Case study · AUTOMOTIVE E-COMMERCE & CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
Executive Visibility Turns an Online Auto Parts Retailer Into a Business Press Regular
A thought leadership and corporate communications program put CarParts.com's CEO and CFO in front of business and investor media, generating 54 placements and 500 million impressions in 2021 and 2022.
54
Placements, 2021 To 2022
500M
Media Impressions
26
Earnings Coverage Placements
Overview
PRACTICE: Thought Leadership | Corporate Communications | Awards & Speaking
CarParts.com is a publicly traded company that sells replacement auto parts online. They had little presence in the relevant business and financial media outlets that shape how the market views the company. CarParts.com engaged 5W to fill that gap.
Discover
Earnings season provides news opportunities four times a year, but many public companies treat it as little more than a filing requirement. 5W saw an opening to make CarParts.com's executives a recurring voice in business coverage by connecting earnings, industry stages, and award recognition into one program.
Define
“Investors read the numbers. Reporters cover the people behind them.”
5W built the program around CarParts.com's CEO and CFO, positioning them as the faces of the company's growth story in business, financial, and investor media.
How 5W ran the program
Drive
- Established a media presence for the executive team. Thought leadership outreach introduced CarParts.com's leadership to business and financial reporters at outlets including The Wall Street Journal.
- Turned earnings into a media moment. As part of an earnings program that produced 26 pieces of earnings coverage, 5W hosted an investor meeting on Clubhouse, the live audio app.
- Booked the CEO and CFO on industry stages. Five speaking opportunities put both executives in front of industry audiences at trade shows.
- Built an awards strategy for third-party validation. Submissions earned eight wins, including Entrepreneur of the Year, the Stevie Awards, and Fast Company recognition.
Results
54 placements, 2021 to 2022 · 500M media impressions
In two years, CarParts.com's leadership went from a limited media footprint to a regular voice in business and investor coverage.
- Eight award wins, including Entrepreneur of the Year, the Stevie Awards and Fast Company.
- Five speaking opportunities for the CEO and CFO at industry shows.
- Coverage in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Barron's and The Motley Fool.
Coverage included