Establishing thought leadership
The UK’s largest cost, purchase and supply management consultancy, Expense Reduction Analysts is a leader in its field.
Its specialist consultants have helped a broad range of organisations, including large corporate, SMEs and public/not-for-profit sectors to save money through realising optimum value from suppliers.
Prior to the recession, the company had undertaken very little communications to prospective customers. Seeing the challenging economic climate as an opportunity to raise its profile, ERA turned to JBP to devise and implement a proactive and strategic communications programme that would catapult the company’s brand into the marketplace and help raise awareness amongst financial directors and procurement professionals.
Activity
JBP’s integrated PR and marketing strategy has incorporated four key areas of communications activity: strategic media partnerships; media relations; commissioned research; and stakeholder engagement.
Media partnerships have been established with the Financial Director magazine and The Daily Telegraph’s Business Club, which has 70,000 subscribing members, a dedicated website and a weekly page within the business section of the paper itself. Such partnerships have helped raise Expense Reduction Analysts’ profile and credibility amongst its target market.
A targeted media relations programme, focused on thought leadership and customer case studies, has encompassed national, vertical and local media, with coverage appearing in publications such as The Daily Telegraph, Financial Mail on Sunday, Financial Director, Financial Week Online, Retail Week and The Herald Scotland.
As a further means of raising ERA’s profile, JBP commissioned market research specialists YouGov to conduct a bespoke national survey to ascertain the level to which UK businesses were effectively managing costs during the economic downturn. The findings of the survey of 1,200 company directors was sent to prospective clients and used to leverage coverage in target media.
In addition the PR programme has also involved a range of events around the country entitled Is Your Business Costing You? in conjunction with the Daily Telegraph, which shared best practice cost management strategies. JBP has also produced a number of guides for ERA focusing on cost management in different operational areas of the business. These have been distributed via media partners and to the company’s prospect database.
Results
- Total PR value (of media coverage): £240,824
- Opportunities to see/read/hear about ERA: 25,262,086