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Category: Capital Markets

Money20/20 Bangkok: should you attend next year?

By Louise Veitch, Head of SE Asia

At the end of April, Money20/20 finally made its debut in Asia at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok.

The city’s strategic location, coupled with its rapidly growing economy and supportive regulatory environment, made it a perfect place for the fintech community to congregate on this side of the world. Bangkok’s 40-degree April heat and  gridlocked traffic also did an excellent job of keeping attendees and sponsors inside the convention centre at all times.

If you’re wondering whether to go in 2025, I have shared insights after attending in April that will either get you registering for next year’s event or deleting it from your calendar entirely.

Size matters

For those who have been to Money2020’s alternative regional events, or the latest Singapore Fintech Festival & Token 2049, like us, you might have been searching for another exhibition hall when you first arrived at the centre.

The event was much smaller, but arguably no less mighty. From speaking with clients and other sponsors, many felt that what it lacked in footfall, it made up for in the quality of attendees. It’s also important to understand that what works for one region, may not work for another, so comparing the money2020 events like for like will never be a useful exercise.

Immediate Return on Investment

A contributing factor to the size, was the cost of the event. It cost thousands to attend the event and much, much more to be an exhibitor. While this ensured that attendees were serious sellers or buyers, companies looking for an immediate return on investment will have struggled to get back in the green.    

Knowledge is power

Over the last 12 months for better or worse the fintech industry has been in the spotlight and while it can sometimes be a lucrative field, it is always innovating at a rapid pace. Money2020 Bangkok showcased the ideas and current thinking of the most influential people in this sector.  

The verdict?

Ultimately, our team will be recommending that some of our clients in Asia (and globally) attend and/or sponsor next year’s event while others should probably sit it out. Considering your business objectives and how this fits into your wider marcoms strategy is a huge factor.

For example, if you are looking to build brand awareness in front of a really relevant community, you can register for next year here. But, if lead generation is the watchword for 2025 and you have specific conversion targets to hit, we might recommend investing in alternative strategies to better support these objectives.

About the author

Louise Veitch heads up operations for Aspectus’ Singapore office, leading the expert team on the ground there as well as Aspectus’ network of consultants across Southeast Asia. She has spent the last decade helping clients in the fintech and traditional finance space to successfully grow their brand awareness globally. Louise was named PR Week’s 30 Under 30 in 2020 in recognition for her work in this space.

Key Takeaways

Q1: How does Money20/20 Asia compare to other fintech events in the region?

 A1: Though smaller in size than events like the Singapore Fintech Festival, Money20/20 Asia’s high-quality attendee base offered substantial networking and business opportunities.

Q2: What are the costs and ROI considerations for attending Money20/20 Asia?

A2: High participation costs mean companies should weigh the potential for immediate returns against the quality of interactions and long-term strategic benefits.

Q3: Should businesses attend Money20/20 Asia in 2025?

A3: Decision to attend should align with specific marketing and commercial objectives, considering factors like brand visibility and lead generation needs.

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Four key considerations for capturing asset managers’ attention at TSAM

By Will Brook, Capital Markets

With investment houses under growing pressure to innovate, this blog provides fintech attendees of this year’s TSAM (The Summit for Asset Management) event with a host of tips and tricks to ensure they can capture the attention of the various asset management firms in attendance. These include suggestions around fintech marketing, merchandising, branding, social media, tech savviness and staff selection.

It is no secret that asset managers – particularly those operating in the UK – have had a difficult couple of years. A barrage of headwinds, including a slowdown in global economic growth, elevated interest rates, bouts of pronounced market volatility and increasing competition from ETFs, saw the UK fund industry suffer ‘record’ net outflows[1] in 2023. And so far, this year hasn’t offered much in the way of hope. Funds domiciled in the UK witnessed £3.34bn in net outflows[2] in February – and for the second time in 12 months, not a single asset class managed to attract net inflows.

But as the old adage goes, from adversity comes opportunity. As asset managers grapple with growing competition and squeezed margins, the deployment of sophisticated financial technology has perhaps never been so essential. After all, the integration of effective fintech can unearth a host of advantages for investment houses, not least reduced costs, stronger investment returns, and ultimately a healthier bottom line. Take the potential posed by robo-advisors, for instance. A recent study by PwC[3] suggests assets managed by these algorithm-driven and increasingly AI-enabled digital platforms will surge to almost $6tn by 2027 – nearly double the figure for 2022.

And this is just one aspect of their strategy asset managers will be looking to bolster with cutting-edge fintech over the coming months. Against this backdrop, The Summit for Asset Management (TSAM) in London on 1 May – which brings together leaders from the back and middle office departments of some of the world’s most prominent asset management firms – offers a tremendous opportunity for financial technology providers to capture the attention of fund houses.

Given the number of vendors set to attend and the hectic nature of these events, capitalizing on this opportunity requires careful thought and preparation from a fintech marketing and public relations perspective. Trust me, I’ve been to enough events to know that the unprepared will struggle to make a splash, even if they have an excellent piece of tech to demo. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of four key considerations fintech firms must take into account to give themselves the best chance of capturing asset managers’ eyes at TSAM.

Unique positioning of merchandise – including branding & visuals

Your booth and any merchandise you intend to give away are two of the most essential elements of large trade events like TSAM. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure your booth and merch stands out from the crowd. To do so, incorporate unique branding elements[1] and visually appealing displays that reflect your company’s identity and message.

