Becoming top of mind in your market through Reputation management & thought leadership

Maintaining a strong position in a competitive landscape

Problem

The family shareholders of a well-known industrial corporation. In the competitive landscape of private equity, maintaining a strong position and reputation is paramount for sustained success. This case delves into the strategic journey of a listed investment company that embarked on a mission to review, evaluate, and strengthen its current position as a key player in the private equity realm. The objectives were clear:

• Counter a potential decline of interest from a crucial governmental stakeholder.
• Cultivate robust relationships with the press, analysts, and other stakeholders, aiming to fortify its standing and enhance thought leadership.

Strategy and approach

Strategic narrative crafting

The company enlisted our expertise to craft a comprehensive, non-commercial narrative. Leveraging relationships with key stakeholders, including journalists, political decision-makers, and analysts, we conducted a:

• A silent reputation audit: this involved polling stakeholders to gauge their current perception and framing regarding our client.
• A strategic workshop was organized, shaping a new message house and drafting a preliminary communications calendar to convey key messages to targeted stakeholders.

Transforming into a Leading Private Equity and Venture Capital Firm

Our strategic analysis resulted in the repositioning of the company as one of the leading, entrepreneurial, and innovative private equity and venture capital firms in Belgium.

Following a successful initial phase, our partnership with the company was prolonged several times and currently runs in its third year.

Results of our three-year partnership:

Media & Investor Relations Support:

• Copywriting, proofreading, and advising on external communications materials.
• Introduction of a new, inspiring format for informing journalists and analysts about financial results.
• Coordination of several corporate movie approaches.

Thought Leadership & Strategic PR Enhancement:

• CEO Branding, involving high-level preparation such as media training, briefings, and Q&A sessions.
• Writing and pitching op-ed pieces.
• Storydigging of inspiring portfolio companies, aiding in strengthening their non-commercial narrative.

Online Media Support:

• Setting communication goals and implementing improvements.
• Introduction of performance management through KPIs.
• Introduction of highly engaging audiovisual material.
• Organization of a social media training for the executive leadership.

Crisis Readiness Introduction:

• Development of a crisis cascade & manual.
• Setting up monitoring tools.