The world’s largest institutional investment management bank,
Barclays Global Investors, has appointed Hill and Knowlton on a
substantial six-figure fee to handle a pan-European account aimed at
raising awareness of its products and services.
Hill and Knowlton will work in key markets - in particular, the UK and
the Netherlands.
The agency was appointed after a four-way pitch and replaces incumbent
Bell Pottinger Financial, which had worked on the account for
three-and-a-half years.
BGI helps large companies run their pension schemes. It is the world’s
largest institutional investment manager, with pounds 435 billion of
assets under management.
The account was won, and will be run, from Hill and Knowlton’s London
offices. The work will be supervised by Ashton Coleman-Smith, European
managing director for the corporate and consumer finance division of
Hill and Knowlton.
Coleman-Smith said: ’The campaign will build on a solid media relations
foundation and lead to positioning BGI with different types of company.
We will promote their expertise in both active and passive fund
management.’
According to Robert Jenkins, head of PR at BGI, Hill and Knowlton’s mix
of consumer and corporate communications appealed.
Although the global investors product is targeted at companies, the bank
feels that promoting it requires creative consumer PR skills.
Hill and Knowlton merged its corporate and consumer finance groups into
a single team during the last quarter of 1998. Since then, the division
has won clients including Barclays Retail Financial Services, GE Capital
and National Savings.
According to Coleman-Smith, fees for the division are set to double to
pounds 3 million this year, comprising 12-14 per cent of the overall
fees for Hill and Knowlton’s UK operation.
