Marketing and Communications Strategy

Campaign design and implementationProduct and services launchAdvertising strategyCustomer advocacySales & Business development support

Creative promotional collateral developmentEvents and conference planningExploit thought leadership opportunitiesSocial media footprint

Press & media strategy Local, National and Trade engagementProactive news and feature campaignsEngaging press releasesCrisis management

Internal communications strategyEmployee segmentationChannel reviewNew channel development

Third sector engagementCorporate social responsibilitySponsorship and fundraising

Increased product and services awarenessProactive market positioningProduct shapingEnhanced customer relationsLead generation

Increased product and services awarenessIncreased profile opportunitiesImproved market positioningLead generation

Positive media relationsImproved brand reputation and positioningEnhanced media presenceAgility to respond to crisis

Enhanced employee engagementStreamlined communications processIncreased corporate prideImproved staff retention

Reputational enhancementImproved community engagementIncreased customer advocacy

IndIvIdual CapabIlItIeS

Overall Strategy

expeCted OutCOMeS

expeCted OutCOMeS

CaSe Study 1

CaSe Study 1

CaSe Study 1

CaSe Study 1

CaSe Study 1

CaSe Study 2

CaSe Study 1

CaSe Study 2

Value propositionBrand and reputation managementObjective settingConcise messagingProduct/Service developmentAudience segmentation and targetingCreative campaign developmentTactical implementationConcept innovationPerformance monitoringProject management

external Communications

public relations

press and Media relations

Internal Communications/employee engagement

Corporate philanthropy

adaM FergIe

MCIM

CapabIlIty and experIenCe SChedule

Innovative and creative Senior Marketing and Communications specialist, experienced in private and public sectors, and seeking short, medium or long term opportunities.

e: adam.fergie@adfm.co.uk M: 07786 560624

ExtErnal CommuniCations

CasE stuDY 1

MarketIng and COMMunICatIOnS Strategy

“delIverIng the rOadMap FOr gSh”

the Challenge: FM company GSH Group, wanted to re-brand and launch their new range of Energy, Compliance and FM services. They had refined their services and put in place all of the operational aspects required to deliver these services to their portfolio of private and public sector customers. However, they lacked an integrated marketing and communications strategy, that would help them take these services ‘to market’. I was asked to design and develop their marketing and communications strategy from scratch.

the SOlutIOn: I came on board with GSH, and worked with the company over the next 12 months. After a review of their existing marketing and communications collateral and channels, I arranged a workshop and invited a selection of their senior directors, contract management and frontline staff.

The workshop revealed a number of key facts about the new services including what the elements of the services were, how they improved on existing services, how they differed from the competition, who the target audiences were, and what were the key messages that we needed to communicate. Above all of this, we determined what the main objectives of the marketing and communications strategy needed to be, e.g. raise awareness of the new services over the first six months within its existing and potential customer-base, through a launch event and continued staged PR programme, as well as develop targeted collateral for business development support.

Over the next few weeks, I drafted the strategy, taking on board all aspects covered within the workshop, as well as additional research with other key stakeholders, including existing customers and industry bodies. The final strategy presented GSH with a comprehensive ‘roadmap’ of how to design and implement various activities and events in the short and medium term.

the OutCOMe: I provided the company with their first marketing and communications strategy, to support their business development activities, including value proposition, potential target audiences and promotional and PR opportunities. The company also retained my services afterwards to assist in the design and roll out of their new collateral which covered new brochures, case studies and website. I was also asked to set out the framework for their first internal communications strategy.

For further information about GSH, check out one of my key channels, their website: http://www.gshgroup.com

CaSe Study 1

e: adam.fergie@adfm.co.uk M: 07786 560624baCk

ExtErnal CommuniCations

CasE stuDY 1

external COMMunICatIOnS

“ChangIng audIenCe behavIOur”

the Challenge: Between 2006 and 2007 at Serco, it was recognised that bid advantage in our local government environmental services business, could be gained by including marketing and communications strategies for our customers. Although I had supported the bid teams in offering our potential customers assistance with their own marketing activities and events, this had never been done in a strategic manner before, or offered as a service within our tenders. I gained Board support to proactively launch this within our existing and potential marketplace.

the SOlutIOn: After developing a proposal and gaining Board approval, I designed and built a communications team consisting of three Campaigns Managers. I recruited experienced marketing people, with the capability to develop and manage a variety of creative campaigns on behalf of our local authority customers, for delivery to the general public. In addition I put in place management reporting processes, enabling visibility of objectives and outcomes. I ‘productised’ a number of our services which formed part of our ongoing value proposition, to be able to customise and deliver outcomes in an efficient manner.

