Morgan Stanley Quilter
Objectives: To announce the opening of a new office in Glasgow and the appointment of a new Managing Director based in Glasgow. To ensure the announcement reached key internal and external audiences at the same time. To achieve maximum value from the presence of senior management within Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley Quilter at both the London and Glasgow media launches. To create and inform a ‘circle of friends’ in the newswire, print and broadcast media.
Strategy: Separate briefing days were arranged in London and Glasgow, with the London briefing under embargo. A news release was prepared and distributed under embargo in conjunction with existing Morgan Stanley Quilter printed material. Members of senior management were trained in media presentation, and key messages and sample questions and answers were prepared.
Result: Widespread coverage was achieved in the key international, national, Scottish regional and trade media, with a highly successful simultaneous launch. Coverage was achieved in the Financial Times, the Scotsman, the Glasgow Herald, BBC Radio Scotland, Bloomberg Newswire, Business A.M. and many more.
energywatch, case 1
Objectives: In December 2001, British Gas Trading announced a 10% rise in gas prices. energywatch, the watchdog formed by the merger of the Gas and Electricity consumer councils, decided to launch a tactical campaign to draw attention to this rise and also to use the opportunity to raise awareness of energywatch as the consumers’ champion.
Strategy: To make a rapid denunciation of the price rise to as many journalists and commentators as possible to highlight this substantially above-inflation price rise at the start of winter and in the run-up to Christmas. A particular point was made of the poor timing and the gas company’s Scrooge-like behaviour.
Result: Massive coverage of the issue in all the main national and regional newspapers, with front page headline news in the tabloid Daily Express and Daily Mail. The issue was revisited in the New Year when energywatch released an opinion poll showing that many of the gas company’s customers were considering switching to another supplier. The results of the poll gained further significant coverage in the national media.
Newspaper Articles
energywatch, case 1
Objectives: In December 2001, British Gas Trading announced a 10% rise in gas prices. energywatch, the watchdog formed by the merger of the Gas and Electricity consumer councils, decided to launch a tactical campaign to draw attention to this rise and also to use the opportunity to raise awareness of energywatch as the consumers’ champion.
Strategy: To make a rapid denunciation of the price rise to as many journalists and commentators as possible to highlight this substantially above-inflation price rise at the start of winter and in the run-up to Christmas. A particular point was made of the poor timing and the gas company’s Scrooge-like behaviour.
Result: Massive coverage of the issue in all the main national and regional newspapers, with front page headline news in the tabloid Daily Express and Daily Mail. The issue was revisited in the New Year when energywatch released an opinion poll showing that many of the gas company’s customers were considering switching to another supplier. The results of the poll gained further significant coverage in the national media.
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