Case studies
CLIENT: Merger Action Group
Scenario
In November 2008, a group of influential businessmen formed a group to challenge the legality of the Westminster Government's decision to set aside competition rules to allow the controversial takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland [HBOS] by Lloyds TSB. With less than three weeks before the group's case would be heard before judges at the Competition Appeal Tribunal [CAT], the Merger Action Group [MAG] required a high-profile publicity campaign to gather public and political support.
Strategy
Hay McKerron Associates were engaged to plan and implement a highly intensive media campaign that would engage both widespread public and political support. This required us to be in constant touch with the MAG principals, sitting in and contributing to daily 'council of war' meetings as the Government, HBOS and Lloyds TSB threw everything they had at opposing the group.
Outcome
From the first announcement
of the group's legal challenge, newspapers, TV and radio both in the UK
and around the world followed and reported every development of the
story. In print alone, the daily press releases and journalists'
briefings led to more than 300 articles and reports in outlets as
diverse as the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times to CNN,
Bloomberg and Sky. Every national newspaper in the UK followed the
story thanks to up-to-the-minute and round-the-clock dissemination of
information by Hay McKerron Associates on behalf of MAG. Although the legal challenge ultimately failed, the huge public and political support for MAG's case was largely credited to the highly successful media campaign. Among senior politicians who actively supported the campaign was the widely respected deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats and Treasury spokesman Vince Cable.
CLIENT: Scottish Voice
Scenario
When farmer and businessman Archie Stirling decided to form a new, independent political party to challenge the old-fashioned, dogma-ridden politics being played out daily in the Scottish Parliament, he required a major publicity campaign not only to win public support for his ideas but also to gain credibility among the political media.
Strategy
With only nine weeks in which to make an impact before the 2007 Holyrood election, Hay McKerron Associates not only planned and implemented a full-blown and highly successful media campaign and journalistic 'charm offensive', but also helped guide Scottish Voice as it developed policy and political strategy.
Outcome
Seasoned political analysts were amazed by the amount of column inches and air time that the new kid on the political block' commanded, prompting one senior Labour Party adviser to quip: 'Scottish Voice punched way above their weight in terms of publicity. The exposure they got during the election campaign was way out of proportion to their size.' In total, the party polled nearly 10,000 votes - widely acclaimed as a very creditable performance for a movement that was born literally weeks before the election. Hay McKerron Associates continues to advise Archie Stirling and Scottish Voice as it goes forward to the 2011 election.
CLIENT: Reform Scotland
Scenario
Reform Scotland is an independent, non-political think tank that aims to set out better ways of delivering increased economic prosperity and more effective public services based on traditional Scottish principles of limited government, diversity and perosnal responsibility. Hay McKerron Associates were engaged to help launch the organisation and have been retained since to provide media advice and to plan and implement overall and individual media campaigns for Reform Scotland's research papers and public events.
Strategy
Following an initial series of 'meet the Press' meetings, Hay McKerron Associates also played a key role in ensuring a successful official launch of Reform Scotland. Before each of the think tank's research papers is published, Hay McKerron Associates are brought in to discuss and advise on media strategies, organise mock Q&As, to construct and distribute high-calibre but easy-to-read press releases, to organise journalists' briefings and press conferences and to field questions from the media.
Outcome
Since its inception in early 2008, Reform Scotland has rapidly earned the reputation as one of the country's most influential and authoritative economic research bodies in the country. Each paper it has published has attracted widespread publicity in mainstream national and regional newspapers, TV, radio and specialist media. As one mark of the respect in which it is held, the First Minister Alex Salmond was principal speaker at Reform Scotland's first annual dinner in March 2009. And within the organisation's first annual report, chairman Ben Thomson acknowledges the invaluable contribution made by Hay McKerron Associates in helping to build Reform Scotland's profile in such a short space of time.
CLIENT: Haldanes Stores Ltd
Scenario
Haldanes Stores Ltd is a brand new company that aims to put the 'local' back into supermarket shopping. It was launched in the autumn of 2009 with an initial batch of four mid-market stores in Scotland but with long-term plans for a stable of up to 50 high-quality foodstores - sourcing a third of their produce locally - throughout the UK. The company required high-profile local, regional and national media campaigns underlining its local credentials and its aims to support local producers and the communities in which its has stores.
Strategy
Hay McKerron Associates were engaged to offer advice and to plan and implement a series of rolling media campaigns that would attract the interest of local weekly newspapers through to national mainstream and specialist trade Press.The task was complex in that agreements between Haldanes Stores Ltd and The Co-operative Group, from whom some of the new stores were being acquired, meant that great care had to be exercised in how and when announcements were made in order to reassure exisiting stores staff that their employment would be guaranteed.
Outcome
Through careful negotiation with media contacts, Hay McKerron Associates ensured optimum publicity results for the launch locally, regionally and nationally of the new company and the Haldanes brand in mainstream and specialist print media. The story was also carried as a lead item by the BBC.
