Case study – Mazars
Challenge
As of the end of 2010, Mazars was mentioned in the media only sporadically. The firm was focused more on marketing than PR activities, even though it had numerous experts and information on topics of current interest. The public was not aware that it is the seventh largest auditing company in the Czech Republic. It therefore decided to contact an external PR expert to help raise its visibility, and especially in media with a business and economic focus.
Insight
At the outset of the project, and after thorough analysis and in cooperation with the client, we defined a suitable PR strategy and identified key media. Readership was our main criterion. We then agreed on topics of current interest and those experts who would be able to cover them. We determined key messages and selected suitable tools. We gradually began approaching selected journalists and presented our topics to them. We wanted to bring Mazars into the position of a thought leader. We continuously identified suitable media opportunities (articles, interviews and commentaries) and evaluated them. We implemented most of these. We succeeded gradually to profile several experts on various topics. The most promising of these were provided media training. In time, some of them became so well-known that journalists brought their questions to them directly. The tandem work between an internal marketing manager and external PR consultant proved very successful during this cooperation.
Result
After more than a year, the company got into all those key media designated at the outset. An association of company – person – topic (on tax and pension reform) was achieved. Other Mazars’ experts also began to appear in the media. The ability of some of them to present their own opinion pieces can be considered a very positive development. Regular communication with selected media reinforced the Mazars brand and its reputation for expertise. The firm began to be quoted alongside the so-called Big Four professional services firms. It even began to inspire certain other companies. One of the greatest achievements was naming of the Prague office’s managing partner among the 16 most important Czech business leaders in a special edition (Business Idol) of the weekly magazine Ekonom.