The offering was both wide-ranging and complex in that we were presented with different objectives, with different budgets, to different target audiences on behalf of very different customers. Many of the objectives required real behavioural change to be evidenced within local communities, such as increased recycling rates, reduced litter and graffiti, adoption of new services and participation in the reporting of anti-social behaviour of others. Many of these objectives also had financial gains for our customers which we factored in as a ‘No Win, No Fee’ incentive during the bid process.

the OutCOMe: Overall feedback from customers confirmed these additional services were fundamental in the awarding of future contracts to the company, particularly as their own marketing budgets were being squeezed, and the efficiency of their own marketing teams was not at the same level as ours. The team delivered 50+ campaigns per annum with various objectives including, for example, raising recycling rates within communities by 1% or more, leading to financial gains for our customers, and the introduction of an innovative texting service. Campaigns around the introduction of new services also lead to minimal disruption, which reduced resources required at customer help-desks. The introduction of this value proposition supported the overall growth of the business by 234% over six years (£35M to £117M from 2006 to 2012).

For further information about some of the campaigns I have designed, click below: http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/recycling http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/general lnewsitem.2011-09-09.8253023755 http://www.getitsorted.org/milton-keynes/ http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17165

CaSe Study 1

e: adam.fergie@adfm.co.uk M: 07786 560624baCk

CASE STUDY 1

publIC relatIOnS

“CarryIng a tOrCh FOr SpOrt england”

the Challenge: One of my key customers, Sport England, informed me at very short notice that the facility we ran at the National Sports Centre, Bisham Abbey, was to be a ‘Hub location’ for the 2012 Olympic torch relay, and was to host the entire entourage of dignitaries, TV personnel, press and media and all torch-bearers for that day; 10th July 2012. To commemorate the occasion and with just five weeks to go, prior to the event, SE asked me to design and implement a strategy for that day’s event.

the SOlutIOn: Having taken my brief from our customer, I was determined that the most effective strategy would be to develop an event which in the true spirit of the London Olympics, would truly engage with the local community. I worked with LOCOG to ensure all logistics were accommodated as a minimum requirement, in terms of route access, accommodation of all accompanying vehicles, refreshments, hosting of all dignitaries and of course, health and safety. I also invited the local radio station along as entertainment, for expected children and adults alike. I then liaised with local community stakeholders such as schools, local councils and businesses in the area, to invite them along to the event. Key at all times was the reputation of our customer, and ensuring our joint hosting was perceived positively by all attendees.

Leading an operations team, every aspect was addressed including security, refreshments, hospitality, safety, as well as pre-event promotion, and the attendance of the local press.

the OutCOMe: Over 2,000 attendees witnessed an impressive event, and were able to participate in this historic occasion. All dignitaries were hosted in an enjoyable manner, with the press and media able to have excellent access to the torch-bearers at all times. Our customer Sport England, were extremely pleased and received numerous compliments from guests and dignitaries alike. The event received excellent media coverage and despite poor weather, went off without any incidents, in a timely manner and to budget.

For more information and coverage of the Olympic Torch event, click below: http://goo.gl/5dt7wg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gZtspnSkxu

e: adam.fergie@adfm.co.uk M: 07786 560624baCk

CASE STUDY

publIC relatIOnS

2

“natIOnal tv COverage FOr WIlbur”

the Challenge: In April 2011, I received a phone call from the BBC asking if we would be prepared to nominate one of our environmental services operatives, to be the subject of the BBC2 TV documentary “The Toughest Place to be a Binman”. Hearing that many of our competitors and local authorities had declined, I saw an opportunity to enhance our reputation and dispel some of the negative perceptions of our hard-working frontline staff. My challenge was to find the ‘right man’ for the job.

the SOlutIOn: I set our contracts the challenge of nominating one or two of their refuse and recycling staff for this role, setting out both the BBC’s objectives, i.e. lively character, flexible and willing to travel to a challenging environment, and ours, which included representing the company in a positive professional manner, informative about how he carries out his duties and of course considerate of the safety and wellbeing of himself and others, at all times.

When we had shortlisted the candidates who satisfied this criteria, I then went to meet Wilbur Ramirez, who in my mind, and the BBC’s, was the outstanding nominee. I prepared Wilbur over the coming weeks and became his support and guide, as he became nervous approaching the leaving date. In October, Wilbur travelled with the BBC production team to Jakarta, Indonesia for two weeks of filming. What happened next could not have been predicted.

Upon Wilbur’s return and the subsequent editing and airing of the show, it was clear that not only had he upheld Serco’s reputation, even wearing the branded uniform throughout the show, but his persona of ‘cheeky chappy’ faded into one of ‘concerned peoples champion and friend’ as he stayed with a local family and experienced their hardships at first hand. He became friends with them in that short period and even negotiated a pay rise for all of the local binmen, with the local residents committee.