Use bold colors, innovative design elements, and eye-catching visuals to captivate the attention of asset managers. Ensure that your booth reflects the essence of your fintech solution, if possible, conveying its value proposition at a glance. As for merchandise, this too should reflect the company’s brand identity, culture and values, while also being useful to attendees.

Be tech savvy with your stand

Utilize technology to enhance the visitor experience at your stand. Incorporate QR codes that lead to relevant resources, such as whitepapers, case studies, or demo videos. Implement interactive displays or augmented reality experiences to demonstrate the functionality of your solution in an engaging manner. Leveraging digital tools for lead capture and follow-ups is another aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked, helping to streamline the process for both parties and turn prospects into new business relationships swiftly.

It’s not all about the tech, be personable & make your stand interactive

While technology is important, it is imperative not to overlook the power of personal connections. Select subject matter experts that are approachable, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about your fintech offering. These individuals can foster meaningful interactions with asset managers by initiating conversations, asking probing questions, and actively listening to their needs.

Incorporating interactive elements like games or quizzes to break the ice and encourage engagement is also worthwhile, but the success of these will depend on the spriteliness of those in charge of leading them.

Deploying social media throughout the event to maximise brand exposure

Harness the power of social media[1] to amplify your presence before, during, and after the event. Create buzz[2] leading up to TSAM by sharing teasers, announcements, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your preparations.

Then, during the event, post live updates, share photos/videos of your booth, and engage with attendees using event hashtags. It is then much easier to continue the conversation after the event, by sharing key takeaways, insights, and follow-up content to stay front-of-mind with the asset managers in attendance.

Only by thinking carefully about your fintech brand from a marketing and PR perspective can you be confident in transforming the bustling environment of TSAM into a fertile ground teeming with potential business prospects. See here[3] for three further top tips for developing an effective technology event communications plan.

About the author: Will Brook, content specialist, Aspectus Capital Markets

Will is a content specialist in the Capital Markets team and joined Aspectus having spent nearly three years writing content for a wide array of global asset management firms. Since starting in his role in May 2023, Will has become ever more curious about the ways in which effective marketing and public relations can help innovative financial technology firms capture the attention of their target audience and transform capital markets for the better.

Key takeaways

  1. Embrace adversity as opportunity: Despite challenges in the UK asset management industry, fintech firms can leverage this adversity as an opportunity to provide innovative solutions. The integration of sophisticated fintech can offer advantages like reduced costs and stronger investment returns, addressing the industry’s pain points and fostering growth opportunities.
  2. Strategic preparation for trade events is a must: Attending events like TSAM requires careful planning and preparation to stand out among numerous vendors. Fintech firms must prioritize unique branding and visual displays to ensure their booth captures the attention of asset managers. Incorporating technology, such as QR codes and interactive displays, enhances the visitor experience and facilitates lead capture and follow-up.
  3. Balance technology with personal connection: While technology plays a crucial role, personal connections are equally important. Fintech firms should deploy staff who are approachable, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about their offerings. Interactive elements like games or quizzes can enhance engagement, but the effectiveness relies on the energy and engagement of booth staff. Additionally, leveraging social media before, during, and after the event amplifies brand exposure and sustains engagement with asset managers.

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21 E-E-A-T Strategies To Supercharge Your SEO And Boost Brand Trust

By Oliver Wells, SEO Director

Estimated read time: 12 minutes 

Blog summary: In this blog I breakdown the importance of Google’s EEAT framework to modern SEO and business growth. I’ll focus on how to implement experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness on your website. Read on to learn how utilizing EEAT strategies not only enhances your organic search performance but also builds long lasting customer loyalty and trust; positioning your business for success in a digital-first world. 

EEAT as a measure of enduring quality

In this dynamic and now AI-influenced landscape of digital content production, Google’s E-E-A-T framework stands as a beacon of unwavering credibility. Born into the 2014 edition of the Quality Rater Guidelines as 3 simple letters: “E-A-T” (Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) they have since been incorporated into updates both core and micro for as long as I can remember, and now also include a further “E” for “Experience”. We can now see and track the direct and wholly positive impacts of EEAT strategies in organic campaigns, but why is this the case?

“E-A-T is a template for how we rate an individual site. We do it to every single query and every single result. It’s pervasive throughout every single thing we do.”

Hyung-Jin Kim, Vice President of Search at Google, speaking at SMX Next

The value of lived experience

EAT was introduced as a quality concept in response to the growing need for authoritative and trustworthy online information. Fast forward to 2022, and the concept expanded to include ‘Experience’. This represents the value of firsthand, lived experience(s). This evolution wasn’t just an update; it was a statement. Google was championing content not just rich in expertise but also steeped in honest, genuine input. For users, it meant a more relatable, trustworthy and reliable online world, where information comes from those who don’t just know but truly understand the industry because they have lived it – and they aren’t simply writing content in order to sell you a dream. They want to help or guide you towards something, they’re willing to prove themselves to you, and they are happy to be patient.

EEAT as an influencing force

As goes modern SEO, Google’s E-E-A-T has emerged as a powerhouse. Its utilization in the March 2024 update is telling. It’s not just a framework; it’s how you connect with potential customers and website users. It’s how you show them why you’re the best option in a noisy and incoherent grey space of endless choice. By blending experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness Google is able to nudge content creators, business owners and marketing directors (sometimes forcefully and with some degree of resistance) towards excellence. Engaging with EEAT frameworks as they become even more essential, is now a case of when, not if; and there is some degree of urgency.

