APCO Worldwide in the UK
APCO Worldwide is an independent global communication, stakeholder engagement and business strategy firm. Our award-winning UK operations were founded in 1995 and offer fully integrated communication services that help clients challenge conventional thinking and anticipate what s next for their organisations. 2
Some quick facts about APCO: Founded in 1984, opened in the UK in 1995 offices in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia of our business comes from referral 3
How We Can Help You At APCO we offer all the things that we believe clients want from their communication partner. We are: Forward thinking we look over the horizon to anticipate trends and challenge conventional thinking Digitally infused we understand and embed social media outreach and new technologies in everything we do Stakeholder centric we generate deeper insights and greater impact through our focus on stakeholder engagement Value creators we leverage our resources, creativity and reach intelligently, to deliver maximum results Our independence gives us the freedom to innovate, invest for the long term and really put our clients at the centre of everything we do. Our one firm model means we can bring the very best people (irrespective of their location) and technology to each and every client assignment. Whatever your sector or the services you need, APCO puts your stakeholders at the core of all we do. Whether you want to engage with business audiences, investors, government, NGOs, consumers, media or employees, in the UK or overseas, you can count on us for fresh thinking, deep insights, relentless commitment, creative solutions and flawless execution that deliver lasting impact. APCO s UK team offers deep knowledge and experience in a broad range of sectors, including food and consumer products, health care, technology, energy, financial services, transportation, government and emerging markets. Where appropriate we also draw on the local insights from APCO s global team of experts. 4
Our Approach At APCO we believe all successful communication campaigns are based on insight and creativity. We deploy our opinion research group, APCO Insight, together with a range of proprietary research methodologies, to inform and shape our strategies. This ensures that the right messages are conveyed to the right audiences and the impact of our clients campaigns are measured effectively. Creativity is essential for truly powerful communication and plays a vital role in ensuring that our clients messages stand out in a compelling and memorable way. Our creativity underpins all aspects of our approach from our strategic thinking to the design and creative work undertaken by our StudioAPCO in-house design team and by StrawberryFrog, our ground-breaking advertising and marketing agency that specialises in inspiring movements for some of the world s most iconic brands. APCO provides strategic counsel and flawless execution for ebay Inc., including issues and crisis management, reputation building and roll-out of our global and pan-european Future of Commerce campaigns. The quality of their team, the strength of their insights, their attention to detail and execution (in often complex, challenging circumstances) are always impressive. They never fail to impress my most senior internal clients and colleagues, including our CEO and SVPs. Paul Newman Vice President, Communications, ebay Inc 5
Our Services APCO s UK team offers a full range of communication services, listed on page 10. Particular speciality areas include: APCO StudioOnline Our Digital and Creative Offering Integrating our creative and digital offering places APCO at the leading edge of communication. The combination of our strengths in creative design, digital work, and social media strategy enable us to create integrated campaigns that help our clients influence the stakeholders they need to reach. Our team is a recognised leader in leveraging these environments and digital is built into our DNA, with most of our campaigns using social media as a key element. Strategically, our StudioOnline team focuses on four things: creating media that is easy to consume; using design to help simplify ideas; working with communities that create influence; and creating and utilising technology that expands reach. Tactically, we work across advertising, web, print, video, social, and mobile. Media Relations London is an important centre for English language global media. APCO s highly effective London media team includes former journalists, official spokespeople and experienced media relations professionals. We achieve great success in securing positive coverage for clients across all UK and international media channels including print, TV, radio and online outlets. In the UK s very competitive media environment we believe the key to APCO s successful media campaigns is our detailed understanding of what individual journalists and media outlets like to cover. APCO s team excels at developing compelling stories that grab the attention of journalists in clients target media outlets. We offer access to experienced pitching teams and provide a range 6
of additional services designed to get the right story to the right journalists, including: drafting and placement of thought leadership opinion pieces and comment articles, interview preparation and media training, executive media profiling, speech writing and talking points production for interviews, case study preparation, plus multi-lingual digital media packs with supporting infographics, animation, and background film footage production. We also help our clients get in front of the right journalists to build on-going relationships with them ahead of any major announcements or news stories. Impacting the Policy Agenda APCO has an outstanding public affairs pedigree and was one of the first firms to offer these services in London. With an in-depth knowledge of how politics work in the UK and adhering to the Association of Professional Political Consultant s Code of Conduct, we are well-equipped to advise clients on their public affairs and stakeholder engagement strategies across the globe. In partnership with colleagues in APCO s Brussels office, we deliver a full range of public affairs services across the member states of the European Union. Pan-European campaigns are delivered by experienced political strategists and supported by a diverse group of native language speakers in APCO s offices across the political capitals of Europe. 7
