Brief

Our campaign objective was to expand and deepen the relationships that Amundi holds with a range of distribution partners in key geographic markets across Europe and Asia – including traditional wealth managers, online platforms and robo-advisors. The brief was to develop a distinctive campaign, with the flexibility to suit each local market. We aimed to provide valuable insights for Amundi’s partners while reinforcing their authoritative voice as a thought leader in retail investor habits, and as a driver and adopter of digital advice and investments.

Strategy and execution

To inform our messaging, undertook a series of in-depth interviews with some of Amundi’s key distribution partners globally. These were used to understand the key concerns / challenges and subsequent questions that our campaign could help to answer. These conversations were used to guide the development of our quantitative survey – which covered issues including the use of financial advice, digital channel engagement, sustainable investing, the role of social media, portfolio make-up, and drivers of provider and platform choice.

• On the back of the survey – fully managed and analysed by the Cicero team – we created the following pieces of campaign content:
• Digital investor personas
• Full copywritten flagship report – created and published on the Amundi website via Turtl and Ceros
• Country-specific PowerPoint decks of key findings for presentation within local markets
• Country-specific media messaging and press releases for institutional and retail media
• A full programme of copywritten and designed LinkedIn posts for social activation
• A series of op-eds for online publishing in addition to a copywritten piece placed in the quarterly Amundi investor magazine

Result

The campaign was hugely successful in driving a sales and BD meeting programme – including co-hosted events between Amundi and Cicero in Germany, UK and France. The campaign was initially teased at the Amundi World Investment Forum, and the report officially launched via a studio-based webinar in Paris entitled Under the Skin of Digital Investing. It included presentations from the Cicero team, senior Amundi leadership and a representative from Innovate Finance.

Brief

H/Advisors Cicero was tasked with updating the Novartis external facing lobbying guidelines and internal handbook. The brief involved a root and branch review of the lobbying landscape globally, to mitigate any reputational risk to Novartis and establish a principles-based approach to external stakeholder engagement.

Strategy & Execution

Detailed desk research of legislation surrounding lobbying was conducted and a review of institutions’ best practice guidelines, this included standalone reports of key markets including UK, US, EU and China. A further comparative report was delivered that compared the external lobbying guidelines published by other global pharmaceutical companies, to demonstrate the key attributes required for best practice.

Following the research phase, H/Advisors Cicero delivered a series of workshops with country leads across the Novartis global network to review their understanding of lobbying best practice and help align messaging for the new guidelines. For example, exploring whether the word “lobbying” was appropriate, or if an alternative term should be used instead. 

New guidelines were drafted utilizing the workshop insights. Previous Novartis policy documentation was cross-referenced to ensure consistency in language and length. Ongoing working sessions with the client were used to ensure a collaborative approach to delivering the new guidelines. 

As all companies face increasing scrutiny around practicing good governance, establishing clear and robust guidelines around how to lobby appropriately is an essential for global corporations to protect themselves reputationally. Delivering this project for Novartis involved understanding all the lobbying regulations globally, and identifying where the grey areas of risk lie in how companies engage. Our approach was to ensure Novartis not only met the requirements, but sought to be best in class, through empowering all their colleagues globally to follow the revised Guideline.

Sarah Bosworth, Account Director

Results

We successfully delivered the new guideline draft for Novartis, which redefined its scope to include public policy and stakeholder engagement. The revised guideline adopted a principles-based approach, designed to increase the accountability and responsibility of all colleagues to make informed and responsible decisions.

We also helped to promote the guidelines internally with an animated explainer video and are currently working on developing the internal handbook. 

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If you wish to discuss any of the issues mentioned in this case study, please contact Emma in H/Advisors Cicero’s Health team on emma.turnbull@h-advisors.global.

Brief

The overarching objective was to create a brand-building campaign for Konexo, a part of the Eversheds Sutherland consultancy business, ES Consulting. The ambition was to grow their revenue from £40 million annually to approximately £100 million over five years using the sub-brand Konexo as a means to create brand awareness in new markets..

Strategy & Execution

H/Advisors Cicero created an integrated marketing campaign positioning the Konexo brand across several clearly identified target audiences. The campaign consisted of several elements running over different timescales using our strategy, content and distribution campaigns model.

The research captured the views of in-house legal experts (General Counsel, Head of Legal, Head of Legal Operations) at blue chip companies on LegalTech in addition to broader perspectives on risk, sustainability, technology and globalisation.

The findings were then drafted into a report and designed into marketing materials that were distributed at a launch event, in the media, and through online channels.

Result

• The campaign and report were launched at a client event hosting 150 people. Our hero content, a brand video, was screened at the event launching the new identity.
• The report was sold to national and trade media.
• The LinkedIn campaign targeted senior legal professionals, guiding them to the report and raising awareness of the brand.
• The sales team then followed up with clarified leads generated by the campaign.

