The Massachusetts Society of CPAs represents as many as 11,000 members and serves 1,700 public firms and nearly 1,800 business and industry organizations. Despite its role as the leading certified public accountant professional organization in Massachusetts, the MSCPA’s narrative was not being told. MSCPA engaged BG to develop a comprehensive media relations strategy to establish CEO Amy Pitter and other MSCPA staff and members as thought leaders in the industry to drive brand awareness and garner media attention surrounding the Society’s accomplishments. A major goal of the campaign was to identify the key messages for influencer outreach and thought leadership sourcing to attract new members. MSCPA also engaged BG to re-design the layout of its membership magazine to elevate the MSCPA brand.
BG interviewed select MSCPA staff and members to uncover the unique value proposition for MSCPA members. Following the discovery session, BG developed an audience-specific message guide, which would become the foundation for each of the campaign components, including: marketing messaging, media relations, influencer outreach and thought leadership sourcing. The message guide ensured that there was a singular voice throughout all facets of the campaign. BG’s ongoing media relations process involved developing pitch angles based on news trends and inserting MSCPA into the media dialogue. BG capitalized on the association’s local market knowledge and customized pitches for business, finance and accounting media.
During the engagement, BG secured 14 regional and national stories in print, online and broadcast outlets. Among high-profile placements included The American Institute of CPAs Insights blog, a top industry news source. Coverage included Boston Business Journal, Insights Magazine, Banker & Tradesman, Accounting Today, Boston.com and more. BG audited the existing brand and magazine layout and developed an improved magazine layout based on monthly content themes. The magazine layout leveraged white space and creative accents to make the publication more appealing and visually impactful.
