Gensler
Services: Communications and Public Realtions, Marketing, Writing, Content Creation, Project Management
As the industry’s largest architecture and design firm, Gensler needed to stay ahead of evolving digital marketing trends and establish best practices across its global offices. The challenge was to lead a cross-disciplinary effort aligning communications, business development, and media strategy. As Firmwide Social Media Strategist, I focused on three goals: growing the firm’s digital audience, deepening client relationships, and elevating Gensler’s profile as a thought leader in architecture.
As Firmwide Social Media Strategist, I developed a unified digital marketing framework that translated corporate objectives into regional strategies. This ensured a consistent global voice while allowing flexibility to adapt to local markets. I partnered with senior leadership and regional directors to shape content that showcased design expertise, supported business development, and secured high-profile media coverage.
A key part of this strategy was optimizing in-house print publications (Design Forecast and Dialogue) and research reports for digital performance. I implemented regular reporting to share insights from A/B testing with leadership, highlighting which topics and articles generated the most engagement. These findings were compiled into best practices distributed across the firm.
To expand reach, I led integrated campaigns that aligned PR, digital channels, and client engagement around priority topics such as sustainability and workplace innovation. Recognizing the industry’s shift to pay-to-play marketing, I built partnerships with platforms and publications including CityLab/Bloomberg, Fast Company, and Climate Week NYC. These collaborations positioned Gensler’s experts as trusted voices in the global conversation on cities, climate, and design innovation.
As a result, Gensler’s digital audience grew to more than 400,000 highly engaged users, many of them decision-makers and future clients. This reach became a pipeline for new relationships and reinforced credibility in both established and emerging markets. Internally, new social media policies and best practices ensured alignment with HR and compliance, strengthening both brand and culture.
This experience demonstrated the impact of combining strategic leadership with integrated communications. By bringing designers and PR teams together, we drove measurable growth and advanced Gensler’s position as an influential voice in the industry.
Results
- Digital audience expanded to 400,000 engaged users
- In-house content featuring design expertise, market insight, and research performed better across multiple platforms
- High-profile partnerships with CityLab/Bloomberg, Fast Company, and Climate Week NYC increased brand awareness
- Unified strategies implemented across 48 offices worldwide
- Firmwide policies introduced to align communications, project teams, leadership, and HR