Award: 2014 – Hungarian PR Association’s Imre Sándor Award – main award (Goodwill management category)

The Task

Our task was to develop and execute a complex multiple-step strategy, related to the acquisition of Sanoma Media Budapest Zrt. by Centrál Group. The transaction, completed in the summer of 2014, was the biggest one in the Hungarian media industry at the time, considering both its financial value and the market share. Through this transaction, the ownership of Hungary’s leading print- and online publishing company was transferred from a multinational network to a domestic owner.

The Solution

During the acquisition, our Agency performed strategic planning tasks, such as providing the decision makers with background analyses and profiles and planning the communication strategies and action plans. Following the acquisition, we performed change management tasks: surveyed oppinions externally and internally, reorganized the internal communications and prevented or handled crisis situations. We organized internal events for the employees and stakeholders, and applied public relations tools (press releases, press conferences) for the Public.

The Result

The goals set in the communications strategy have been achieved successfully. The publications related to the acquisition were mainly of positive character. This means that by communications, the Centrál Group achieved that the media judged the transaction from a business aspect instead of a political one. By organizing the internal communications in an effective way, we succeeded in handling the ownership change without any bigger malfunctions or significant fluctuation. This piece of work of our Agency was awarded with the main award of the Hungarian PR Association’s Imre Sándor award in 2014.