The focus revolves around rewarding those who know their stuff with resonance that is achieved through genuine experience and transparency – honesty with a dash of true and forthright passion for a craft and a business that wants to thrive. For SEO strategists, myself included, mastering E-E-A-T is not just about playing by the rules; it’s about crafting content that connects with audiences and converts because it is a natural full stop rather than a wrestling match.

Why you need to be using EEAT frameworks sooner, rather than later

So why should you care about SEO and EEAT and what does success look like for your business following continued engagement with these frameworks? The short answer is: online trust = increased business but garnered the right way, consistently and honestly, over time. In our challenging digital world it can seem like every blog and every site is designed to splice attention into consumable chunks, robbing businesses of feeling and websites of humanity.

Therefore, SEOs and Google know and understand that those who genuinely want to engage and talk about a topic are the ones who cultivate the greatest loyalties. Customer loyalty and brand trust being possibly the two greatest pillars upon which strong businesses are built. EEAT is a big thing. I won’t pretend like I am able to discuss it all in one blog post. It encompasses a lot of SEO with crossover into design, digital marketing generally, as well as brand positioning and content creation. But we are passionate about this. We believe strongly that EEAT is the best way to improve organic presence, but we also have an extremely strong feeling that these frameworks are formative to AI and LLM performance. Google may rely heavily on how trustworthy you are, how much authority you have; therefore success in EEAT may very well mean success in AI when AI becomes a major, dominant player in SEO and search.

So, lofty goals we may set, but attainable they are. We have compiled for you below, our top 21 EEAT elements that you must engage with as soon as you can if you want to become a trustworthy organic performance powerhouse.

Unlocking the potential of Google’s EEAT to achieve SEO excellence

Showcase Experience

  1. Use “I” and personal pronouns in your content. Address your audience and readers naturally. We’ve touched on this above but be personable. Talk about yourself as the writer and your experiences relative to the topic at hand and add value with your input. Don’t be afraid of anecdotes. Make your content relatable and authentic. De-mask the featureless writing machine and be “you”. 
  2. For reviews and UGC, try to promote and encourage your customers and users and partners to talk directly about their experience with you as a brand and a business. How did they find an onboarding process? Was their experience with your customer service team positive and why? The value here is in the depth of detail and creating a realistic expectation for others.
  3. Long-form and effusive testimonials are marketing gold-dust. This is a given fact. How you utilize them, once acquired, can be a difference-maker. Make sure you split up a positive review or user-story and inject its influence across your site, content, and marketing channels. You can quote a review snippet into a blog, create an image slider on social media, a testimonial-blast email and so much more. This gives users a great sense of your experience in the industry.
  4. A simple but effective approach is to include dates that relate to your own experiences. If you’re writing a blog, mention your credentials. For me, for example, I have 8 years’ experience in SEO and digital marketing. This one sentence lends credence to my insights and tells Google that my experience can be trusted.
  5. To expand upon the above, when writing meet the team pages or employee information sections on your site (which are a must do but we will get to that!) then include how many years’ experience they each have and where they acquired that experience. What degrees do they have, where did they study, and who are their notable client exposures. If your marketing team of 10, each have between 5- and 10-years’ experience in the industry each, that is a collective (roughly) 50 to 100 years’ worth of knowledge. That is a data point worth shouting about.

Highlight Expertise:

  1. It may seem obvious but one of the best ways to implement the expertise concept is to utilize experts on your site and in your marketing. This can take many forms. You can approach a topic-related industry professional or known quantity to write/author a blog for you. You could also ask for a contribution to a blog piece or you can ask them to provide specific input regarding your service and surface that prominently on your home or service pages. A blend of all is often most effective. Make sure you are displaying the expert’s credentials, qualifications, and experiences as best you can.
  2. Showcase topic experts. When writing content, it is vital that the author is shown. The method of showing also counts here. A one-liner is not enough. We need an author bio of 50-100 words that links the author to the topic. This is an SEO blog. The ‘about the author’ section in this blog talks about my SEO experience. Because I am an SEO expert. Ideally, we need a job title too, and an image of the author (designs coming soon…) You also need to work towards building a bank of content authored by your experts.
  3. Meet the authors. An often-overlooked strategic content piece. A page that showcases all your authors alongside all their subject specialisms and a link to “see content authored by this expert” goes an extremely long way to showing Google and your audience that you are a trustworthy business comprised of topic/industry experts. You can also go one step further and build out author profile pages on a specific URL for each person; allowing a user to deep-dive your experts, their experience, and the content they have written.
  4. Have you written more on the subject matter? Conducted studies, or research? Then link it. You can’t be an expert with a blog count of one. This blends into the final point of consistency. Experts, real ones, write a lot of content. My colleagues know my specialisms, but if I don’t write on the topic consistently then readers, and Google, won’t know or trust that fact. 
  5. Lastly, an expert uses the best sources. So do your research and showcase your findings. The very best blog articles out there link to studies, research, data, reviews and then some. A brilliantly written wall of text just isn’t going to cut it. Google uses these links to cement the content in truth. Utilize the words and insights of other experts to support and formalize your own.

