Frank Helmert | B2B People Top Digital Marketers

Frank Helmert

By By Sean Callahan

June 11, 2012 - 6:01 am EDT

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Different companies, same challenges

Title VP-global interactive marketing

Company: Aon Corp.

Time in current job: 18 months

Aon Corp. is a company built through acquisitions—almost 450 over 25 years. Because it was constructed from so many companies around the globe, many of its marketing efforts are internally focused, and its digital efforts are no exception.

For example, Aon won BtoB's 2012 People's Choice Award for social media for its Pass It On program, which leveraged the company's sponsorship of soccer club Manchester United. Using social media, the effort tracked autographed Manchester United soccer balls as they made their way to Aon offices around the globe. Aon used the program, which also featured office visits from Man U players, to bring together employees and customers alike.

Frank Helmert, Aon's VP-global interactive marketing, was instrumental in this program, but he takes care to share the credit. “Let me stress, it's not only Frank,” he said. “It's a whole team over here.”

Another digital program created by Helmert's team is People Finder, a peer-to-peer platform designed to systematize the knowledge within Aon so that it can be more easily tapped to help clients solve their problems. It was born of the challenge Aon faces in finding the appropriate people with the necessary knowledge among all its employees around the globe.

With People Finder, Aon employees can also locate documents such as white papers, sell sheets and RFPs. Employees can even create their own customized internal newsfeeds, called “My Aon News.”

Helmert said the effort is central to Aon's business. “[Aon President-CEO] Greg Case said, 'This is not a marketing agenda; this is not a human resources agenda. This is an Aon agenda.' ”