Elevating executive voice during a defining moment for business media for Comerica
Comerica is a publicly traded regional bank with more than 8,000 employees and a long established regional footprint. Historically, the company maintained a relatively low public profile. Following the appointment of CEO Curt Farmer in 2019, Comerica needed to establish a stronger market voice and position its leadership team as credible, accessible experts during a period of economic uncertainty and rapid change.
70+
Top tier media opportunities in less than one year
10
Different spokespeople across a range of thought leadership topics
Challenge
Comerica faced a visibility gap at a time when financial institutions were under increasing scrutiny from media, investors, and business audiences.
The company had deep institutional expertise, but limited executive visibility outside existing banking circles. At the same time, business media demand for timely economic analysis was accelerating, especially as pandemic related uncertainty reshaped conversations around markets, lending, labor, and business resilience.
Without a stronger public narrative, Comerica risked remaining absent from the national financial conversation while competitors and larger institutions captured attention and authority.
Solution
We focused first on elevating Comerica’s Chief Investment Officer and Chief Economist as credible, accessible voices in business media rather than launching a broad corporate visibility campaign.
Working closely with CIO John Lynch and Chief Economist Robert Dye, we developed messaging grounded in the concerns of modern businesses and investors. We translated complex market and economic research into concise, “snackable” insights designed for fast moving news cycles and reporter needs.
The program combined proactive media outreach, rapid response commentary, and executive communications training across the leadership team. As pandemic coverage intensified, Comerica’s experts became repeat sources for national business media seeking timely perspectives on markets, the economy, and business conditions.
Results
70+ top tier media opportunities in less than one year, including CNBC, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, Fox Business, and leading financial trade outlets
Multiple national media appearances per month during the pandemic, driven by timely economic commentary and consistent executive accessibility
Expanded executive visibility beyond the CEO by establishing both the CIO and Chief Economist as recognized media sources
Enterprise wide media and communications training delivered to the executive leadership team, strengthening spokesperson readiness across the organization
Sustained participation in national business and economic conversations during one of the most competitive media environments in recent history
