Enhancing Industry Recognition and Raising the Storytelling Bar

Challenge

In 2022, MERGE was engaged in an effort to expand and enhance a legacy byline article program that a top consulting firm had previously established and been facilitating for several years. 

To enhance the firm’s visibility, gain industry recognition for key practice areas, and position firm stakeholders as thought leaders, the firm sought to engage top tier outlets in a proactive strategy. This approach, complementing the existing byline program, aimed to achieve the following objectives:

• Increase credibility for the firm and its solutions in targeted national and business outlets
• Raise the visibility of executive spokespeople and practice areas
• Establish the firm and it’s thought leaders as a leading source and credible voice on industry topics and trends
• Create cohesion across the widely varied industry voices in concert with major firm news

Solution

To deliver on both bylines and proactive storytelling, MERGE has worked closely with the firm’s leaders, establishing an ongoing dialogue to gain insight into their clients needs and identify issues of concern across a variety of verticals and emerging trends.

The team, through collaboration with SMEs, has translated ongoing industry learnings into timely proactive earned media pitches, offering the firm’s thought leaders as resources to tier one and trade media. To further fuel placements and amplify the firm’s market insights, MERGE has managed a trade byline program that to date has placed 17 articles.

To foster cohesion among the diverse SMEs, MERGE identified commonalities in the business objectives of the SMEs and identified corresponding intersections in the media landscape. When opportunities for cohesion were identified, MERGE worked in collaboration with different practice leaders to develop messaging that supported proactive pitching.

Results

Over the last 18-months, MERGE established the firm’s subject matter experts as thought leaders within their respective industries and accelerated consideration for commentary in tier one outlets.

MERGE built strong relationships on behalf of the firm’s thought leaders, allowing them to reach an audience that extends to both existing and potential clients. SMEs are considered trusted sources for breaking news commentary, and have been featured prominently in high-priority publications spanning diverse media segments, including Reuters, CFO.com, Automotive News, and STAT.

To date we have secured 250 earned media placements, in top-tier national/business, trade and local publications. This reflects a 40% increase in thought leadership coverage within the first year.