Objective

HSBC had been involved in a number of important deals, but had received little public recognition for its involvement. Holdsworth Associates was asked to create a PR campaign which would support HSBC’s position as a good partner for mergers and acquisitions within the mid market.

How we did it?

Financial announcements are usually dry and of little interest to the regional media, so we decided to look at the people behind the deals and the long term benefit of selecting HSBC to the growth and stability of the company.

To create coverage within the Midlands regional and with business trade media, a series of case studies who had benefited from the deals were created to show the success of businesses – using the news hook of one year on. These were first person accounts based on interviews we conducted with with mid market directors.

Results

• On target, sustained coverage in financial and business media and local stories in regional business pages
• Quotes obtained from the company directors provided strong independent endorsement of HSBC. This raised the profile of the team with accountants and other potential partners as well