Raising the Brand with Allen Plummer, Global Head of Content at Carlyle
Welcome to Private Equity Marketeer’s Raising the Brand, where we delve into the stories and strategies behind the leading brand builders & capital raisers in the private markets. In this series, we highlight the creative minds and strategic thinkers who are redefining how private market firms connect with their audiences, build trust, and tell their stories.
Today, we’re joined by Allen Plummer, Global Head of Content at Carlyle. From leading an organization of over 50 content creators, designers, and communication professionals at Vanguard to evolving Carlyle’s global content strategy, his journey is a masterclass in storytelling, brand building, and creative leadership.
In the private markets, effective content isn’t just a tool, it’s an extension of a firm’s identity. Carlyle has earned a reputation for creating thoughtful, engaging content that reflects its values and connects meaningfully with its audiences.
Let’s dive in to uncover the vision, strategies, and creative insights that fuel Carlyle’s brand story under his leadership.
About Allen Plummer
As Head of Content for one of the largest private equity firms in the world, Allen oversees the strategy, quality, and execution of marketing and communication content for Carlyle. Whether it's through the written word, videos, podcasts, newsletters, websites, or social media, Allen is evolving a team that is proactively driving marketing and communications content for the firm.
Prior to joining Carlyle, Allen was the Head of Content & Creative, Participant Strategy Experience at Vanguard where he led an organization of over 50 content creators, designers, and communication professionals who were committed to helping 401(k) participants have their best chance at retirement success. Allen’s responsibilities spanned CX, new digital channels, marketing, crisis communications, regulatory changes, and custom communications. Allen started his career as a financial journalist, and has authored and ghostwritten five books.
Content Strategy in Private Equity
Carlyle is a leader in the private markets. How do you craft a content strategy that not only reflects the firm’s legacy but also resonates with the modern investor?
Exceptional content marketing requires three things: authenticity, storytelling, and a strong brand. What I love about Carlyle is that all three of these elements already existed within the firm—I’m simply helping us tell our stories in a way that resonates with our investors and the public. Over the years I’ve developed a methodology for content I create in any role, and it starts with a thorough understanding of the company’s brand and culture. As I immerse myself in that, I’m able to formulate my vision for tone and voice, which should be foundational for any content strategy team. When I was at Vanguard in their 401(k) business, we anchored everything to the concept of “Human. Simple. Coach.”, which you can still see today in their marketing and content. At Carlyle, I strive to make sure we are Refined, Humble, and Approachable in our content, and it works quite well because that’s our actual culture. It’s who we are.
Once I have that foundation, it’s really about feeding the beast. The best content leaders are catalysts; they’re the driving force behind everything that’s being produced. Unfortunately, too many people see these roles as purely editorial. And while I certainly write and edit on a daily basis, I’m more of an editor-in-chief and publisher than anything else.
I approach my role as if I’m leading a media company. When you work for a global company like Carlyle, which has multiple business segments and regions, it’s critical to build a holistic, unified content strategy and I believe the best way to do that is through the development of series that allow various businesses and SMEs to “plug and play” within those guardrails. As we head into 2025, I’m thrilled that we have seven content series built out and delivered on a consistent basis. This year we’re also looking to introduce a few more—all while keeping the lights on with our existing content series. It’s a good problem to have.
Finally, the only way to know what resonates with investors is to be data driven. From social and web analytics, to sponsored content performance, to email analytics, content marketers must analyze and understand what works—and what doesn’t. It would take me hours to share what I’ve learned about content that resonates with the modern investor, and even if I did, it probably wouldn’t work for every brand.
At the end of the day, there are no shortcuts. Create, promote, measure, and repeat. It’s the circle of life for content marketing.
Global Brand Alignment
Carlyle operates on a global scale. How do you ensure that your content strategy aligns with the firm’s vision across different regions?
Vision and strategy should be top down, so I’m always looking to echo and humanize our firm’s strategy. The series framework I’ve built allows both regions and various business segments to speak to our audiences—it also helps me feed the pipeline more easily while taking pressure off regions or business lines to have their own approach.
I’m primarily looking to build content that supports our global strategy, which means combining content that supports our corporate messaging with other content that highlights selected examples, wins, and experts from regions across the globe. That said, my colleagues outside the US have latitude to create content specific for their regions, which works well. For example, my colleague in Hong Kong creates newsletters specifically for investors in Asia, and I’m often able to repurpose or revise those stories for a global audience. It’s a win/win for all of us.
Essentially, I try to be more of a control tower and consultant for region-specific content. We’re far more successful when I support and facilitate those efforts, instead of trying to micromanage everything. At Carlyle, we emphasize that our global team consists of local expertise all over the world, so our approach to content should align with that, as well.
Signature Series
You’ve developed standout series like Navigating Leadership with Admiral James Stavridis and Insights & Indicators with Jason Thomas. How do you identify and develop content that aligns with Carlyle’s brand while providing unique value to your audience?
The key to that question is the word “unique.” I love finding ways to share insights and expertise in ways that convey authenticity and the personality of our experts. With both Jason and the Admiral we’ve created content series and environments that allow them to be their authentic selves—while still representing our brand. It’s like finding great talk show hosts (or guests); once you find them, you create a format where they can just be themselves.
