Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Joe Billone
Title: Vice president, communications and events, North America, Avon Products Inc.
What He Does: As part of the $8 billion company's restructuring effort aimed at giving the brand a competitive boost, Billone heads a new communications department that integrates print, online, and event initiatives targeting Avon employees and its more than 500,000 independent U.S. representatives. He oversees more than 25 annual events (at least two of which are overseas). These include largescale, high-ticket salesrecognition programs (think cruising around the islands of Greece), quarterly sales and marketing meetings, and strategic communication conferences with senior management. Billone's department handles the content and style of monthly sales meetings in more than 1,300 districts across the U.S. And he plans events for C.E.O. Andrea Jung, one of the
most powerful female executives in business.
Staff: About 25 people, including executives who work exclusively on events and those who produce content (for Avon’s newspaper for U.S. reps, for example).
Age: “My goodness…53.”
Career Path: After earning a B.F.A. from the University of Connecticut, he worked on a graduate degree in dance at New York University, then left to perform professionally for 11 years, in several tours and on Broadway in My Fair Lady; he then worked as a choreographer and director. Billone worked on corporate events on a freelance basis from 1981 to 1995, then worked for event marketing agency Jack Morton Worldwide for nearly 10 years. One of his clients was Avon, and in 2005 he joined the cosmetics giant as vice president of communications for North America.
Where He Lives: Central Park West
Where He Grew Up: Greenwich, Connecticut
Favorite Avon Product: Anew Clinical Eye Lift. “Unbelievable.”
Best Tip: “People always say, ‘Never let them see you sweat.’ I always believed the key to my success was that my clients, whether external or internal, always saw me sweat. They knew how hard I was working on their behalf.”Does the fact that Avon is trying to turn itself around put even more pressure on you?
It’s upped the ante. Communications is part of the lifeblood of Avon. Being a direct-selling company, our relationship with our independent representatives is critical. We have to keep them engaged, motivated, and trained. It’s a challenging and demanding time. But it’s also very exciting because we’re getting closer to our constituents and making decisions faster.
How has the restructuring impacted your role at Avon?
My title when I started at the company was vice president, communications, North America. As part of the restructuring, we merged the communications and event departments under me. We began looking at communications for our two different audiences—employees and independent representatives—across three different platforms: print, online, and live. Rather than looking at events as a separate strategy, we linked it to the overall communications strategy. At different points in Avon’s history, communications has not been a part of the North America Operating Committee [the top management tier for the region’s commercial business unit]. The fact that my position is now part of that committee underscores how our company is totally integrated.
So your staff grew substantially?
Actually, it shrunk. We looked at this department through brand new eyes to figure out who were the people we actually needed to run it in the most effective way across these different platforms. The biggest change has been structurally because [we have] merged several departments. There are a lot more interdependencies.
Have you changed your events as a result?
We’re reviewing all of our events, asking: what is the communication need behind each one? Rather than huge 10,000-person events, we’re getting around to the same number of people through smaller formats to allow for a higher level of interactivity. So, we’re just trying to bring management out to the people more. For all of our events, we’re asking, what’s the place for live versus print versus online [communication] in this world? We have key recognition programs throughout the year that we would never give up because it’s part of the heritage of our company, but beyond that we’re asking ourselves how often we need to get together live versus, for example, gathering in online communities.
You’re in the midst of a 120th anniversary celebration. How have the anniversary events reflected your new communications strategy?
So few companies—and certainly no direct-selling company—have the kind of longevity we have. We have not only 120 years of doing business, but also 120 years of doing it with the same real mission of empowering women and changing lives. So we wanted to mobilize the entire organization around that heritage. But how? Do we have one large event in New York and let the rest of the world hear about it? Instead we opted for an approach that comprised a series of initiatives that took place online, live, and in print, and had a life beyond just a single day or a single event. It was a great balance of looking back with an emphasis on how we are building the organization for the next 120 years.
What were the highlights of the campaign?