I was very proud of the way he had embraced the challenge and shown both himself and the company in a very caring light, which often goes unnoticed within our UK communities.

the OutCOMe: Our brand and reputation was enhanced dramatically, and received an audience of millions on prime-time BBC2. The show demonstrated that our people are passionate about their jobs and their communities. Wilbur’s story touched thousands of people who took to social media immediately afterwards, to praise him and the way he stood up for the ‘little people’. Our customer (London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham) also took great pride in the show and publicised Wilbur (who received an award from the Mayor) and his efforts. We were not finished there though. Wilbur and I sat down to discuss how we could leverage this publicity and do more for the local community back in Jakarta. Between us we set up the “Wilbur Ramirez Charitable Foundation” which is now actively raising funds to educate their children and take them out of poverty. Wilbur has also been back with the BBC, to film his return to the family and deliver the first package of aid in the form of safety equipment and tools for the binmen, donated by Serco.

To find out more about Wilbur’s story, click below: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nftxt https://www.facebook.com/WilburramirezCharitabletrust http://goo.gl/a8tjer http://goo.gl/5y5a6t

e: adam.fergie@adfm.co.uk M: 07786 560624baCk

CASE STUDY 1

preSS and MedIa relatIOnS

“ManagIng CrISIS - the lOndOn naIl bOMber”

the Challenge: On Friday 30th April 1999, David Copeland set off the third and most devastating explosive device in the Admiral Duncan pub in Old Compton Street, London. Having injured many others in the preceeding weekends in Brick Lane and Brixton, his right-wing extremist behaviour had caused the death of three innocent victims.

On Tuesday 4th May, having returned to work after the Bank Holiday weekend, I was approached by a colleague, in my role as Group Communications Manager (EMCOR Drake & Scull), and therefore ‘Company Spokesman’, to be told that David Copeland was one of our employees and had been arrested over that weekend.

I then had a task on my hands to manage this as a PR crisis of national importance, and ensure our company’s reputation was managed and protected throughout.

the SOlutIOn: I immediately called together the Board of Directors to provide them with a briefing of the situation. A factor which had not been taken into consideration was that the witness who identified him from CCTV footage was in fact his Contract Manager on our Jubilee Line Extension contract. Questions were also being raised about where he had sourced the nails and wiring for the bombs, due to the fact that he was a mechanical and electrical engineer.

After our meeting, I drafted up a crisis management strategy which was distributed around the business, and insisted I was the only member of staff permitted to speak with the press and media. My two objectives as agreed with the Board, were to be as helpful to the Police as possible, but to distance the company, our people and our customers as far as possible from the horrendous acts of this individual.

I spent the week fielding enquiries from all elements of the national press and media including newspapers, tv and radio stations, all requesting interviews. I was able to decline as the matter was the subject of a very serious Police investigation. I also managed to liaise with the Police in order to ascertain how quickly we could remove the accused from our employ.

the OutCOMe: Of the numerous reports, documentaries and interviews at the time and since, we have been unable to find one mention of ‘EMCOR Drake & Scull’. Whilst it is fair to say that a case such as this is easier to disassociate ourselves with due to its severity, corporate reputation remains a fragile commodity to be protected at all times.

See below, some of the coverage of this high profile news story, and how we managed to ensure the protection of our reputation, during and since: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/30/newsid_2499000/2499249.stm http://goo.gl/Jk04vn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/david_Copeland http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/jun/07/uksecurity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kwevc1peya

e: adam.fergie@adfm.co.uk M: 07786 560624baCk

CASE STUDY

preSS and MedIa relatIOnS

2

“the truth IS Out there - ChangIng perCeptIOnS”

the Challenge: Providing environmental services to local communities is often a challenging task, particularly as it is the most visible service council tax payers see, and judge the value and quality of the service they receive from their local authority. When I first took charge of the communications function for our environmental services business in 2006, I was struck by the negative reputational issues we had on two or three of our eight contracts, which stemmed from numerous press articles criticising the service. This subsequently generated an extremely negative perception of the company from a customer, local media and general public perspective, not to mention the demoralising affect it had on the hard working frontline staff. I had no choice but to address this.

the SOlutIOn: My first decision was to visit each of these contracts and investigate the perception of our services. I first met with the local contract staff, then the customer operations and communications teams, and finally I met with the Editors of the local newspapers themselves. I discovered that many of the articles written about the services, were in fact, politically motivated against the current administration, and were actually based upon incorrect and unfair information. This was not helped by the company’s submissive stance with regards to media engagement, which allowed stories to go unchecked, with no opportunity for response.

