From crisis response to strategic advisor: Insights from DIRECTV's VP of Marketing, Communications, & Community on navigating AI, reputation management, and narrative control
The role of communications leaders has fundamentally transformed. What was once primarily an announcement-focused function has evolved into strategic counsel that shapes business decisions before they're made. Jon Greer, Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Community at DIRECTV, recently shared how his organization is navigating this shift—and the results speak volumes.
Reputation as a Team Sport
Five years ago, reputation management lived in isolated crisis response teams. Today, it sits in the boardroom. As Greer explains, "We stopped treating reputation as something that we protect only during a crisis and started managing it as a business asset," Greer said during a recent Signal AI webinar.
This shift came in 2021 when DIRECTV separated from AT&T. The company recognized that reputation would either accelerate their reinvention in the competitive pay TV space or slow it down. The solution? Making reputation everyone's responsibility.
"Reputation is shaped by product decisions, customer experience, pricing, policy positions, leadership behavior, as well as communications," Greer noted. The communications team evolved from a single owner to a chief steward, ensuring every employee has skin in the game at each customer touchpoint.
From Reactive Messaging to Strategic Foresight
The evolution from tactical execution to strategic planning is evident in DIRECTV's recent market moves. Facing multiple high-stakes programming negotiations with Disney, Fox, NBCUniversal, and Warner Media—all within a three-month window—the communications team didn't wait for crisis mode.
Instead, they developed an 18-month comprehensive strategy. Before negotiations even began, DIRECTV launched their vision for a "Brighter TV Future," educating consumers about their awareness of frustrations with pricing and content fragmentation. The result? DIRECTV became the first market mover to launch genre-specific packages, with Comcast, Fubo, and YouTube TV following their lead.
"Communications was able to take a step back and create a comprehensive 18-month plan and strategy that we could execute to educate consumers," Greer explained.
AI as Stakeholder: The New Frontier
Perhaps most critically, DIRECTV has recognized AI itself as a stakeholder—one that shapes perception before humans ever engage with traditional content. "How DIRECTV, for example, is showing up in AI search summaries and recommendations now shapes perception for consumers," Greer noted.
The team has aligned communications, SEO, and content teams around shared goals, focusing on authoritative signals that feed large language models. This means understanding not just who they're influencing, but what systems are being influenced—and getting ahead of potential misinformation cycles faster.
The Path Forward
Greer's advice to communications leaders navigating a crisis? "Be the thermostat, not the thermometer."
Just as passengers look to flight attendants during turbulence, peers and leaders will look to communications to navigate through a crisis with minimal disruption.
The transformation from tactical communicator to strategic business partner isn't just aspirational—it's essential. As Greer demonstrates, the most successful communications teams are those that see signals in the future, not just respond to what's around the next corner.