Generate Authority:

  1. Authority can be hard to earn generally and may take some time as a challenger brand or start-up. For established businesses, you might already have authoritative voices in your company. If so, utilize them. You can begin this process with, for example, creating a meet the team page. Who are the people that make up your business and why are they authoritative (you can see here how constituent parts of the EEAT concept are interlinked). Later on, you can engage with actions such as conferences, community events, posting about your presence there on your site and social media channels; develop individual voices with multimedia creation such as podcasts – make the right types of noise in the right kinds of relevant spaces.
  2. Engage with digital PR. DPR is one of the best, quickest, and most effective ways to build your brand authority. We can get your CEO or a HOD listed in newspapers and magazines offering commentary or insight regarding world-events or current affairs. We can get you a full-post placement in an audience/business specific magazine or publication showcasing a new service, entrance into a foreign market or discussing the state of an industry and the potential issues that may (come to) plague it following the announcement of new legislation. DPR builds authority through direct audience recognition. It also may provide a backlink which directly and positively improves your site’s authority in the eyes of search engines. Furthermore, Google is now able to detect un-linked brand mentions and employ that detection as a measure of trust and authority. This identification is getting more and more sophisticated (a trend that will continue) as Google moves away from traditional backlinking as a potent measure of interconnectivity and moves towards more natural ways of testing a brand’s impact in press – especially as media backlink inclusion gets less and less commonplace. Hence the truly vital nature of digital PR.
  3. To be an authority, you need to understand a subject deeply whilst also developing your and others’ understanding of it at the same time. To do this, you need to create and commission studies, research and analysis that is new to market. You can survey your audience and publish your findings. You can engage a specialized agency to undergo rigorous testing on your behalf – utilizing the end product across marketing channels and media. This also goes a long way to establishing yourself as a thought leader in your specific space(s).
  4. An authoritative site is trusted by others. It is all well and good writing the best blog in the world but if nobody sees it, does it have authority? Following the publishing of a blog piece it is then important to conduct manual outreach to other sites, brands and businesses. You want those other sites to use your piece in their own insights and analysis as a hyperlink or reference. To go back to the above point, if you have conducted excellent research with fascinating end-product data, chances are, media and relative brands will want to use your findings. Thus, the cycle of authority and thought leadership is oft self-sustaining.

Delivering Trust:

  1. Of all the metrics and approaches, the notion of trust is almost certainly the most important as regards all-round business growth and efficacy of method. The first thing you should do is ask yourself the question “how can I prove myself and create a natural, genuine sense of trust between me, my audience, and Google?” Your first port of call should be to ascertain and/or showcase your industry specific business qualifications, certifications and accreditations. These are vast and varied by nature but can cover things such as health and safety, ISO specifications, quality control (QC) and even badges that show users how you encrypt data or ensure safe payment methods.
  2. Award wins and recognitions. If you have won awards for your excellent business practices, campaigns or for a specific project –shout about them! Winning awards and being recognized for your work is one of the best and quickest ways to build trust between you as a business, search engines and your users. If you haven’t won any awards just yet, start applying for some. If you’re in the tech industry, check out our list of the best tech awards to enter.  If you’re an energy company reading this, we’ve got you covered. Browse our comprehensive list of energy awards to enter.
  3. Case studies are key when it comes to trust building. The more descriptive you can be with your case studies the better. Offer insight and commentary on the work you did, the relationship you created, and the results you achieved. Breakdown data and statistics, be clear, up-front and honest about any challenges you encountered. It is important to include a testimonial from the client, a review snippet or a measure of insight from their side. You should also link to the website in question if applicable – cementing the relationship to search engines. You should also segment your case studies for clear access; utilizing menu grouping, unique URL paths and breadcrumbs. Grouping all of your case studies in a bunch together is hard to interpret but creating “SEO case studies” and “PPC case studies” groups makes life easy for potential SEO and PPC clients respectively. You want these case studies front and center, easy to read; concise and valuable.
  4. Fact check all content and keep it evergreen. Dated content no longer functions in our fast paced environment. I wouldn’t trust an SEO strategy blog dated to 2018, or even 2020, and I’m sure you wouldn’t either! Please also keep dates out of URLs, they don’t belong there! I believe it also goes without saying, but don’t include anything in your content or marketing that you cannot prove to be true.
  5. You can’t trust what you don’t know. An about us page is something that is perhaps arduous to create but is truly worthwhile. Users want to know who you are. Google wants to know who you are. Go further and showcase your history, the people that made your business, your mission statement, values and purpose – provide a timeline, or an interview with the company founders. Do all you can to show the world your business is made of real people with real passions that can be trusted by virtue of their openness and capacity for honesty.
  6. Engage with review sites across the web. EEAT is not just site-specific, its impact escapes and encompasses the entire web. Therefore, it is imperative that you engage with multiple review sites and aggregators. That means having a presence on e.g. Trustpilot, Clutch, Review.io, industry specific reviews sites and more if you can. Google reviews are perhaps the most crucial, but it does not mean that others should be overlooked. When it comes to review harvesting and prompting be sure to encourage (as stated above!) honesty and clarity on process. But also try to secure service specific language and deep insights into a product or experience. You want to create a sense of relativity, allowing your potential new audience to put themselves in the shoes of your current audience. Lastly on this, you must directly address all negative reviews, no matter how time-costly this is. This shows you’re a genuine, trustworthy business that cares about how people perceive it.
  7. A final but interconnected point on testimonials. Where possible, insert these into relative pages. Testimonials that extol the virtues and value of a service, placed onto that service page, will work wonders for your conversion rate and for the right reasons at that.

To conclude

As I said, EEAT is BIG. But it is worth getting your head around. It represents for me, and for Aspectus, the evolution of SEO and the future of AI and LLM performance. Businesses that fail at EEAT, will fail as we transition. But that ought not be a negative. EEAT means building connections with your audience. It represents a freedom and creativity to engage and to be exciting. It’s a celebration of authenticity and expertise; a showcase of your experience. It’s about showing the world who you are, what you do, why you do it and what drives you forward.  EEAT isn’t just the next big thing; it’s the foundation for enduring success on search engines. It’s an invitation to create content that’s as real as it is relevant, as personal as it is powerful. Get in touch with me today to discuss how we can help you achieve SEO success through EEAT implementation.  