I decided a press and media strategy was required to redress the balance, and put our reputation back on the front foot. I developed the strategy with internal and customer approval, which included elements such as, closer relationships with local newspapers, including inviting reporters to site to see the good work the company carried out. I also put in place crisis management processes with our customers to ensure we had a common response and opportunity to manage information. I also ensured that a programme of positive press releases was put in place to communicate more positive stories about achievements and service information, diluting any negative stories that may be published. Finally, I requested that any articles published by the media were directed towards myself to allow the company the opportunity to respond and correct information, prior to publishing.

the OutCOMe: The results were encouraging. Almost immediately we saw a reverse in trend from negative, to more positive press releases. The local media also became less confrontational in their reporting, and keen to engage with us to learn more about what the company did. Our customers were very happy to see the levels of complaints reduce, which in turn helped with our customer relations. Reporting also became more accurate and we were given more opportunities to respond to proposed press releases, prior to publication.

Just one example of the difference in reporting of our services, is demonstrated by the following two articles: 2007 - Criticism of our services - http://www.newquayvoice.co.uk/news/0/article/261/ 2011 - after media campaign to generate more positive stories - http://www.newquayvoice.co.uk/news/5/article/3538/

e: adam.fergie@adfm.co.uk M: 07786 560624baCk

CASE STUDY 1

Internal COMMunICatIOnS /eMplOyee engageMent

“InnOvate tO COMMunICate”

the Challenge: In 2013, FTSE100 company Serco wanted to celebrate its 25th anniversary, by holding a series of global and regional events to engage with as many staff as possible and raise funds for their chosen children’s charity. I was asked to lead on the communications strategy for the UK & Europe division which consisted of 33,000 staff across numerous sectors and geographic locations. Global requirements were being driven from Group, with multiple messages being disseminated on a daily basis. The celebrations also took place during the company’s most challenging period in terms of reputation, with staff engagement at its lowest ever point.

the SOlutIOn: My first challenge was to establish which existing channels I had at my disposal, and how effective they were. Reaching all staff, at all levels, at all locations required the introduction of new channels to reach staff quicker than previously. I introduced two. The first was an online newsletter for regular updates and participation information. This allowed me not only to produce professional quality information on a weekly basis, but also to monitor distribution and readership levels.

The second channel, was to recognise the popularity of social media, and introduce a programme-specific Facebook page, which gave real-time reports on events and activities. This allowed me to get promotional information out to the business very quickly. It also encouraged feedback and engagement from across the region.

In addition, many frontline staff did not have access to online materials and in their case I developed poster and flyer templates for distribution by the administration teams. I coordinated a number of other regional comms staff as well as contract champions.

the OutCOMe: Up to five programme messages communicated across the business every day using more engaging and interactive channels. Over 1,000 participants in various sports events, 70+ entries into the online talent competition, 1,000 newsletter readership, 225 Facebook members in three months and all 33,000 members of staff across the region participating at a national or local level in events or fundraising activities - £100,000+ raised for charity in just six months.

Click below to take a look at one of the social media channels I introduced during the celebrations: https://www.facebook.com/Serco25inukandeurope

e: adam.fergie@adfm.co.uk M: 07786 560624baCk

CASE STUDY 1

COrpOrate phIlanthrOpy

“yOuth engageMent at ItS beSt - the SCOutS aSSOCIatIOn partnerShIp”

the Challenge: To support our business development strategy, there was a need to raise our profile as a provider of quality environmental services to all local authorities across the UK, within a sector where we had limited recognition among the general public. In addition we wanted to proactively engage with an existing high profile brand, already established as a respectable contributor to local communities and demonstrate our corporate responsibility nationwide. In 2006, we provided these services to just seven local authorities across the country, so the challenge was a tough one.

the SOlutIOn: After rigorous research I narrowed down my search to a list of just one. Following some lengthy discussions and negotiations, I was able to set up our first ever three-year partnership with The Scouts Association, which also included our sponsorship of The Environment Badge.

I didn’t want this to be just a sponsorship programme, as it was important to take this opportunity to engage with the UK’s youth population, and take on the responsibility of also educating them in all things environmental. My team developed and produced an educational pack highlighting the benefits of taking pride in your neighbourhood and continual messaging around sustainability. The Environment Badge, which displayed the company logo, was available to all scout groups throughout the UK, and I also backed this up with visits to scout groups and attending events to demonstrate these values, as well as contributing regular articles to their newsletters.

the OutCOMe: Our profile now has potential visibility within the communities of all 800+ UK local authorities. Anecdotally our customers, many of whom were active leaders within the Scout movement themselves, were impressed by our commitment to their communities, and partnered with the company on joint promotional activities. The company’s portfolio has risen in that time from seven to 19 customers within the sector.

Click below, to find out more about how the Scouts Association Partnership was well received: http://goo.gl/bx9dgf http://goo.gl/3dM7kk

e: adam.fergie@adfm.co.uk M: 07786 560624baCk