Greentarget

Case Studies

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Challenge

When expert services and consulting firm Berkeley Research Group (BRG) tapped Greentarget to lead its third annual M&A disputes research campaign, the intense economic and geopolitical upheaval made it difficult to predict what the next month would bring—let alone how conditions might shape the landscape for the coming year. Russia had just invaded Ukraine. The conflict added to turmoil in financial and energy markets even as the global economy was still recovering from pandemic-era chaos.

Given the disruptive impact of those headwinds on global business and supply chains, Greentarget’s Research & Market Intelligence team decided to tackle that issue head-on by examining how those economic conditions were influencing global M&A disputes.

Providing independent analyses and expert testimony in these matters is a core BRG competency. Digging deeper into this research angle would demonstrate the firm’s expertise in the international M&A dispute landscape, and raise BRG’s profile among its target audience of disputes-focused lawyers and finance professionals.

But the headwinds were shifting quickly – so Greentarget needed to uncover insights that would still be meaningful and newsworthy several months later when the research published.

Solution

Greentarget’s research team devised a two-pronged approach that included both qualitative and quantitative elements: 12 one-on-one interviews and an online survey of 181 individuals.

During the qualitative portion of the campaign, Greentarget spoke with leading deal and dispute lawyers around the world, including in major financial hubs like Hong Kong, London and New York. BRG provided Greentarget full access to the interviewees, which helped the team explore each lawyer’s unique point of view and guide the direction of the conversation.

The research team used insights gleaned from those interviews to develop the survey, which included a combination of new questions and some from prior years for year-over-year comparisons in the report.

Survey respondents included dispute lawyers, corporate finance advisors, deal lawyers and private equity professionals working in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America – a mix of people from which no other survey captures insights.

The Content & Editorial team combined key findings and charts from the survey with the insights and quotes from the interviewees, weaving in analysis from BRG’s own thought leaders to create a distinctive, newsworthy research report that revealed new trends in M&A disputes. The forward-looking nature of the report also provided utility to readers by mapping out what respondents expected to see in 2023.

Results

The M&A Disputes Report 2022 cut through the noise of an oversaturated M&A media landscape, garnering high-quality coverage in several publications—despite publishing near the end of the year, when dealmakers are busiest.

Greentarget’s Media Relations team secured coverage in global business, legal and financial industry publications, such as Bloomberg, The American Lawyer and Private Equity News. A Legal Dive article on the research was among the publication’s most read of 2022.

The report drove 320 visitors to the BRG website within the first month of its publication and has been viewed over 560 times. The web page that hosted the report had a bounce rate of 38% on BRG’s website (rates between 26% and 40% are considered excellent), while web traffic increased generally. The biography page of a BRG director involved in the survey analysis saw a 14% increase in traffic. On social media, some LinkedIn posts had engagement rates of 5.1%, higher than BRG’s average 3.3% engagement rate on the platform.

BRG also used the report as a business development tool, presenting the data in webinars, client dinners and receptions and the Thought Leaders 4 Disputes Corporate Disputes Conference – a key industry event.

The M&A Disputes Report helped BRG thought leaders deepen their relationships with clients by providing them with data and analysis that directly impacts their practices.  

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Challenge

Northwestern University’s chemistry department (NUChem) came to Greentarget looking for ways to better promote its research, scientists, and resources. The goal was simple: Stay competitive for top faculty and students. 

The department had more than enough talent, research prowess and pedagogical expertise to compete with the nation’s foremost chemistry departments, including MIT, CalTech, UChicago and Stanford. By fostering collaboration and supporting a diverse community of students and faculty members, the department had been at the forefront of scientific discovery for well over a century.

What NUChem didn’t have was a culture of publicizing that work to the next generation of STEM leaders or thriving businesses. So many of the institution’s breakthroughs were going underreported and uncredited. Academic leaders in the field knew the program was good — they just didn’t know how good.

Solution

When a client’s goal is to outperform its rivals, Greentarget starts there first. The initial proposal to NUChem underscored the importance of two types of research: primary research aimed at uncovering how students and faculty members viewed the department; and secondary research comparing NUChem’s reputation and promotional efforts against departments in close competition to be viewed by peers as the top chemistry department.

