Writing in The Times, Stephen Howard, chief executive, Business in the Community, praised Barclays' community initiatives, calling them 'relevant, realistic and robust'
The challenge
We were asked to raise awareness of Barclays community investment programme with prestige media titles and wider opinion-formers, at a time when the overwhelming focus was on the role of banks in the growing global economic crisis.
Our response
We positioned Barclays as an organisation bucking the trend for reducing community investments in a downturn. The message to other firms was "it may be a recession, but pull away at your peril".
We chose to emphasise the benefits of its different community projects around the world, not just for beneficiaries, but for the bank itself in terms of developing long-term market opportunities and attracting the customers and employees of tomorrow.
Activity included tours in India, Vietnam and the Phillippines with the Chairman, a stakeholder event at the House of Commons on the role of corporates in international development, and profile pieces on his community role.
Results
We delivered coverage that was positively glowing: full-page articles in The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The Independent; a three-page feature in Finance Asia; a photo essay on Times Online; comment pieces in the FT, Telegraph and IHT; and regional UK coverage. It also resulted in approaches to the company from others looking to learn from its community work, and public endorsement in The Times from Business in the Community.
Watch the video
Barclays Community Investment Case Study from Fishburn Hedges on Vimeo.