Key Takeaways:

What is Google’s E-E-A-T?

Google’s E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness, a framework crucial for SEO success, emphasizing credible and quality content.

How does E-E-A-T impact SEO and digital marketing?

E-E-A-T directly influences organic search rankings by rewarding content that demonstrates genuine expertise, authoritative sources, and trustworthiness, along with the author’s personal experience in the subject matter.

Why should businesses focus on E-E-A-T?

Focusing on E-E-A-T ensures that businesses create content that truly resonates with their audience, establishing a strong, trustworthy online presence that drives organic growth and customer loyalty.

How can incorporating E-E-A-T into content strategy benefit a business?

Incorporating E-E-A-T into a content strategy significantly boosts a business’s online credibility and authority, leading to better search rankings, increased trust among users, and ultimately, higher conversion rates.

What role does ‘Experience’ play in the updated E-E-A-T framework?

The addition of ‘Experience’ to the E-E-A-T framework highlights the importance of personal anecdotes and firsthand knowledge in creating relatable, authentic content that resonates with audiences and demonstrates genuine understanding.

Why is E-E-A-T considered foundational for future SEO and AI performance?

E-E-A-T is foundational because it aligns SEO practices with the evolving capabilities of AI and machine learning, ensuring that content not only meets current standards of relevance and quality but is also prepared for future technological advancements in search algorithms.

About the author:

I have been working in SEO and strategic marketing services for over 8 years now. My experience is an even split between in-house roles at start-ups and agency roles at some of the UK’s biggest PR and digital agencies. I am based in East London having moved down from Essex 5 years ago. Professionally, I am a proud advocate for EEAT and SEO and the genuine business benefits of integrated service adoption. Personally, my heart is in the Lake District and nature. Podcasts are my jam and coffee is my addiction.

Bibliography

More from us on SEO, Google, and marketing strategy: 

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Executive communications & an investment bank’s CEO side hustle

By Madalena Thirsk, Capital Markets, Aspectus Group  

In the world of institutional finance, where numbers rule the roost and quarterly profits wield immense influence, the CEO of one of the largest investment banks moonlighting as a DJ might seem like an incongruous subplot. In case you missed it, David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs has been periodically appearing as a DJ at clubs and resorts for the past few years, sometimes at high-profile events like Lollapalooza. The recent revelation that Solomon has decided to step back from his side gig as a DJ has sparked much debate over whether this move was an overly cautious response to shareholder concerns, or a prudent measure in the face of declining profits and thousands of layoffs. These kind of off-campus behaviours by high profile CEOs can pose vexing executive and crisis communications challenges for the companies’ corporate comms leaders and their PR agency partners. 

CEO behaviour: a symphony of success or discordant shareholder distraction? 

On the one hand, Goldman Sachs’ curt response that “David hasn’t publicly DJed an event in well over a year” response might appear as a knee-jerk reaction to quell shareholder unease. In an era of minute-by-minute scrutiny in capital markets, investors often demand unwavering focus from their leaders. With Goldman Sachs reporting a substantial decline in earnings, this development has raised serious questions about whether the CEO’s extracurricular activities might have been perceived as a distraction. From a shareholder perspective, it’s undoubtedly a valid concern. However, Goldman Sachs’ spokesperson offers a reasonable counterpoint. The notion that Solomon’s hobby had a direct impact on the bank’s financial performance might be a stretch. If music was indeed a personal passion that didn’t interfere with his professional duties, the media attention around it could arguably be more distracting than the hobby itself. 

Goldman’s defensive PR response 

In our post from 2022, we discussed how the personality of CEOs can become a brand in and of itself that individuals, who may not have heard of the brand before, will now know through the CEO. But becoming a “chief celebrity officer” is a whole other level of challenge for public companies. In the grand scheme of things, whether Solomon DJs or not might seem trivial. That said, the timing of the CEO’s decision to publicly distance himself from his DJing pursuits raises questions. In the context of a two-thirds drop in profits, it’s natural for shareholders to scrutinise any aspect of leadership that might potentially divert focus from restoring financial health. The internal communications concerns within the bank also must be considered. Declining profits can trigger a sense of urgency and scrutiny at any institution. If internal worries prompted this defensive response, it could signal that Goldman Sachs recognises the gravity of the situation and is willing to take corrective actions.  

Yet, this episode serves as a reminder of the executive communications tightrope that CEOs of publicly listed companies walk. They must manage not only the performance of their organisations but also the perceptions of their stakeholders. In this case, Goldman Sachs’ reaction can be seen as proactive, a signal of attentiveness to shareholder concerns. However, it also raises questions about the underlying conditions that led to this highly defensive “music was not a distraction from David’s work. The media attention became a distraction” communications response in the first place. 

Executive communications intersects with investor relations 

Ultimately, David Solomon’s DJing hobby needs to be considered from a shareholder communications perspective. Sure, it’s all fun when things are going smoothly, but what if we hit rough patch and earnings take a dip? That’s when the communications and investor relations teams need to really weigh the pros and cons of these stunts. Imagine you’re a major shareholder in Goldman Sachs, watching the stock price slide. Would you feel reassured seeing the CEO spinning tracks at gigs instead of steering the ship? 