To help chemistry academics embrace the leading-edge marketing tactics Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management was already known for, Greentarget then developed a comprehensive competitive assessment. Its findings revealed that the department’s aversion to self-promotion wasn’t a sentiment shared by its peers. In fact, many of the institutions NUChem competes with had robust PR and marketing programs in place actively demonstrating their authority.

But the program’s biggest shortcoming was social media. Not only did Northwestern’s five peer universities maintain an active presence across multiple social media platforms, but their individual chemistry departments did as well. This gave NUChem’s competitors the opportunity to solicit success stories from within their departments and share them with a wide audience. And as industry publications and associations covered these stories, NUChem’s competitors were able to amplify them on their own social channels. Their social media presence also enabled other departments to drive engagement among current students, alumni and faculty — a crucial step toward achieving world-class reach and influence.

Impact

By showing NUChem how their peers were winning the reputation battle — and crafting a unique social strategy on their behalf — the department was able to counter. In less than two months, NUChem’s LinkedIn audience went from zero to twice that of its closest competitor.

More importantly, chemistry leaders were the ones engaging, with professors and publications mentioning the department more than any other in the competitive set during the first month of the campaign. For academics with an ultimate goal of being the top chemistry program in the country, there was no better proof point than the attention and respect of their peers.

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Building on our longstanding partnership with the Berkeley Research Group, a world-renowned consulting firm, Greentarget created and executed a research and market intelligence campaign to assess the global state of M&A disputes across a variety of industries and sectors.

The research report, M&A Disputes Report: A Global Perspective, analyzed the survey responses of 225 lawyers, private equity professionals, and corporate finance advisors.

Key findings from the December 2021 report included:

  1. Most deals deals started during the pandemic had since been completed, and most practices experienced minimal slowdown in volume.
  2. The types of disputes encountered were those expected of a distressed market.
  3. Sector type was a bigger determinant of M&A activity and dispute probability than region or cross-border dynamics.
  4. Respondents had mixed feelings about the effectiveness of MAC/MAE clauses as contractual tools to guard against post-closing disputes.
  5. The increasing frequency of private equity deals had changed the M&A landscape and will continue to impact how disputes arise and are litigated in 2022 and beyond.

The report directly generated a slew of earned media attention for Berkeley Research Group and provided its clients with valuable data.

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Venture capital investments are increasingly hard to come by. With the stock market heading into bear territory and inflation reaching all-time highs, investors are making fewer VC bets and expecting sweeter terms when they do. In fact, some analysts say VC investments will decrease by 70-80% in the coming months. And that means if you’re a Stage 2 start-up looking for Series B or C funding, you need the biggest competitive edge to differentiate you in the market.

This starts by building credibility with prospective investors. And the best way to do that is with an aggressive earned media strategy that garners endorsements from top-tier media. Here’s how working with a PR firm can set your start-up apart so you can secure the VC cash you need to propel your business forward.

Invest in PR to Secure the VC Investments Your Start-Up Needs

Your advisors are probably telling you to conserve cash and temper expectations. But let’s be honest — you can’t afford to simply tighten your belt and wait for the market to shift. You need to deliver ROI to your current investors as quickly as possible and secure additional capital to fuel your company’s upward trajectory. So it’s time to shift your focus toward making a stronger case for why your company deserves funding. 

PR is a strategic tool to increase your credibility and position you as a leader in your industry. And the good news is it also happens to be one of the most cost-effective ways to accomplish these objectives. 

Advertising campaigns are expensive. Presenting or manning a booth at a trade show can also take up a significant portion of your marketing spend. But investing in an earned media strategy is affordable and attainable and has the potential to make a lasting difference for your business.  

Find and Hone Your Start-Up’s Unique Positions of Authority

You know your industry needs the product or service your start-up offers. After all, you’ve built an entirely new company around that core belief. But to stand out in a crowded VC landscape, you need more than a solid business plan. You need to communicate unique positions of authority.

At its heart, demonstrating authority is an act of service. Your start-up’s thought leaders possess insights that can help your potential customers make smarter decisions, plan more effectively, and navigate complex challenges. Sharing your knowledge in a strategic and thoughtful manner shows your audience and investors you’re worthy of attention.

