The Meridian Group
EXPERTISE POSITIONING
The Meridian Group (www.the
meridiangrp.com) is
a Pittsburgh-based investment banking, turnaround
and Mergers and Acquisitions consulting firm specializing
in middle-market businesses. The firm wanted to
capitalize on a prestigious award from the Turnaround
Management Association for its work with Columbus,
Ohio, slipper manufacturer R.G. Barry Corp. between
2004 and 2006. The goal was to leverage the award
and the work through the media as a means of heightening
the firm’s profile and highlighting its expertise.
The need
The firm engaged Hodge Schindler to develop a
program that would spread its name and thinking
through a variety of media channels. Meridian group
also needed consulting help revamping its Web site,
which looked dated and did not provide a spotlight
for its experience or thought leadership.
Our approach
Discussions with Meridian group helped define
the strategies: bylined articles, expert source
quotes and pursuing award opportunities. Meridian
principals identified three general topics for
the media push – turnarounds, pension fulfillment
and fraud. The team then narrowed the scope to
articles on how turnarounds help troubled companies;
how companies will meet federal requirements
to fully fund pensions by fall 2008; and corporate
bank fraud and how to identify it.
Hodge Schindler
developed a list of appropriate publications and
Web sites that focused on the three topics, including
identifying editorial calendars where the stories
would be a natural fit. We then began to position
the media via e-mail and phone calls to gauge editor
interest, whether in the form of bylined articles
or features written by the publication’s
staff using Meridian group as expert sources.
The outcomes
During the six-month course of the project, Hodge
Schindler secured commitments for seven bylined
articles:
- Commercial Lending Review – Fraud and how
to recognize it.
- Secured Lender – Lending in a turnaround.
- Business Law Today – Fraud as it affects
the legal end.
- ABI Journal – R.G. Barry turnaround story
from a legal perspective.
- ACC Docket – Another spin on fraud.
- Journal of Structured Finance – Initially
interested in R.G. Barry lending covenants.
- The Deal – R.G. Barry turnaround story as
an acquisition alternative.
We also generated three expert source opportunities
with other publications and submitted an application
for M&A Advisor magazine’s inaugural
Turnaround Awards competition. Meridian Group was
named a finalist in two categories, based on the
R.G. Barry-focused application.
Meridian’s R.G. Barry turnaround was also
featured in Time magazine’s June 4, 2007
issue, and Hodge Schindler is advising the firm
on how to leverage that coverage over the remainder
of 2007. We are also consulting with Meridian in
ongoing fine-tuning of its new Web site to help
the firm improve its Internet-based marketing efforts
well into 2008.
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