Media engagement and leverage for events and virtual events

Stone developed and implemented the strategic arm of Accenture in South Africa’s integrated communication and media strategy. As part of the implementation, Stone managed media engagement activities for key events. Stone provided communication support for Accenture’s events by inviting and engaging media, generating and leveraging content, and giving counsel on activities for an overall integrated approach.

Challenge at hand

Accenture needed to leverage on their internal and external events by receiving coverage that would add to their share of voice efforts. The challenge was to identify relevant media according to interest and invite them to attend Accenture events to not only leverage on the content shared, but also build meaningful relationships through the engagement.

The firm sought to use events as a tool to invite media and stakeholder attention, to leverage its reputation and leadership as the trusted advisor and premier provider of business and technology services for private and public sector clients in South Africa.

Stone’s approach to meeting the need

The Stone team carefully identified relevant media according to the event type and invited their interest through tailored approaches. Key messages and briefs were developed for all communication activities relevant to the various media.

Results achieved and value added for Accenture

Stone’s excellent relations with various media allowed Accenture the necessary leverage based on Stone’s good reputation. The Stone team acted as an extension of Accenture’s in-house event organisers by going beyond the call of duty to ensure media persons are not only invited but also well-informed and engaged with the events.

With the increase in online/virtual events, Stone continued to effectively provide the necessary support and developed media-ready content for immediate dissemination post event.

Stone effectively mined trapped content value by placing engagement on the main business agenda, releasing media-ready content, and building the thought leadership profile of each business unit. This was to establish Accenture’s reputation at the c-suite and executive level, positioning Accenture as the expert partner of choice.