Firms like Greentarget can help you discover and hone your points of view — and then leverage them to make a name for your start-up in the media. This happens through:

  • Talking with your company’s leaders and subject matter experts to learn about their expertise and build the foundations of your content plan
  • Reviewing the earned media landscape to determine what journalists are writing about and what their needs are
  • Developing hypotheses about needs in your industry and then conducting primary market research to suss out salient insights
  • Discovering what topics have been discussed at length and identifying gaps for your experts to step into
  • Talking with your company’s leaders and subject matter experts to learn about their expertise and build the foundations of your content plan
  • Reviewing the earned media landscape to determine what journalists are writing about and what their needs are
  • Developing hypotheses about needs in your industry and then conducting primary market research to suss out salient insights
  • Discovering what topics have been discussed at length and identifying gaps for your experts to step into

For example, say your start-up is launching a software platform for supply chain and logistics. Given the world’s ongoing supply chain disruptions, reporters are eager for new insights from qualified subject matter experts. And it just so happens your CEO is aware of changes to shipping practices in Asia that might affect the landscape in the coming years. 

In this scenario, we would take the lead to conduct extensive research on the topic, identify gaps that haven’t been covered yet, and work with your CEO to flesh out strong positions worthy of media attention. In turn, your start-up establishes its position of authority in the public arena and demonstrates to investors that you’re worth backing.

Use Storytelling to Demonstrate Your Start-Up’s Value in the Market

Facts alone won’t inspire VC investors to bet on your start-up. In fact, stories do a better job of persuading people than data ever does. That’s because narratives evoke an emotional response — and humans tend to lead with emotion when making decisions.

The same holds true in B2B decision making. Even the most sophisticated and educated professionals tap into their emotions to guide them rather than leaning on rationality alone.

Of course, facts still matter. VC investors will most certainly pay close attention to your business plan. They’ll scrutinize your strategies and ask pointed questions about how you’ll follow through on delivering the ROI you predict. But stories bring those cold, hard facts to life and ultimately do the hard job of persuasion. It’s an example of the “show don’t tell” philosophy. Every start-up has its hard data and KPIs. But through intentional storytelling, you can shape those metrics into a narrative that assures investors they’re making the right decision. 

So if you want to secure VC cash in a tight market, make it a priority to tell compelling stories about the value you bring to your field. 

Paint a Picture of Long-term Impact

Many start-ups come and go without ever reaching the success they envisioned. So it’s important for potential investors to know that you have a solid vision for your product or service. They need evidence and reassurance that your start-up will stand the test of time. 

The first step is to make sure your intellectual property is protected. Secure any patents required so you don’t risk losing out to an unscrupulous competitor. Then, create narratives showing how your start-up will meet a need or fill a niche not only now, but in five years, ten years, or longer.

How One Start-Up Used Storytelling Effectively

One of our start-up clients, Zipari, used storytelling extensively in their efforts to grow their business. When they launched their signature product — the only consumer experience (CX) platform built specifically for health insurance providers — they needed to elevate the company’s position as the leading innovator (in an industry that’s notoriously slow to innovate).

We harnessed Zipari’s unique understanding of the digital guts of health insurers to position Mark Nathan, Zipari’s CEO, as a thought leader. We established a regular cadence of founder-led thought leadership and media coverage at key points throughout their growth cycles to develop a generous brand voice and reinforce the company’s vision. Through this thought leadership coverage and storytelling around its CX platform, Zipari shared how they helped clients (health insurers) improve ROI and drive healthier member actions.  

As a result, Zipari secured a strategic growth investment that allowed them to acquire another healthcare engagement platform (HealthX) and significantly grow their company’s value.

Start Leveraging Your Authority to Secure the Investments You Need 

Your company already has extensive amounts of expertise to leverage. You just need to identify the unique positions of authority that set your company apart — and then tell the stories that will resonate with your audience and investors. 

Greentarget can help — just reach out.

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For decades, PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been used in everything from non-stick pans to firefighting foam. The so-called “forever chemicals” make things durable because they are resistant to efforts to break down their atomic structure – but that fact also makes disposing of the chemicals extremely challenging. In recent years, PFAS’ durability ran headlong into a growing awareness of their potential dangers as early (and still developing) research suggests that PFAS may link to certain cancers, liver and kidney issues, and other health problems.

