Elevating Cyber Thought Leadership

Positioning DISA as a National Thought Leader on a Global Scale

THE OPPORTUNITY

As official co-host of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International flagship TechNet Cyber conference, the Defense Information Systems Agency needed to:

Publicly demonstrate the AFCEA–DISA partnership while maintaining strict ethics guidelines.
Spotlight agency capabilities and thought leadership on zero trust, cloud, AI, and cybersecurity.
Attract small-business innovators to networking sessions and increase overall engagement from the defense workforce.

Graphic showing a soldier using a tablet in a server room with the text “DISA is the #EmployerOfChoice” and the Defense Information Systems Agency seal. (DISA graphic by Bethani Crouch)

DISA social marketing graphic promoting agency hiring at AFCEA TechNet Cyber. (DISA graphic by Bethani Crouch)

AT A GLANCE

CHALLENGES:

Co-host balance
Ethics compliance
Thought leadership
Customer engagement

STRATEGY RESULTS:

+25% visibility
+34% engagement
+29% opt-ins
Reputation boost

SOLUTION: STRENGTHEN REPUTATION THROUGH ENGAGEMENT

My Role: I worked across departments and agencies to lead a 13-week, cross-channel campaign blending owned media (blogs, GovDelivery email, DISA.mil) and earned media with social video and a YouTube livestream effort to turn pre-event buzz into real-time conversation and post-event stickiness. Key guardrails: use only DISA-branded assets, secure AFCEA logo permissions, and label all references as “co-host” to avoid implied endorsements.

1. 📢 Messaging & Positioning: Narratives that spotlight DISA's zero trust, cloud, AI, and cyber resilience agenda, coordinated with AFCEA marketing.

2. 👥 Stakeholder Engagement: Targeted programs for small-business innovators, tech partners, federal leaders, an the defense workforce.

3. 📨 Media & Public Affairs: Leadership blogs, pre-event briefs, pitching, and live content to expand earned reach.

4. 🎥 Integrated Channels: Blogs + GovDelivery + DISA.mil + YouTube livestream + LinkedIn/Twitter recaps for real-time and post-event lift.

RESULTS

The campaign standardized co-host execution, elevated DISA’s thought leadership, and created a repeatable playbook for future events—driving measurable visibility, engagement, and reputation lift.

POINTS OF IMPACT

+25% visibility, +34% lead generation, +29% opt-ins from the 13-week integrated program
Sustained >5% engagement rate via daily social listening and agile content pivots
Executive visibility accelerated through leadership blogs, live streams, and event recaps
Clean co-host governance (brand assets, logo permissions, disclaimers) that avoided ethics friction
Earned coverage in DefenseScoop, AFCEA Signal, and Breaking Defense reinforced credibility beyond owned channels