APCO s London team brings great strategic thinking, knowledge of global development issues and creative content skills to our external and internal communications. Claudia Toth Global GSA Communications Director, Microsoft Litigation Communication APCO s UK team helps corporate, nonprofit and institutional clients to manage the public environment surrounding legal actions by developing communication plans that are strictly aligned with the litigation strategy. While the legal strategy should be the driving force behind the design and implementation of the communication plan, customised tactics may be necessary to address individual audiences and different market environments around the world. APCO s litigation communication experience includes antitrust; mergers and acquisitions; class actions; whistleblower cases; government and regulatory investigations; product liability; trade and competition; labour and employment; criminal cases; intellectual property; and multinational arbitration. Services to Government APCO is an industry leader in providing services to governments and has assisted dozens of governments throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America in developing and implementing strategic advocacy communication and public affairs campaigns at home and abroad. These assignments are often led by our team of political and government strategists based in our London office. In addition, APCO s UK team has worked with a wide range of regional, provincial and municipal governments on issues related to export promotion 8
and advice on inward investment promotion. Services our team provides to governments include: direct representation, reputation management, foreign direct investment, internal communication, and policy and market issue research. Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Corporate responsibility (CR) and sustainability performance and communication play a major and measurable role in shaping an organisation s reputation with its key stakeholders and its long-term financial valuation. Through smart and effective CR strategy and communication, companies can sustain their own growth, demonstrate their contribution to the sustainability of the communities in which they operate and earn their license to operate and grow. APCO is a recognised market leader in this area and we assist companies to engage with key stakeholders, understand and manage CR issues, design and execute programmes and partnerships, and communicate effectively. In addition, being a responsible corporate citizen is high on our own agenda: we are members of the UN Global Compact, undertake select pro-bono work for organisations such as The Clinton Global Initiative, are active in Business in the Community s (BiTC) international leadership and offer staff the opportunity to participate in BiTC s Give and Gain Days. APCO s ability to effectively target and manage relationships with key UK media helped gain greater coverage...than we had hoped for. The university s leadership was exceedingly pleased with the results. Brenda Maceo vice president of public relations and marketing, University of Southern California 9
Medicines wholesaling is an integral part of health care and patient safety. Without APCO, the BAPW would not have achieved recognition of this, which now sees the association play a key role in relevant policy development at the UK and European levels. Clients value APCO s ability to help them navigate the complex and often converging worlds of business, industry and finance; media, public opinion and society; and government and public policy. We design integrated communication strategies that can encompass the full range of services below: Mark James chairman, British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers 10
Our People Our team in London is as diverse as the campaigns we run. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds and industry sectors including senior roles in business, government, journalism, academia, civil society, consultancy and research. Our people set the standard in their fields and we believe their diverse global viewpoints and local insights help our clients plan for what s next. In addition, our UK clients have access to APCO s International Advisory Council, which comprises more than 80 recognised global leaders including former elected politicians; leaders of business and industry; academics at leading universities; world-class journalists and editors; NGO and nonprofit pioneers; diplomats; and policy experts. All are leading consultants with invaluable real-world knowledge who understand the complex issues clients face because they have encountered them and successfully conquered them in their own careers. Our Health Advisory Board, a specialty group of the International Advisory Council, comprises public health leaders, heads of communication of large pharmaceutical and insurance companies, and former health policy officials. This global team provides executive-level counsel on health care issues and industry trends including market access and prevention and wellness. We are also able to draw on the members of our Global Political Strategies SM (GPS) team which includes more than 30 international former senior politicians, government officials and experienced diplomats to provide high-level strategic insight on the opportunities and challenges facing businesses. UK-based member of this team includes Lord Hutton, former UK secretary of state for defence and secretary of state for business. Whether resolving a crisis or informing tactical decisions, our GPS consultants provide authoritative advice to inform clients investments and board-level discussions, shape their business planning and address their immediate and long-term business and reputational goals. 11
Pushing the Boundaries of Communication SM CONTACT US To find out how APCO s UK team can help you please contact: James Acheson-Gray managing director APCO Worldwide 90 Long Acre London, WC2E 9RA jagray@apcoworldwide.com Twitter: @AchGray Tel: +44.207.526.3600 For further information visit: www.apcoworldwide.com www.apcoforum.com www.youtube.com/apcoworldwide www.facebook.com/apcoworldwide www.twitter.com/apcoworldwide