Category Archives: Case Study

Impact of corporate announcements – a matter of credibility

Usually, stock markets are quite stress-resistant if it comes to (even relevant) news. It is hard for an individual news piece to move whole markets. IR Magazine has now published an article by Henry Downing that reflects on the circumstances in which impact can still be dramatic. In this context, it highlights the important role of… Read More »

The Exponential Impact of Reputation

The Reputation Institute has analyzed the impact of reputation on stock market performance in the US and has published a beautiful infographic summarizing its findings It is looking at how the most reputable companies (according to its own reputation scoring system) outperform the main indices. Within the S&P, companies with a stronger reputation achieved 2.5x the stock… Read More »

ESG Reporting – How Companies React to More Conscious Investors

Forbes Magazine is estimating that $30 trillion in assets moves from the current to younger, more sustainably oriented investors,  incentivizing companies to implement more comprehensive “ESG” reporting measures. ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance reporting and has become a key element in annual reports of companies listed at major stock exchanges, as London,… Read More »

German insurer offends Maori culture

The German insurance provider ARAG  has used the traditional Haka warrior dance of New Zealand’s Maori, fueling hefty criticism in social media. Criticism on ARAG’s YouTube channel (check the comments below the video) as well as later on on Facebook and Twitter labelled the ad as inappropriate cultural appropriation, some even claimed it to be… Read More »

Loading your Brand with Emotions & Politics – Heineken vs Pepsi

If you closely follow the advertising world you might have seen the shit-storm that overcame Pepsi earlier this month following the launch over a campaign that meant to align Pepsi with the political #resistance movement in the US. The PR disaster for Pepsi evolved out of a on only half-hearted approach to political themes – as there really… Read More »

Managing a Country Brand

My role as head of public diplomacy involves work on “country branding”  – so basically developing a country brand that enables the country’s businesses and organizations to be more successful in the international marketplace, but also projecting a more holistic national identity with cultural, business, education and many more elements. I recently came across an… Read More »

A Letter from a CEO to his Investor… that Killed his Career

Klaus Kleinfeld, former CEO of German industry giant Siemens, resigned from his position as CEO of Arconic a specialty metals producer spun-off of aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. Kleinfeld resigned after a letter that he had written to Paul Singer, founder of $33 billion hedge fund Elliott Management. Elliott owns a 13 percent stake in Arconic and had launched a… Read More »