“This agency’s ability to deliver great results and gain attention from our key audiences, including physicians and consumers, adds a valuable asset to our comprehensive marketing effort”
Executive Director of Marketing and Communications
Aspiriant:
LEVERAGING A MERGER
TO ESTABLISH INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP
The Goal:
When two leading independent wealth management firms decided to merge, they brought Harden Partners in to develop and execute a communications strategy that would generate positive media coverage and help maintain clients' loyalty. Key objectives were to explain the merger's benefits and use it as an opportunity to position the new firm as the leader in the independent wealth management industry.
The Plan:
Harden Partners created core messages as part of a comprehensive communications program aimed at clients, the industry and media. Highlights included:
- Messaging that positioned the firms' merger as "bucking the trend" of industry consolidations by creating a viable independent model for wealth management firms looking to grow or
transition their business
- Crafting compelling direct communications to clients that conveyed the benefits of the combined firm's increased size, people, and expanded resources in serving their needs across generations
- Maximizing all media opportunities to secure coverage and preparing the firm's leaders to effectively deliver the merger positioning and messages in media interviews
The Results:
- Extensive favorable coverage about the merger was generated in all regional major dailies and business journals as well as national trade and business publications. Clients and
competitors told the firm, "Your merger story was everywhere!"
- The firm's leaders and key messages were prominently quoted in media coverage. Articles called it "a merger of two leading wealth management firms" and a "clear alternative" to
existing industry combinations.
- Their clients expressed overwhelming support. In addition, the merged firm's broader array of services almost immediately enabled it to expand several client relationships.