Linda Boff

GE is in the process of an historic transformation into three public, independently traded companies: GE HealthCare, which spun nearly six months ago, and GE Vernova and GE Aerospace, which will separate sometime in early ’24. Our brand will continue to grace all three companies, so when Association of National Advertisers asked me to keynote their Masters of B2B Marketing conference this week, I jumped at the opportunity to share the five principles that have been our North Star in telling the “Story of a Storied Brand” through so much change. \n\n𝟭. 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁\nAt GE, we are the sons and daughters of Thomas Edison. As such, we pride ourselves on being early adopters in the world of marketing, be it through technology, content creation or brand platforms. Our work with creators goes back a decade, long before the birth of “influencer strategies.” That included tapping “The Slo Mo Guys” in 2014 to show how science can be cool and consumable by everyone.  \n \n𝟮. 𝗕𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲\nWe believe the more people know about GE’s impact in the world, the more likely you are to want to work here, invest in the company, and do business with us. In our continual search for new ways to bring the company to life, we create content using all senses: from a “Drop Science” sound track featuring hours of audio from our machines, to depicting unseen women of science on the ceiling of Grand Central Station. \n\n𝟯. 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱\nAt 131 years old, we always look for ways to stay fresh while staying true to our heritage. This means zigging while others zag: whether it’s from the sky through employee-narrated, factory floor drone footage or on the Met Gala red carpet with 3D manufactured designer gowns highlighting additive technology we use in some of our jet engines. \n\n𝟰. 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁\nEvery now and then, we go 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 to drive impact around critical business moments. One of my favorite examples is GE’s cover-to-cover takeover of the New York Times last December. This was the first full ad takeover in the 171-year-old history of the Times and, with 27 pages of ads, we told the story of our transformation into three independent GE companies. \n\n𝟱. 𝗦𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀\nWe put a ton of time and creativity into our work, but do we stretch it as far as it can go? This is true for all of our content, whether it’s 6 seconds, 6 minutes, or 6 hours. There is always room to improve and extract the most value from an asset before we turn our attention to the next new thing.\n\nThese five principles help underscore how GE shows up in a human, memorable, and interesting way while driving differentiation and growth—and how we continue to reinvent a company founded on invention. \n\nTo watch my full presentation, you'll find the link in comments.