'Dangerous Liaisons' runner up for Best use of PR for Hay Group

Hay Group faced a crowded merger and acquisitions (M&A) market dominated by global accountancy and law firms. However, Hay Group's approach was unique, concentrating on managing the integration of the intangible assets such as human capital, organisational structure and stakeholder relationships.

The solution

To establish Hay Group's credibility in the market, Man Bites Dog (MBD), designed the most comprehensive study of European M&A ever conducted with a view to creating an authoritative White Paper on life after a merger. The research resulted in the 'Dangerous liaisons' report.

The publicity

'Dangerous liaisons' was launched at the Economist's M&A forum, where Hay Group presented findings to a select audience of business leaders. This was also reported in an FT exclusive.

Dangerous liaisons was featured in 296 pieces of media coverage across 10 countries. It had an advertising value equivalent of £663,918, equating to 21 times ROI on total project costs and 35 times ROI on PR fees.