Brief

Columbia Threadneedle Investments had not undertaken formal research to examine the business’ reputation in the European marketplace for nearly a decade, during which time they had undergone a major transformation. With the firm about to embark on a European expansion it was a sensible time to undertake a comprehensive audit to help benchmark current awareness, engagement and sentiment of CTI among key stakeholder groups to identify potential barriers to growing the business. As such, our objective was to obtain an objective and comprehensive understanding of how key stakeholders in EMEA perceived the business, to refine current brand, marketing communications, proposition, services and supports, in turn, to unlock further opportunities.

Strategy & Execution

We took a 360-degree approach to the Reputation Audit, engaging with all key internal and external stakeholder groups using a mix of quantitative and qualitative insight and desk-based research to inform the final findings and recommendations:

• A review of press coverage/releases from Columbia Threadneedle and key competitor firms.
• In-depth interviews with the Columbia Threadneedle leadership team across EMEA.
• Employee focus groups.
• In-depth telephone interviews with key external stakeholder groups, including strategic partners; institutional investors/wholesale fund selectors; investment consultants; media/trade press; recruitment consultants; ratings agencies.
• Quantitative telephone survey of financial advisers.
• Quantitative online survey of investors.

Result

The recommendations from the study were widely disseminated within senior teams across the whole business and, upon support from the EMEA CEO, are actively being used to implement business change.

Brief

H/Advisors Cicero has been the retained public affairs agency to the BT Pension Scheme and its management company (recently rebranded as Brightwell) since 2019.

We are tasked with providing ongoing strategic advice to the Scheme and its Trustees, as well as support with Government and regulatory policy and cross-party political engagement.

The BT Pension Scheme is one of the UK’s largest private sector DB schemes with well over £40bn in assets under management. Since working with the Scheme, Cicero has helped to increase its profile and impact in conversations with policymakers on a wide range of key strategic issues.

Strategy & Execution

We have supported BTPS in developing its key messages around the role of the Scheme in supporting investment in UK infrastructure and regeneration projects.

H/Advisors Cicero worked closely with BTPS when it became one of the first UK schemes to set an ambitious target of achieving Net Zero emissions across its entire portfolio by 2035. We supported BTPS in communicating this target to policymakers and engaging extensively in the run-up to the COP26 conference in Glasgow.

We also worked with the Scheme to develop and communicate its evidence base in relation to the reform and effective replacement of the Retail Price Index measure of inflation, which was a major strategic challenge for the Scheme. We worked closely on a project with the Pensions Policy Institute to quantify the impact of this change.

Result

BTPS has significantly increased its impact as a key voice in the debate around a range of policy challenges. They were invited to sit on the Productive Finance Working Group convened by HM Treasury, the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority, which aims to facilitate greater investment in long-term, less liquid assets.

We achieved significant political backing for BTPS’s 2035 Net Zero announcement, which was endorsed by the COP26 President Alok Sharma MP and Labour’s then Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jonathan Reynolds MP.

Brief

H/Advisors Cicero was appointed to help develop the national corporate offer of the British Chambers of Commerce, to recruit founding members of the BCC’s national Business Council, and help champion the BCC in Government as the voice for business.

The BCC needed to develop a national offer to lead the business community in their engagement with Government and the Opposition at a critical time for the UK economy. A plan was also needed for the future of the British economy that could be the basis of the engagement across Government departments including the newly formed Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury, and Number 10 as well as key figures in HM Opposition.

Strategy & Execution

H/Advisors Cicero advised the BCC with their annual conference, aided in the drafting of the speeches of their leadership, and landed positive news coverage of the event at which Labour leader Keir Starmer and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt spoke. 

We helped to connect potential founding members through roundtables, and in identifying potential advisers for the BCC’s Economic Advisory Council.

Result

The BCC, with a 160-year history, and cross-UK and truly international presence, is placed to become the national voice for business as they grapple with engaging politicians with the five core challenges the BCC identified: the Digital Revolution, People and Work, Green Innovation, Global Britain, and the Future of the High Street.

In May 2023 the BCC unveiled its plan to create a national offer for business representation centred around their five challenges to its Global Annual Conference in London, accompanied with complimentary coverage in key broadcast and broadsheet newspaper interviews. This was followed by the announcement of the creation of the Economic Advisory Council and the introduction of founding members of the Business Council.

The inaugural meeting of the BCC’s Business Council took place in September alongside Cabinet Minister, the Rt Hon Michael Gove and Shadow Chancellor, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves. Business Council members will focus on at least one of the five challenges and will produce their first policy recommendations to the public in early 2024.