As more people use Facebook to connect with friends and family, businesses have also leveraged the social network as a way to form relationships with customers.
Joe Benarroch ’00, Corporate Communications, International Ads, Facebook, is witnessing the network’s ongoing expansion. In his role, Benarroch partners with public relations managers around the world to share stories with the press of how Facebook helps advertisers connect with all of the people who matter.
Benarroch wasn’t always headed toward a career in public relations and communications. When he first enrolled at Illinois State, he began studying biology, with a goal of becoming an optometrist. After taking some biology courses, Benarroch questioned whether it was the right fit. He decided to enroll in marketing and public relations courses and embrace his love of interacting with people and listening to their stories. He knew he had made the right decision.
“I’ve always said that PR is not just about selling a story, it is more about connecting with people,” Benarroch said. “I think communications became a natural part of who I was because I liked bringing people together. I enjoyed telling stories, and the field itself seemed to be a really good fit.”
After graduating from Illinois State with a degree in public relations, Benarroch took a position with Leo Burnett USA, where he was point of contact for the Pentagon’s Department of U.S. Army Public Affairs. Since then he has served as the associate director of strategic planning for the Starcom MediaVest Group, and as senior manager of brand management, advertising and media effectiveness for Discover Financial Services. Prior to joining the Facebook team, he was global director of corporate affairs for Interpublic Group.
Benarroch and his class sign in on the Facebook wall at Facebook’s New York office.
Benarroch joined Facebook’s marketing and communication team in 2012; the team is responsible for introducing the business side of Facebook to the press community. He focuses on sharing the Facebook business story and the impact it has in different countries and cultures.
Making business personal
The core of Facebook’s business story is that at one point, all business was personal. Business owners knew their customers well and could anticipate their needs, Benarroch explains. However these personal relationships dissipated with the emergence of mass media, which allowed for significant growth albeit at the loss of the personal connections that once created success.
“Facebook is making business and marketing personal again, but we’re helping businesses do it at scale,” Benarroch said. “To be personal at scale is a huge opportunity for businesses, and we’re helping them understand what that means country by country.”
Benarroch gives the example of Indonesia, which has a population of 247 million. Of that total, 69 million people are on Facebook. Because this critical mass creates enormous opportunity for businesses, Facebook opened an office in the nation with a central sales team. Benarroch works with regional and local PR directors to share the larger story with the business press.
“We have a range of countries who have Facebook offices and Facebook teams. As the continued opportunity for advertisers grows and matures in some of those countries, our story has to be told in a variety of different ways,” said Benarroch.
Benarroch poses with his fiancé, Mark Orsini. The pair have used Facebook to communicate with family and friends for their upcoming wedding.
Though the nature of his work creates ample opportunity for travel, Benarroch leverages technology whenever possible to connect with other team members and overseas contacts. Considering it a “privilege to travel,” Benarroch chooses to be thoughtful as to when he connects with teams in person or remotely, making liberal use of mobile applications and Facebook’s messaging function.
Working for Facebook has not diminished his use of the platform; rather it has encouraged him to make more meaningful use of it in his personal life. He has even used Facebook as his hub for planning his October wedding, making use of the platform to send out save-the-date notices.
As an instructor of evening business courses at The New School in New York City, Benarroch utilizes Facebook groups to interact with students rather than the university’s intranet. Homework assignments, discussions, and even grading are done in the groups, allowing him to connect more easily with his students. He completed his own MBA at the NYU Stern School of Business earlier this year and will teach courses at Fordham University in the fall.
Benarroch will return to Central Illinois on September 12 to share his experiences in public relations, corporate communications, and as a member of the Facebook team at @Midwest, a social media conference cosponsored by Illinois State University.
Being a part of Facebook has immersed Benarroch in a company culture that champions individual and personal growth, while continuing to adapt the social platform to its users. In fact, upon arriving at Facebook new employees are encouraged to be the individual they show in their personal profile and not lose sight of themselves.
“By and large, Facebook is built around people,” Benarroch said. “Being built around people means it is going to constantly evolve. We’re very focused on what that means not only for the people who are on our platform, but also for the businesses who are going to engage on our platform.”
Steven Barcus can be reached at srbarcu@IllinoisState.edu.
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