First, we invited every location around the world to find a story of a woman whose life was empowered by Avon. On September 15, 55 stories representing locations around the world were downloaded on our intranet site. At the end of the year, we’ll send out a commemorative edition of The Representative Times [the newspaper that goes out to Avon’s U.S. representatives every two weeks] that will feature selected stories.
What’s remarkable about those stories is how similar they are. No matter what part of the world you’re in, whether you’re from a very rural area or an urban metropolis, the stories are about lives that have been dramatically changed because of their affiliation with this company, largely in terms of self-esteem and the livelihood they provide to their families.
What type of events did you have for the anniversary?
We officially kicked off the campaign at fourth quarter conferences around the world. For the U.S. kickoff conference, which comprised the district and division managers from across the U.S., we brought in three U.S. representatives who were featured on the site to share their stories live. And for our U.S. independent representatives, we beefed up our usual monthly sales meetings and turned them into “anniversary jubilees.” We brought multiple districts together and sent 10 members of our North America management team to 35 locations across the country for presentations comprising a 10-minute historical video and interactive Q&As that touched more than 10,000 representatives and delivered the same message.
Did you have any anniversary events for your representatives overseas?
Yes, over a three-week period locations around the world had their own local event, which was executed at the grassroots level but had a consistent message created by our team in conjunction with corporate communications and with deep involvement by [C.E.O.] Andrea Jung. So we didn’t dictate to Japan, for example, how they would celebrate.
We sent event tool kits to each of our worldwide locations that included PowerPoint slides and the 10-minute historical video. We sent three copies: one in English, one in Spanish, and one with music and an accompanying script so you could record your own voice over it in your native language.
So, you really had the flexibility to execute your event in a way that would best target your audience. At some of the events in China, they played the video, while one of the executives read the script aloud. Each celebration had its own look and feel: Some took place in corporate settings, others at picnics that included families.
What have you learned through both the reorganization and the 120th anniversary celebration?
We’re on a journey and learning and assessing as we go, but it starts with the right message and then communicating it the right way across the right vehicles. You can’t have one piece without the others.
—Michele Marchetti
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Title: Vice president, communications and events, North America, Avon Products Inc.
What He Does: As part of the $8 billion company's restructuring effort aimed at giving the brand a competitive boost, Billone heads a new communications department that integrates print, online, and event initiatives targeting Avon employees and its more than 500,000 independent U.S. representatives. He oversees more than 25 annual events (at least two of which are overseas). These include largescale, high-ticket salesrecognition programs (think cruising around the islands of Greece), quarterly sales and marketing meetings, and strategic communication conferences with senior management. Billone's department handles the content and style of monthly sales meetings in more than 1,300 districts across the U.S. And he plans events for C.E.O. Andrea Jung, one of the
most powerful female executives in business.
Staff: About 25 people, including executives who work exclusively on events and those who produce content (for Avon’s newspaper for U.S. reps, for example).
Age: “My goodness…53.”
Career Path: After earning a B.F.A. from the University of Connecticut, he worked on a graduate degree in dance at New York University, then left to perform professionally for 11 years, in several tours and on Broadway in My Fair Lady; he then worked as a choreographer and director. Billone worked on corporate events on a freelance basis from 1981 to 1995, then worked for event marketing agency Jack Morton Worldwide for nearly 10 years. One of his clients was Avon, and in 2005 he joined the cosmetics giant as vice president of communications for North America.
Where He Lives: Central Park West
Where He Grew Up: Greenwich, Connecticut
Favorite Avon Product: Anew Clinical Eye Lift. “Unbelievable.”
Best Tip: “People always say, ‘Never let them see you sweat.’ I always believed the key to my success was that my clients, whether external or internal, always saw me sweat. They knew how hard I was working on their behalf.”Does the fact that Avon is trying to turn itself around put even more pressure on you?
It’s upped the ante. Communications is part of the lifeblood of Avon. Being a direct-selling company, our relationship with our independent representatives is critical. We have to keep them engaged, motivated, and trained. It’s a challenging and demanding time. But it’s also very exciting because we’re getting closer to our constituents and making decisions faster.
