by | June 3, 2013 · 9:20 am

Is the Annual Report a Thing of the Past?

By Maureen Wolff, President and Partner

Annual reports are so 1997.

When the National Investor Relations Institute recently asked me for my thoughts on the public company practice of producing a glossy annual report, the premise of the question was not, “How can companies do this better?” or “Please provide some helpful tips for designing annual reports.” It wasn’t even as minimalist as “What’s the least expensive, most simplified way to produce an annual report?” No, the question was much more fundamental: Why, in this age of technology and pressured IR department budgets, should companies bother to create an annual report at all? Continue reading →

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by | April 18, 2013 · 7:32 am

Sharon Merrill Associates Expresses Condolences for those Affected by the Tragedy at the Boston Marathon

Boston StrongThe team at Sharon Merrill offers our deepest sympathies to all who have been touched by the attack at the Boston Marathon.  Boston is our home, and we are profoundly saddened by the tragic loss of life and the grave injuries sustained as a result of these events.  As we grieve, we also remember with great pride and utmost respect the heroes who courageously risked their own lives to help others amidst the chaos in the aftermath of the explosions.  We also thank the public safety personnel who vigilantly work to protect our city and its people every second of every day.  The outpouring of support for our great city has been awe inspiring, and we are humbled by those citizens of other cities throughout our nation and around the world who are in solidarity with Boston during this challenging time.

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by | April 8, 2013 · 12:37 pm

SEC Gives Social Media for IR Its Blessing

By Dennis Walsh, Vice President & Director of Social Media

The SEC finally has provided guidance on the use of social media for investor relations. The guidance came in a report on its investigation to determine whether Netflix CEO Reed Hasting had violated Reg FD. In a Facebook status update on his personal account, Hastings said Netflix had streamed 1 billion hours of content in June 2012, calling into question whether the post was selective disclosure of material information. 

In its report, the SEC clarified that companies can use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to announce key information in compliance with Reg FD. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, but with some key caveats. Continue reading →

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by | January 17, 2013 · 4:58 pm

What’s In/What’s Out for Investor Relations in 2013

By Jim Buckley, Executive Vice President & Partner
We have once again laid out a tongue-in-cheek roadmap of what’s in and what’s out in investor relations, and more, for the upcoming year.   Hope you enjoy, and have a happy and successful 2013. 

What’s In What’s Out
Crowdfunding Bootstrapping
LiveStrong           Lance Armstrong
IntercontinentalExchange            Deutsche Börse
Debt ceiling        Glass ceiling
Cliff Clavin           The Fiscal Cliff
Compensation lawsuits                 Overpaid CEOs
Middle Earth The Middle class
Google Maps Apple Maps
Shareholder activism      Rubber stamp boards
Greek Yogurt     Greek Financial Crisis
IPOs LBOs
IR Calendars       The Mayan Calendar
Downton Abbey Abby Lee (Dance Moms)
SEC enforcement Insider trading
Non-deal road shows in Asia Gangnam style
Shareholder engagement “Vote with the Board’s Recommendation” button
IR apps Snail mail
Veep Political ads        
Investor Days  Small group meetings 
Reshoring Unemployment
Bulls       Bears
Boston roadshows  New York City
Risk management Natural disasters
The Lone Ranger Underwater loans
Board diversity  Staggered boards
Fruit Ninja Angry Birds
Capital expenditures The Sequester
Investor Relations Around the Web Gathering IR news yourself

Jim Buckley is an Executive Vice President and a Partner at Sharon Merrill. He oversees the implementation of investor relations programs and provides strategic counsel to clients on a broad spectrum of communications issues including shareholder activism, acquisitions, proxy contests, investor day planning, earnings guidance, institutional ownership trends, analyst interactions and crisis communications. Jim’s clients represent a cross-section of industry, including economic and financial consulting, energy, environmental, life sciences and technology.

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by | November 6, 2012 · 2:02 pm

Reputation Management: Rebuilding Lance Armstrong

By David Calusdian, Executive Vice President & Partner

As bad as things look for Lance Armstrong amidst the doping scandal that has cost him seven Tour De France titles and millions in endorsement deals, he has an opportunity that few in need of reputation management ever have. This opportunity for reputation redemption comes not from his status as the most successful athlete his sport has ever seen, but as the founder of LiveStrong, an organization that provides support for people fighting cancer around the world. It is much easier to forgive athletes like Lance for “on-the-field” discretions when they also are known for altruistic works off the field. 

Armstrong, however, like anyone in the middle of a crisis, needs to be realistic about what type of a reputation rescue is even possible. For example, can the career be saved? Could there be endorsement deals in the future? Can the hearts and minds of the general public be won over again? In Armstrong’s case, the cycling career is over, and so too are the endorsements. But his ability to regain respect as a leader in the cancer community and to take back the LiveStrong chairmanship he recently resigned is entirely possible. Continue reading →

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by | October 9, 2012 · 11:30 am

Preparing for a Social Media Crisis

By David Calusdian, Executive Vice President & Partner

I recently participated as the designated “social media expert” as part of a crisis communications case study session at the 2012 NIRI Southwest regional conference.  This year’s conference was held in New Orleans and the session centered on a fictitious publicly held bead manufacturing company (apropos for the conference host city) that found itself suddenly facing a major environmental crisis. During the true-to-life exercise, attendees took on the roles of the company’s corporate communications officers and were tasked with implementing all aspects of the crisis response plan.

In their new roles, the attendees had to make a number of decisions relating to the immediate actions of the fictitious company, “Beignet Beads & Baubles.”  For example, should the company proceed with a press conference with the governor announcing a state grant that afternoon?  Should management go forward with a scheduled presentation at a major investor conference in New York the next day?  Should a planned announcement of a major plant expansion be delayed? As typically happens with a real crisis, the Beignet Beads & Baubles “crisis team-for-a-day” was given an increasing amount of information to complicate their decision-making process.  Continue reading →

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by | September 10, 2012 · 12:08 pm

Social Media for Investor Relations for the Marketing/PR Professional

By Dennis Walsh, Senior Consultant & Director of Social Media

 It’s that time of year again: Back to School! For my first job out of college I worked as an educator.  This year, for “Back to School” season, I thought I’d step back into my teaching shoes.  The following is a quick lesson on social media for investor relations for the marketing and public relations professional.

Technology is constantly changing the way we engage with our audience, so professional communicators must never stop learning new techniques. As a seasoned marketing or public relations professional, you’ve likely got social media covered.  But how fluent are you in investor relations best practices? If you work for a public company, you might want to rethink your social media engagement strategy. Continue reading →

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