Lathrop GPM, an Am Law 200 law firm, has an industry-leading environmental and tort practice with a focus on PFAS. The firm first dipped its toes into PFAS work around 2009 and spent the following years studying this emerging contaminant and figuring out what to do with it. By 2019, with a decade of experience under their belt and insight that this was going to be a growing area of demand, they dug into a marketing and business development plan.  As predicted, public and regulatory pressure around PFAS began to increase in 2020 and companies whose products included PFAS faced liability issues going back years, if not decades, and needed guidance on how to navigate the evolving landscape. Lathrop GPM’s team of lawyers had the knowledge and experience to provide that guidance – and reached out to Greentarget for a strategy to stand out as a voice of authority amid a crowded landscape and while much of the world’s attention was fixed on COVID-19.

Solution

Greentarget first identified individual PFAS topics that were in line with Lathrop GPM’s knowledge base that might fuel a thought leadership campaign. Then, to be sure that the firm’s point-of-view aligned with its audience’s most critical concerns and expectations, Greentarget turned to tools that measure search engine activity to identify terms that PFAS-related users were searching for.

Greentarget sought out terms with high relevance, robust monthly search volume, and little if any relevant legal content in top search results. Greentarget was able to pinpoint white space that Lathrop GPM could own by publishing novel, relevant, and useful perspectives. Together, Lathrop GPM and Greentarget decided on the topics of “PFAS in groundwater,” “PFAS in food,” “PFAS Action Plan” and later added “PFAS in cosmetics,” among others, as the focuses offering the best opportunities to assert Lathrop GPM’s authority.

Several calls with Lathrop GPM’s thought leaders and Greentarget were held to discuss the SEO-informed topics with the goal of creating articles stemming from the above terms and showcased Lathrop GPM’s knowledge and practical guidance.

Results

The campaign earned more than 42 media results, for 9 million impressions. That included bylines in Food Safety Magazine, Bloomberg Law, Mergers and Acquisitions, Industry Today, HAPPI, Food Industry Executive, Law360, FDCC Insights and DRI’s For the Defense, and Lathrop GPM lawyers being quoted in 16 articles in such publications as Law360, Bloomberg Law, Water World, Agripulse, Food Safety & Quality, Environmental Health News and Cosmetic Design.

Additionally, Bloomberg Law now regularly turns to Lathrop GPM as legal authorities on PFAS. The campaign also led to several new business inquiries as well as outreach from current clients and a prominent environmental lobbyist — who said Lathrop GPM was analyzing the issue in mostly uncovered ways.

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Challenge

Ignite, a Chicago based non-profit, has been dedicated to supporting homeless youth for 45 years. But they continue to run up against a significant problem that inhibits their ability to deliver services: specifically, how the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines homelessness.

HUD currently defines homelessness by assessing the number of people on the streets and shelters within one night. But homeless youth generally fly under the radar, often by staying on people’s couches: of the 1 in 10 young adults between 18 to 25 who encounter homelessness in a year, half only do so through couch surfing. As such, HUD doesn’t count these youth as homeless, making it much harder for community organizations like Ignite (who rely on the department’s funds) to help them. This problem is only getting worse, especially with COVID-19 having exacerbated housing instability across the US. 

Legislation exists to change HUD’s definition, but it had stalled in Congress. That’s why, in the fall of 2021, Greentarget jumped on board to help Ignite draw attention to this legislation and the growing problem of youth homelessness.

Solution

The Greentarget team began by engaging Ignite’s Executive and Program & Leadership team members to understand precisely where the HUD issue stood, why it was more important than ever we address it now, and how the Ignite team’s experiences could establish them as authorities on this topic.

From there, we conducted extensive research into the issues at hand and the current media landscape, and interviewed two homeless youth who were using Ignite’s services – knowing that to really illuminate this story, we had to back up our claims with data and place firsthand experiences front and center.

This gave us the foundation to shape media pitches and develop an op-ed geared towards target audiences on Capitol Hill and in Chicago.

Results

“Your time and energy make these life-changing programs possible and mean that we can help more young people achieve personal and economic independence and reach their full potential.” – Stephanie Piccirilli, President & CEO, Ignite.

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