Zurich Municipal Case Study
Challenge:
Zurich Municipal, which is part of Zurich Financial Services, is the UK’s leading provider of insurance and risk management solutions to the public sector.
Zurich Municipal wanted to further develop its position as the risk management voice for the public sector and develop campaigns to enable the company to be viewed as the industry expert and a natural choice for comment. Its objectives were to strengthen relationships with key journalists to achieve higher quality media coverage in its key target media rather than just focusing on volume of coverage.
Strategy:
The approach taken was to support Zurich Municipal in the development of themed, issues-based campaigns to raise the profile of various challenges affecting public sector organisations including arson in schools and conditional fee arrangements and fraud. This programme was supported with a news-focused tactical approach through a series of seasonal and topical news stories. This approach enabled Zurich Municipal to communicate its areas of expertise while placing relevant issues at the forefront of the news agenda and keeping it there.
Tactics:
A media relations campaign was undertaken targeting national and regional media and key vertical sector media to raise the profile of Zurich Municipal and highlight its position as a risk management expert, including:
- Strategic advice and input into developing themed campaigns on arson in schools and conditional fee arrangements comprising speaker opportunities, development of materials and advice guides, market research and conference, workshop and events support
- Targeted releases covering issues from subsidence, asbestos and highways to problems faced by schools such as bullying and stress amongst teachers
- Opinion pieces providing expert, informed advice on best practice
- Production and placement of original features
- One to one journalist briefings
- Development of a spokesperson programme focusing on senior management to position them as industry-leading figures through comment in lead articles.
- Press launches
- Crisis relations on claims related issues
- Provision of a proactive Press Office
- Establishing an efficient forward features programme and direct pitches to ensure Zurich Municipal’s presence in all relevant articles
- Capitalising on third party endorsement such as case studies or independent third party comment or partnerships in relevant campaigns such as the ABI (Association of British Insurers), LGA (Local Government Association), ALARM (Association of Local Authority Risk Managers), SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives) etc.
Results:
According to independent evaluation of press coverage by Media Measurement Ltd, a positive impact was achieved by K+R in the first six months alone when the number of cuttings created per press release increased.
The year K+R were brought on board the PR budgets were lowered, compared to the previous year, resulting in a decreased volume of PR activity. However, despite the fact that less than half the number of news releases were produced (15 compared to 37 in 2003), the volume of press cuttings only decreased by seven per cent. K+R took a more focused approach which resulted in 64% of coverage being achieved through proactive media relations activities compared to 41% the previous year, showing a greater impact of effort and smarter use of resources.
The quality of Zurich Municipal’s media coverage improved with nearly half (44%) of all media coverage appearing in Zurich Municipal’s Top Tier publications, indicating its target audiences are being reached effectively. Coverage appeared in higher quality, higher circulation publications seeing an increase in the number of readers and listeners being able to see or hear Zurich Municipal messages (30 million compared to 18 million in 2003). Regular coverage was achieved in national newspapers from the Sunday Mirror, Daily Mail and Daily Express to The Times and The Guardian as well as broadcast coverage on ITV Granada, BBC 1, Radio 2 and Radio 5 Live.
