Quantum Leap Winner:  Christine Owens

April 6, 2009

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As a UPS driver three decades ago, Christine Owens delivered packages to customers’ offices. Today, she helps drive traffic to the UPS Web site as part of an integrated approach to build the “Big Brown” brand. “I advise women to do what you love with people you enjoy in an organization that makes you feel proud,” says Owens, who began her UPS career in 1979 as a part-time holiday season helper and has been with the global logistics company ever since.

As senior vice president of communications and brand management, Owens focuses on UPS’ technology, global expertise, environmental responsibility and even its delivery drivers to differentiate the brand. “I believe our most important move in brand management is the transition away from traditional advertising and direct marketing to a strategy of customer engagement through our communications,” she says. “This is particularly important in the business-to-business space. You can’t merely push out information – you have to enable customers to pull what they need and make it relevant to their specific needs.”

One example of that shift in thinking is the “Whiteboard” campaign. As Owens says, “We needed to fundamentally change the way people thought about UPS, getting people to realize that UPS is much more than the familiar package delivery company.” To achieve that goal, Owens used multiple channels to draw more than 2 million potential customers into the company’s online assets and make a meaningful connection.

Owens’ other recent accomplishments for her brand include sponsoring Triple Crown racehorse contender Big Brown and playing a leading role at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, transporting 19 million pieces and strengthening the UPS brand in the China market. 

“I would like to think that my most meaningful achievement has been to get people excited about change,” says Owens. “Being constructively dissatisfied and seeking continuous improvement is part of our corporate culture.  We all need to concentrate on where we are headed and what’s on the horizon.

For more Changing the Game Awards Winners:

Quantum Leap Winner: Nancy Smith
Quantum Leap Winner: Dr. M. Bridget Duffy
Quantum Leap Winner: Rosemarie Ryan
Brainwave Winner: Sue Bostrom
Paradigm Shift Winner: Esther "E.T" Franklin
No Apologies Winner: Dr. Jane McGonigal