How has the restructuring impacted your role at Avon?
My title when I started at the company was vice president, communications, North America. As part of the restructuring, we merged the communications and event departments under me. We began looking at communications for our two different audiences—employees and independent representatives—across three different platforms: print, online, and live. Rather than looking at events as a separate strategy, we linked it to the overall communications strategy. At different points in Avon’s history, communications has not been a part of the North America Operating Committee [the top management tier for the region’s commercial business unit]. The fact that my position is now part of that committee underscores how our company is totally integrated.
So your staff grew substantially?
Actually, it shrunk. We looked at this department through brand new eyes to figure out who were the people we actually needed to run it in the most effective way across these different platforms. The biggest change has been structurally because [we have] merged several departments. There are a lot more interdependencies.
Have you changed your events as a result?
We’re reviewing all of our events, asking: what is the communication need behind each one? Rather than huge 10,000-person events, we’re getting around to the same number of people through smaller formats to allow for a higher level of interactivity. So, we’re just trying to bring management out to the people more. For all of our events, we’re asking, what’s the place for live versus print versus online [communication] in this world? We have key recognition programs throughout the year that we would never give up because it’s part of the heritage of our company, but beyond that we’re asking ourselves how often we need to get together live versus, for example, gathering in online communities.
You’re in the midst of a 120th anniversary celebration. How have the anniversary events reflected your new communications strategy?
So few companies—and certainly no direct-selling company—have the kind of longevity we have. We have not only 120 years of doing business, but also 120 years of doing it with the same real mission of empowering women and changing lives. So we wanted to mobilize the entire organization around that heritage. But how? Do we have one large event in New York and let the rest of the world hear about it? Instead we opted for an approach that comprised a series of initiatives that took place online, live, and in print, and had a life beyond just a single day or a single event. It was a great balance of looking back with an emphasis on how we are building the organization for the next 120 years.
What were the highlights of the campaign?
First, we invited every location around the world to find a story of a woman whose life was empowered by Avon. On September 15, 55 stories representing locations around the world were downloaded on our intranet site. At the end of the year, we’ll send out a commemorative edition of The Representative Times [the newspaper that goes out to Avon’s U.S. representatives every two weeks] that will feature selected stories.
What’s remarkable about those stories is how similar they are. No matter what part of the world you’re in, whether you’re from a very rural area or an urban metropolis, the stories are about lives that have been dramatically changed because of their affiliation with this company, largely in terms of self-esteem and the livelihood they provide to their families.
What type of events did you have for the anniversary?
We officially kicked off the campaign at fourth quarter conferences around the world. For the U.S. kickoff conference, which comprised the district and division managers from across the U.S., we brought in three U.S. representatives who were featured on the site to share their stories live. And for our U.S. independent representatives, we beefed up our usual monthly sales meetings and turned them into “anniversary jubilees.” We brought multiple districts together and sent 10 members of our North America management team to 35 locations across the country for presentations comprising a 10-minute historical video and interactive Q&As that touched more than 10,000 representatives and delivered the same message.
Did you have any anniversary events for your representatives overseas?
Yes, over a three-week period locations around the world had their own local event, which was executed at the grassroots level but had a consistent message created by our team in conjunction with corporate communications and with deep involvement by [C.E.O.] Andrea Jung. So we didn’t dictate to Japan, for example, how they would celebrate.
We sent event tool kits to each of our worldwide locations that included PowerPoint slides and the 10-minute historical video. We sent three copies: one in English, one in Spanish, and one with music and an accompanying script so you could record your own voice over it in your native language.
So, you really had the flexibility to execute your event in a way that would best target your audience. At some of the events in China, they played the video, while one of the executives read the script aloud. Each celebration had its own look and feel: Some took place in corporate settings, others at picnics that included families.
What have you learned through both the reorganization and the 120th anniversary celebration?
We’re on a journey and learning and assessing as we go, but it starts with the right message and then communicating it the right way across the right vehicles. You can’t have one piece without the others.
—Michele Marchetti
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
