SUCCESS STORY
BlueShore Financial
CLIENT DESCRIPTION: BlueShore Financial is a boutique financial institution providing a full-range of personal and business banking, wealth management, insurance, and commercial lending solutions. With a branch network located across the Lower Mainland and Sea-to-Sky Corridor, BlueShore Financial helps clients achieve financial wellness® through personalized solutions and expert advice, delivered in a unique Financial Spa® branch environment.
BlueShore Financial manages $7 billion in assets under administration and is consistently ranked among the top 10 financial planning firms in Metro Vancouver. BlueShore Financial is an Imagine Canada Caring Company, contributing at least 1% of pre-tax profits annually to charities and not-for-profit organizations within the communities it serves. BlueShore Financial is the operating name of BlueShore Financial Credit Union.
Challenge
BlueShore was searching for a dedicated PR partner to contribute to their business growth by increasing brand awareness. Despite a stable of experienced spokespeople and a vast range of personal finance topics and breaking news to provide commentary on, BlueShore did not meet with satisfaction the media goals they set out to accomplish in terms of the volume and quality of media placements garnered.
With Magnolia’s differentiator in working with finance and business reporters, Magnolia seized the opportunity to be BlueShore’s strategic PR agency. Magnolia has consistently provided relevant opportunities in recognized consumer and trade media on a national and local scale.
Strategies
Public relations program
Position BlueShore as a corporate thought leader and demonstrate advisors’ sophisticated financial expertise in Tier one media in Canada. Magnolia worked with BlueShore’s Marketing and Communications team to gain insights from BlueShore advisors on topics most relevant to their clients, and ensure spokespeople were prepared to share timely advice on these topics in interviews. Magnolia also took a methodical approach to media relations by creating a year-long PR roadmap to strategically plan a “rolling thunder’’ effect within the media. Magnolia created an extensive media list including new contacts that covered small businesses, stocks, financial literacy, markets, the dollar (currencies), and more. Magnolia used a multi-pronged approach and pivoted media outreach strategies by connecting with
journalists through social media outreach (Twitter/LinkedIn) in addition to emails/phone calls to get the attention of journalists who were working from home during the pandemic.
Media monitoring
Kept a pulse on daily news reports and market updates such as housing reports, debt levels, state of the dollar, and the economic calendar to align and reinforce pitch angles. Magnolia also explored non-traditional media opportunities such as video interviews (over Zoom) and podcasts to increase the audience reach.
New media channels
Magnolia evaluated challenges people were facing and used these pain points to drive discussions with the media. The out-of-the-box, creative pitch angles enabled us to secure media opportunities outside of traditional “personal finance” topics such as the state of the housing market, green (ESG) investing, and small business finances, with the underlying message of achieving financial wellness to align with BlueShore’s corporate messaging.
Results
BlueShore’s media relations campaign yielded strong results within a carefully targeted media list and earned national and North American media coverage.
"Working with Magnolia, we’ve learned to truly value what a PR agency can accomplish for our business objectives. They work proactively with our team on a daily basis by developing independent and creative story ideas for us and coordinating new media opportunities for us. The team is a seamless extension of our communications team, consistently dedicated to positioning our company as a leading financial services provider."
Dedicated Media Partner for the Payments Industry
Founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Magnolia is a boutique public relations firm and marketing agency with a specialized focus in the payments industry. Our mission is to help B2B clients achieve their goals and tap into new audiences. Connect with our team to find out how we can assist in growing your business.