Why Chrysanthemum? The flower is a global citizen that adapts readily to wherever it lands to get the job done. In Italy it honors death. In Japan, royalty. In Texas, football. The chrysanthemum can stay in the background as filler, or it can stand alone and be a showstopper. Can you think of a better avatar?
We mix art with science to create stories for our clients that engage, educate and convert. That means telling the human back story, paying attention to the details and connecting the dots to produce a compelling argument. Given focus and attention, a well-managed story and an engaged team transform lookers into long-term customers.
Raye Elizabeth Ward
Raye Elizabeth Ward is a marketing strategist and creative problem solver who helps scientific and technical organizations tell a story that shows how their vision will improve people’s lives. Whether in launching a brand, overcoming a marketing or challenge, or in working through a major business transition, Raye takes an innovative approach to building and delivering a consistent, compelling message.
Supporting U.S. Competitiveness
As founder and principal of Chrysanthemum Marketing, Raye was instrumental in helping her client SEMATECH, a consortium of major semiconductor manufacturers, merchandise its ability to develop foundational technologies as part of an international business development initiative. Later, she worked with the SEMATECH leadership team to build internal communications programs to ease its relocation to New York.
Water, Infrastructure and STEM Skills
Working with other clients, she helped the Texas Water Development Board. drive an accelerated program and distribute American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to local communities with outdated water system infrastructure, demonstrating the program’s financial transparency and accountability through a public website.
Working as the editor of multiple newsletters, covered Hurricane Ike’s devastation to the Texas Coast, winning the International Association of Business Communicator’s Bronze Quill Award of Merit. She guided an educational technology company inspire Texas middle schoolers to learn STEM skills by adopting local waterways.
Privacy, Speechwriting and Media
Prior to Chrysanthemum, she launched eCustomers, a retail personalization start up, into a volatile market during intense regulatory scrutiny of online privacy practices (An interesting story: Doubleclick, which launched the privacy debates with cookies and tracking, is now part of Google.). She guided the team in developing a coherent, integrated “white hat” strategy and developed strategic partnerships to support it including membership on the Federal Trade Commission’s Committee on Online Access and Security.
Previously, she held senior positions at IBM where she was awarded the company’s prestigious President’s Award for creating a unified global brand presence at the company’s largest trade show. While at IBM, she supported five senior vice presidents including the head of strategy as a speechwriter, consistently focusing on how technology improved people’s lives and the company’s competitiveness.
IBM recruited her from Edelman Public Relations where she managed the development and implementation of strategic communications programs for technology companies, including IBM and Fuji Photo Film.
Abby
Editorial Assistant
A native Texan and adventuress, on break after a long day.
Chrysanthemum Marketing 