In the age of social media, it’s all about perception and you’ve got to be on your toes, making sure the right image is being broadcast. It’s not about avoiding these media outlets; it’s about taking charge of the narrative. Solomon’s DJ career is a chance for a killer media strategy, turning this into a positive executive branding and boosting visibility on social platforms. In today’s world, those platforms are just as crucial as the traditional news outlets, and the approach needs to be just as savvy. 

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Lehman Brothers 15 years on: why communication is king

By Madalena Thirsk, Account Executive, Capital Markets, Aspectus

September 1844, a Bavarian man and his two brothers arrived in New York full of hope and aspirations for a new life in the land of opportunity. September 2008, 164 years later, their legacy – Lehman Brothers – would collapse into bankruptcy, triggering the biggest financial crisis the world had ever seen.

The collapse was largely due to the firm’s involvement in trading complex derivatives, such as mortgage-backed securities, and the subsequent exposure to the subprime mortgage market. When the market turned sour, the value of these securities plummeted. The credit default swaps (CDS) contracts linked to these securities then amplified the losses, leading to the firm’s collapse.

The crisis highlighted the importance of clear and transparent communication as a crucial tool for maintaining financial stability and managing market expectations. One and a half decades later, there have been notable improvements in the way central banks and regulators communicate risks surrounding derivative instruments. Take the issue of forward guidance as a prime case in point. Central banks, including the Bank of England and the Fed, have increasingly used forward guidance as a key communications tool. This involves providing guidance to financial markets and the public around the likely future path of monetary policy – helping to manage expectations and provide greater clarity on the central bank’s intentions.

Central banks have also become more transparent about their policy frameworks, objectives, and decision-making processes. They often publish detailed policy statements, meeting minutes, and economic forecasts to provide insights into their thinking. In fact, the vast majority of major central banks now hold regular press conferences following policy meetings to explain their decisions and answer questions from journalists. This practice allows for real-time communication with the public and the media.

Then there is the social media factor, which has grown in importance considerably since 2008. Central banks and regulators have largely embraced social media platforms as a medium through which to disseminate information and engage with the public. Platforms like X are now used to communicate policy decisions and provide updates on economic conditions. Meanwhile, sites such as LinkedIn play a vital role in sharing information to address global financial stability concerns that emerge in international forums.

These advancements in communication are intended to enhance transparency, build credibility, and manage expectations in financial markets and the broader economy. Clear, timely and effective communication helps reduce uncertainty, foster trust, and allow central banks and regulators to better achieve their policy objectives.

The US regional banking crisis earlier this year (which had a slight whiff of Lehman about it) should reinforce why central banks and watchdogs must maintain their commitment to public communication. And today’s anniversary is a timely reminder. The importance of providing clear guidance on policies, actions, and intentions concerning derivatives cannot be understated.

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Poor comms strategy? You’re fired: how the candidates should have played their cards in this year’s ‘The Apprentice’

By Laura Morrison, Senior Account Executive

So, you’ve come up with your own sparkling idea to make it big: a business plan with a comprehensive profit and loss (P&L), projection of sales, and marketing strategy. Trouble is, you fall short of a £250k investment to bring it into existence and catapult yourself towards becoming a gazillionaire.  

Your options for securing this funding? A bank loan, crowd funding, an angel investor, a knock on the door of the bank of Mum and Dad? Or you could’ve decided that your best option for raising capital is to throw yourself in a pool with 17 other budding candidates on national TV, and gamble that you’ll survive 12 gruelling weeks of tasks and boardrooms to come out on top. You’d think a bright young ex-Barclays employee would opt for one of the more traditional paths before throwing himself to the mercy of ruthless grillings from a Lord of the realm. Alas, Avi Sharma has become one of the latest victims of Lord Sugar’s The Apprentice, back on screens for its 17th series.  

Calculated risk aside, why embark on this treacherous interview process to fight it out for Lord Sugar’s funding and 50 years’ worth of business experience? In a show where bold players can win big, quite often your best bet for fame and success seems to be shortlisting yourself for soundbite of the year (who can forget, ‘there’s no ‘I’ in team, but there’s three in millionaire’).  

The reason to sign up is clear: exposure, publicity, and 16 weeks’ worth of free comms and TV advertising which would otherwise cost you upwards of six figures. It is not the easiest route to get your brand out there, but in a world where personal brand can outweigh the product an influencer sells, it makes three months’ worth of boardrooms seem ever more appealing.  

Of course, this is assuming you can run its course, failing at the first hurdle gets you about as much airtime as a ‘You’ve Been Framed’ clip without the £250. Although, if you’re lucky and play your cards right haggling salmon down from market price at a stall in Brighton, you stand a chance of being remembered, and might even win. 

With the industry’s talent crisis hitting the headlines every day, you can’t blame Lord Sugar for wanting to vet the options over a painstakingly long decision process with the opportunity to ‘try before you buy’ on an employee providing invaluable insight pre investment. Besides being a creative and a sales-orientated contestant, it is obvious that sugar-coating Lord Amstrad is not going to win you his buy-in, but more so the honesty and integrity of each candidate which will convince him of the potential return on investment (ROI).  

This is where an effective comms strategy is something money can’t buy, whether it be the ability to sell your makeshift products to unknowing audience, communicating with your incapable project manager, or selling your business plan to a room full of industry professionals. Despite the gimmicks of the shows, the ability to effectively communicate a business plan to an investor should be top of the list when it comes to preparation for the candidates in lieu of brainstorming slogans to sell the likes of bao buns and tourist tours to Antigua.  

