Communicating a Corporate Turnaround

Situation:

Following a $91 million loss in the aftermath of the Internet bubble, pioneering online brokerage firm Ameritrade recruited a new management team to restructure operations and turn the company around. Ameritrade faced a major challenge in rebuilding the confidence of investors and customers and positioning itself as a strong player on the rebound.

Solution:

We worked with Ameritrade executives to develop and leverage its story of transformation through key media outlets. Our goal was to tell shareholders, clients, employees and the general business community that Ameritrade had not only survived, it had become an industry leader.

Results:

Confidence was restored as we told the turnaround story through a steady stream of feature stories in Business Week, The New York Times, USA Today, PBS's "Nightly Business Report," The Deal, Business 2.0 and on CNBC TV. Feature stories were supplemented by ongoing news in outlets such as Fortune, CNNfn, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, The Financial Times, Dow Jones, Bloomberg, Reuters and the Associated Press.