What KPIs or qualitative feedback do you use to measure the success of signature series like Navigating Leadership?
For series, we look at things like subscriber growth and reach, as well as more qualitative feedback. A content series on leadership is more about our brand than persuading investors about a new opportunity, but it works because it credentializes us in a new way. It’s also amazing when the Admiral forwards us emails congratulating him on the series. I won’t go into specifics, but it’s pretty awesome to see some of the names our content has reached.
Navigating Leadership, Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret), Vice Chair of Global Affairs at Carlyle shares key insights and wisdom on leadership for today’s increasingly complex and changing world.
Choosing the Right Channels
With so many distribution platforms available, how do you decide where to focus Carlyle’s efforts to ensure the content reaches the right audience?
I‘m “channel agnostic,” which means I don’t care where people consume our content—as long as they consume it and want more. It doesn’t matter to me if you watch a video interview, read the transcript, or listen to the podcast of the discussion; they’re all wins in my book. Again, we look at the data, and publish where our audience lives and spends their time. That means more content is now on LinkedIn, in email newsletters, and on multimedia platforms than the legacy approach to simply publishing everything on a corporate website. That’s still important, too, but more as a repository of our storytelling than a destination.
The journalist in me always watches media companies. I want to see what the New York Times is doing to keep subscribers, what the Washington Post is doing, what magazines are doing to maintain their audiences. Don’t make your audience come to you. Go to where they are—and be good enough that they notice.
Team Transformation
You’ve built and evolved marketing teams at Vanguard and Carlyle. What’s your approach to fostering creativity and innovation in highly regulated industries?
A big part of it is psychological safety, mixed with an emphasis on collaboration and shared accountability. One of the first things I tell teams is, “We succeed together, or we fail together.” Everyone has their own responsibilities, but we all seek out each other’s opinions and advice. As a result, we help each other out when someone’s having a rough day because at some point we may need help ourselves.
It’s also essential to lead by example. I joke all the time that I’ll always have an opinion, but it’s seldom right. Once teams see me start to ask others for their opinions or creative input, we begin to build a team dynamic where healthy debate and creative ideas are safe to throw around and discuss. Collectively, this means everyone in the team develops a sense of ownership over what we produce—whether it’s the project manager, the social media person, the designer, the videographer, or the media person. And the best part is, people start to enjoy it. People want to be creative, even in regulated industries! You start bringing all those ideas and brainpower together, and the end result is far better than any one person can accomplish on their own.
Advice for Smaller Fund Managers
What’s one piece of advice for smaller fund managers who may not have the same resources as Carlyle looking to build their brand through content?
More is not always better. You are far better off doing a few things well than trying to keep up with trends and popular moments. Come to think of it, that’s good advice for everyone.
I’d also say to repurpose and repackage as much as possible. Look to live events, webcasts, media appearances, and other opportunities for messages and content you can revise and promote. Great content isn’t always made from scratch. Brands can get great results from a 70/30 mix of repurposed content to original content.
Lessons from Experience & Advice for Aspiring Marketeers
What are some key takeaways from your time at Vanguard that have influenced your content strategy at Carlyle?
Too many to name, honestly. But if I had to pick one, I’d say the emphasis on making content look and sound human. We all want to communicate with people, not brands. There’s lots of ways to do that, but humanizing your brand is a complete game-changer.
Can you share an example of a challenge you faced in producing a high-impact content series and how you overcame it?
Patience and timing are critical. I pitched the idea for Navigating Leadership to the Admiral shortly after I met him in early 2023, but it was 18 months before we started production. For a year and a half, I had the creative brief in my back pocket, ready to go. I brought it up on occassion, but always with the caveat that it may not be the right time. Eventually, my patience paid off. Sometimes we hear “no,” when the message is actually “not right now.” So keep your ideas, remix them, adjust them, and let them evolve. Be ready for moments before they arrive.
For marketeers looking to elevate their impact in private markets, what’s the one piece of advice you wish you’d known earlier in your career?
That you need a creative outlet of your own. If your only creative outlet is through your career, you’re limiting your professional growth. Once I got my MBA, I focused on my career and stopped my personal writing for a decade.
Once I realized that decision was hurting me, I came back with a vengeance. Since then, I’ve written books, started podcasts, picked up photography, started playing the guitar, and am constantly creating something. All of these pursuits make me a better corporate creative and keep my ego in check on the job. The personal learnings carry over to my career, and vice versa.
Looking to The Future
As marketing in the private markets evolves, what trends or innovations are you most eager to explore in Carlyle’s content strategy?
I’m not usually one for trends, but I am excited by partnerships between brands—which seem to be growing in popularity. Unexpected combinations can be fun and fresh, plus they bring some new energy and creativity to marketing teams.
Bonus question
Thinking beyond the private markets, what is your all time favorite brand and why?
As a Gen Xer, my love of Vans goes back to when I was a teenage skateboarder. I only wear their high tops or slip-ons, but I’m a bit of a fanatic. I own more than 40 pairs, and the more outlandish, the better. I wear them constantly, and they’re part of my personal style. After all, what’s the point of being a creative in the corporate world if you can’t be a bit unique and stand out?