Although proving you can beg your way through boardroom bustles to avoid the dreaded ‘you’re fired’ isn’t exactly written on Goldman’s job specification, in order to stand a chance of being successful as you subject yourself to this process and beyond, how to ‘PR’ yourself (and your brand) should be top of the list. PR is known as ‘the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support, and influencing opinion and behavior’. There is no doubt that the brave souls who apply – and they do in their thousands we are told – are clear on the need to gather support and sway the Lord (not that one) and his trusty lieutenants on the merits of their business plan – even though they run the risk of ruining what is likely to become their most important business asset, their reputation.  

So, before you start spending your hard-earned savings on boardroom suits, hair extensions, and perfect grooming, try the traditional investment routes and build your business and reputation (why not have a look at our website for our own tips?), without the risk of ever being known for a one liner you will undoubtedly come to regret. “I have the energy of a Duracell bunny, the sex appeal of Jessica Rabbit, and a brain like Einstein”, so said a fallen candidate of series 9 – name omitted to protect the remainder of reputation!  

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From the Tiger’s Unrest to the Rabbit’s Respite: How 2023 Promises Calm and Confidence in Capital Markets


Madalena Thirsk, Associate Account Executive, Capital Markets

For centuries, since the 24th century B.C. to be exact, people have relied on the Chinese lunar calendar to predict their fortune for the year ahead.

Whether or not you believe in such predictions, following a chaotic and volatile year for capital markets, many will be relieved that the year of the rabbit promises the calm after the storm.

The Tiger’s disruptions:

2022, the year of the tiger, anticipated rapid changes and sudden disruptions. From a markets perspective, this prediction of volatility presented itself through inflationary pressures, interest rate hikes and geopolitical tensions. The year saw inflation rise to its highest rate since the early 1980’s, reaching 8.8%.

Need more proof? The return of volatility in the FX markets last year, driven by the Russian-Ukraine conflict, acts as prime example. For the first time in over a decade, almost all major currencies sharply depreciated against the US dollar.

As another case in point, crypto took the beginning of 2022 by storm, rapidly changing the global market as we knew it. And just as the year of the tiger foresaw rapid changes it also predicted sudden disruptions – FTX’s collapse in November 2022 rattled the crypto market, which lost billions at the time, falling below a $1 trillion valuation.

The collapse of FTX and the volatility endured by the FX market are representative of 2022’s disruptive nature. And with such disruption, comes change – this change taking the form of greater regulatory oversight. So instead of looking back at last year with a wince, we should see it as a catalyst for change, a shock to the system.

Hopping into a new year:

Surely everyone is familiar with the cautionary tale of the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race. Steadiness and security being especially important – and guaranteed by greater regulatory oversight. The year of the rabbit is associated with calmness and stability – and we can expect capital markets to follow suit.

2023 capital markets have already seen a surge in steadying regulatory initiatives. Across the FX market, the trend towards a more electronically traded landscape, promises increased oversight.

In the wake of the FTX collapse, there has also been a step-up in crypto regulation. The cogs have already been set in motion by the FCA, SEC, and other regulatory bodies. On the European side of things, MiCA is set to enter into force soon establishing an aligned set of crypto rules across the union.

Evidently, the crypto industry has entered the new year holding regulation’s hand. And many investors, both individual and institutional, feel more assured, protected and confident by the growing regulatory oversight of the crypto sector.

For those attracted to the crypto market’s decentralized nature and separation from formal financial institutions, greater focus on governance and regulatory standards, may not come as great news.

But a lot must be said for the already cooling levels of inflation, expected to fall to 6.6% in 2023, and growing market confidence providing optimism for a slowing monetary tightening, bringing more investors back to assets like digital currencies. The new year has also already seen the price of most cryptos stabilising as the market attempts to rebound from the collapse of FTX. The increase is slow but steady – and already, the global crypto market has recovered, yet again reaching a market valuation of $1 trillion valuation.

All in all, 2023 has been deemed crypto’s “recovery year”, with the year of the rabbit set to bring hope and prosperity.

The year of the rabbit has gifted us a much-needed stillness, presenting a unique opportunity for businesses to amplify their voice and effectively convey their message. To seize this moment, it is crucial for firms to prioritize effective communication and public relations. While the year of the rabbit has provided this window of opportunity, it remains uncertain whether the upcoming year of the dragon in 2024 will do the same. So really, it’s now or never, it is in best interest of firms worldwide to consolidate messaging and build traction through communications and PR.

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From the Government’s big mini-budget to Labour’s big lead

The current government turns from its record, and the markets take a dramtic turn for the worse

The old cliché is that a week is a long time in politics. Just a week ago, Liz Truss’s new Government presented its ‘Growth Plan 2022’. Despite being dubbed a ‘mini-budget’, there was nothing mini about it: this very big fiscal giveaway contained £45bn worth of tax cuts – the biggest such package in about 50 years.

Business groups initially welcomed the cuts to Corporation Tax and National Insurance, which had been promised throughout Liz Truss’s leadership campaign. But it was the announcement of additional tax cuts, like the (quickly reversed) abolition of the 45p top rate of tax, that really surprised the markets, and upset MPs and voters.

criticised the package in an extraordinary warning to a G7 country.

All of these tax cuts appear to be funded through additional borrowing. Without the normal oversight provided by the Office of Budget Responsibility, there is little clarity into the long-term impacts on government finances. Sound money or fiscal responsibility is at the core of the Conservative brand, but suddenly Liz Truss’s new government appeared to be acting recklessly with the country’s finances.

