and events. With over 20 years of experience in marketing and non-profit communications, Dana has led many global corporate branding and re-branding initiatives, working in the food tech and ad tech industries over the past decade. Before Crisp, Dana worked as the director of corporate marketing at Taboola, the vice president of marketing at ConvertMedia, and the associate vice president of corporate marketing at Sizmek.
Padilla sat down with Dana to learn more about the type of communication challenges this innovative company encounters, and how having a strong public relations partner can help establish a brand’s success and position C-suite level executives as thought leaders.
What are the biggest marketing and communication challenges that you’re facing today as you lead Crisp efforts?
We’ve been very lucky at Crisp because our customers are so willing to speak to the press. That’s typically one of the challenges that I have encountered in my career as a marketer. It’s been amazing to be able to share how customers see the immediate value they are getting from the platform.
I’ve been here at Crisp since almost day one and watching the acceptance, recognition and value proposition develop has been interesting as well.
How is the role of new media and new technologies changing your brand tactics and strategy?
My first internship many years ago was in print media, so I really appreciated the ability to hold on to an article physically when it is published. But the digital transformation of media has enabled brands to have a much broader reach now. In terms of being able to amplify our messages and reach our audience, digital media has been a groundbreaking development for anyone in marketing and PR.
Additionally, there are so many different outlets that we can appear in, and that are relevant to our buyers. As a B2B brand, we needed to figure out our specific audience and how we can best get our Crisp message across. That’s where Padilla came in.
A key tactic has really been around making sure we are appearing in well-recognized business and trade publications, and we are working closely with Padilla to help us do that. We then amplify that coverage across different social channels so our sales team can share relevant coverage to secure new clients. I think that media placements and then digital amplification of the coverage has been a great combination for us.
Why did you seek assistance from a communications and marketing agency to bolster Crisp’s outreach?
I’ve worked with PR agencies throughout my career, both locally in the United States, as well as globally. When I first started at Crisp, it was hard for me to find an agency like Padilla that specializes in both food as well as technology. There are a lot of PR agencies out there that help food brands market themselves in a D2C way, but it’s unusual to find an agency that can handle the B2B aspect of it, so I was really excited to find the Padilla team.
I came from a tech background as well as a nonprofit background, but not a food background, so I was looking for an agency that could fill that gap and immediately provide value. The fact that we were able to ramp up quickly with the Padilla team was great. I think we’ve developed an impressive cadence of coverage, which is important for us too. We wanted to have a regular drumbeat of coverage on a weekly or biweekly basis, and we have been able to sustain that over time, in several different media outlets and channels. We have a broad message, so being able to tap into many different outlets with different angles on stories that provide value for those varied outlets has been key to our success.
What are some of the key impacts that you’ve seen since partnering with Padilla?
I think that the best quote we have heard was from one of our customers, who said, “We see Crisp everywhere.” Every time they turn around there is another piece of coverage on us. And our investors have noticed too.
I also love the mixture of coverage that we are getting. It’s a mixture of case studies, thought leadership pieces, interviews with our clients, and interviews with our leadership team. We are getting a full breadth of coverage across trade press and in the business press. Just the impact of us being able to get that regular coverage cadence has been exciting and a major boost to our marketing efforts.
What media outlets are your most trusted and valued sources of information both professionally and when you’re looking to catch up on the news of the day?
I regularly read AdExchanger, Media Post, Adweek and Digiday. Those are all on the digital advertising side. For consumer goods outlets, I value Consumer Goods Technology, Path to Purchase, E-marketer, BevNet and Nosh and Food Dive and Industry Dive. These are all great sources that hit topics of concern to us, and what is happening with our customers.
Where do you find inspiration both professionally and personally?
I’m so inspired by our customers and that has been one of the most fun parts of working at Crisp. Often our customers’ founders are super passionate about what they do, and they genuinely believe in their products, rightly so. A lot of our emerging brands are mission-based companies, as are we, so that match is very rewarding.
Our customers are creating plant-based products, healthier-for-you products, more sustainable food and packing products, and we are working with some of the biggest brands in the world to find innovative ways of using technology to help tackle environmental issues. It has been fantastic to be able to support these brands and help tell their stories.
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