strategic messaging
When It’s Time for a Change: CEO Succession
Whether it’s the longtime CEO’s retirement or the recent hire’s sudden exit, communicating the transition of the top executive is one of the most critical messaging tasks a company can undertake. So let’s discuss them both: the transitions that are well-planned, thoughtful and strategic, and those that are likely to catch investors by surprise. Here…
Life Sciences: Communicating the Investment Story
If you have ever tried telling a life sciences investment story, chances are, you’ve encountered one of three responses: “Wait. Slow down. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” This is sometimes communicated nonverbally as a blank stare. “Okay. That makes sense. So when do you expect commercialization?” “What’s the mechanism of action? And…
The Art of Communicating an Acquisition: M&A in 2016
Global merger and acquisition activity set an all-time high last year, breaking the previous record set in 2007. According to an EY survey in October 2015, 59% of executives planned to actively pursue acquisitions in the coming 12 months. Given that this number is significantly higher than the 40% reported in the survey a year…
Telling a Story Investors Want to Hear
It’s the ability to tell a compelling story that will get the investment community excited about your company. It’s also a great challenge for even the largest public companies in the country. So why is it so difficult to captivate investors with an investment story management should inherently know so well? To help solve this…
Four Steps to Deliver a Captivating Presentation
The ability to deliver a captivating presentation, whether at meetings, investor conferences or in a more personal one-on-one setting is challenging for most. Even those who are naturally gifted still need to practice to be their best. Don’t make the mistake of spending inordinate amounts of time developing a PowerPoint presentation, and little time preparing…
Let them Know
By Andrew Blazier, Senior Associate (to the tune of “Let it Snow”) Oh, the markets worldwide are frightful But your messaging’s so delightful Since the company outlook can grow, Let them know! Let them know! Let them know! Your strategy isn’t popping Though commodities are dropping Although growth, it has been slow, Let them…
The Greatest Social Media for Investor Relations Panel Ever*
By Dennis Walsh, Vice President & Director of Social Media *Okay, so I may be biased since I was the moderator, but this panel session at the NIRI’s 2013 Annual Conference had all the elements necessary to help IR professionals develop a strategy for using social media for IR. Attendees heard from David Urban, Director…
Is the Annual Report a Thing of the Past?
By Maureen Wolff, President and Partner Annual reports are so 1997. When the National Investor Relations Institute recently asked me for my thoughts on the public company practice of producing a glossy annual report, the premise of the question was not, “How can companies do this better?” or “Please provide some helpful tips for designing…
Preparing for a Social Media Crisis
By David Calusdian, Executive Vice President & Partner I recently participated as the designated “social media expert” as part of a crisis communications case study session at the 2012 NIRI Southwest regional conference. This year’s conference was held in New Orleans and the session centered on a fictitious publicly held bead manufacturing company (apropos for…
Sharon Merrill Associates Wins Platinum Super Bell Award
Sharon Merrill Associates on Monday captured The Publicity Club of New England’s coveted 2012 Platinum Super Bell at its annual Bell Ringer Awards, which annually recognizes the region’s most successful communications and public relations campaigns. We won the Platinum Super Bell for our investor relations program for Gibraltar Industries, recognizing us as “best in show”…