The pound’s value tumbled, and within days a run on government bonds became a fire sale that nearly toppled a number of pension funds, the Bank of England has had to buy up unlimited amounts of government debt, and banks pulled hundreds of mortgages from the market in anticipation of soaring interest rates, as analysts warned of precipitous falls in housing prices.

“Cutting taxes first, and pushing through supply-side reforms to areas like the planning system, business regulations, immigration and digital infrastructure later – will create growth, and get the UK on course for a new 2.5% annual growth target”

Kwasi Kwarteng
Chancellor

A stark change of direction

While the pound appears to have rallied since the Bank of England’s intervention, this does not bode at all well for a government that is less than a month old. But since the Brexit referendum in 2016, UK politics has become increasingly unstable: the UK has now had four Prime Ministers in a little over six years.

The new Truss government is determined to distance itself from its predecessors, with very little policy continuity between them. Both of Boris Johnson’s main post-Brexit agendas have been shelved: ‘Levelling up’ – the mission to use infrastructure investment and devolution to spread prosperity more equitably around the country – has been more or less forgotten (though it lives on as a slogan). And the future of the green agenda is now in doubt after the appointment of several climate sceptics to the Government front bench.

Maksim Chernyshev/Getty Images

A headlong pursuit of economic growth

What has taken the place of these agendas is a headlong pursuit of economic growth: a review of the Net Zero strategy has been ordered by the new climate-sceptic Business Secretary. And growth is no longer a vehicle for levelling up: the new Chancellor has said plainly that his sole priority is growing the economy, not worrying about how the gains are shared. Now the Government defines itself in contrast to its predecessors, reversing most of the fiscal policy of the last government, and criticising the last decade as a ’vicious cycle of stagnation’.

The Chancellor believes that his approach – of cutting taxes first, and pushing through supply-side reforms to areas like the planning system, business regulations, childcare, immigration and digital infrastructure later – will create growth, and get the UK on course for a new 2.5% annual growth target. But observers inside and outside the Conservative party are sceptical.

Financial markets are not the only ones to take fright at the Government’s fiscal package

Conservative MPs really don’t like it either. They mainly backed Liz Truss’s leadership rival, Rishi Sunak, who accurately predicted the response of the markets to Truss’s tax-cutting pledges. Now there are all kinds of nuclear options under discussion amongst Tory MPs: there are reports that letters calling for a no-confidence vote in Liz Truss have already started to go in, with other MPs reportedly in secret talks with Labour about how to defeat the Government’s must-pass Finance Bill. Losing such a vote would be the death knell for the Government, and it could lead to a General Election. Readers should take all of this with a pinch of salt, however – despite the extraordinary anger on Conservative benches, MPs are unlikely to vote for their imminent unemployment, given the likely outcome of such an election.


Ultimately the most critical constituency for the Government – voters – seems to have moved decisively against the Government too. Polling in the days since the mini-budget has shown the Conservatives losing their usual lead on economic policy – normally their strong suit – along with nearly every other issue, and losing ground to Labour in voting intention. Labour has now built up a solid lead from every polling company, which if repeated at a General Election, would likely produce a majority Labour Government. With two years to the next election, at most, the Government has limited time to prove that its radical free-market policies can work.

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3 reasons why an apprenticeship is the perfect steppingstone for a career in PR and digital marketing


By Emilio Koumis, Apprentice

What to do after you leave school is a question that many students consider. Is university the right decision for them? Or is getting hands on experience in the form of an apprenticeship the way forward? Below are three key benefits of why an apprenticeship could be for you.

1) Hands on experience

Hands on experience in a real-world setting is important in any industry you go in to, and an apprenticeship can provide just that! It is invaluable for understanding the fundamentals of PR and developing the skills necessary to succeed within the sector. You are given the opportunity to work alongside experienced professionals, learning how to craft effective press releases, pitch stories to media outlets and communicate efficiently. Similarly, an apprenticeship in digital marketing would provide you with the chance to learn about SEO, PPC, and social media advertising.

Learning happens when you’re doing. Actively performing these tasks will allow you to get an idea on the things you are confident in and enjoy but more importantly, the things you struggle with as well. Hands on experience allows you to identify the sectors in which you may not be as familiar with and quickly receive help from the professionals around you.

2) Building connections

Secondly, building connections is crucial in the corporate world. Although important in any career, it is particularly key in an industry as competitive as PR and digital marketing. Having a network in the industry will open doors for future job opportunities, as well as providing a sounding board for your ideas and a source of feedback on your work – things that may be difficult to obtain in a university setting. Building these relationships early on can give you a massive head start and a greater window for success in the future.

Most apprenticeships allow you to attend industry events, connecting you with other PR and marketing professionals as well as potential clients – this is another way to expand your network and gain valuable knowledge in the field.

3) Earn while you learn

Unlike a traditional degree, an apprenticeship allows you to earn while you learn. This helps eliminate the financial burden of a student loan, which according to the UK Parliament website, is forecasted to be around £43,400 on average, once students complete their course in 23/24. So instead of completing university at the cost of a £40,000 debt, you could be completing your apprenticeship with extra cash in the bank!

Additionally, many apprenticeship programmes also provide training and support that can help you pass any industry-specific qualifications such as the Chartered institute of Public Relations (CIPR) diploma or the hundreds of digital marketing courses online.

An apprenticeship Is an excellent choice for anyone looking to build a career in PR and digital marketing. It allows you to gain hands on experience, build a professional network and is a cost-effective way to enter the industry. With the right mindset and willingness to learn, an apprenticeship can be the perfect steppingstone to a successful career in PR and digital marketing.

Find out more about the scheme here and our application form.

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