As competition between the exchanges heat up, so do the PR and marketing perks.
I love bumping into old friends — especially in the pages of US News and World Report. David Ethridge is now Managing Director for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Deals practice, but for five years we worked together at the New York Stock Exchange. As Communications Manager in charge of social media and digital marketing, I supported his Listings team as we worked tirelessly to “sell” the NYSE to successful, growth-oriented private companies looking to make the ultimate financing decision: Going Public.
“Both exchanges have different trading models,” Ethridge explains. “The Nasdaq is computer-based, while the NYSE involves a hybrid model using people and technology. This difference extends to their approaches on IPOs and the first trade for a new listing – an area of significant competitive dialogue over the last five years.”
While most companies decide their listing venue based on financials and market model, marketing and public relations have increasingly become part of the listing decision. Which exchange will offer primetime broadcast news coverage? Can your team guide our PR agency through the complex regulations surrounding IPO communications, while still garnering as much publicity as possible? Does our listing day celebration come with marketing support – Times Square billboards, promoted Tweets, a star-studded trading floor gala? Will Beyonce perform?
Ask, and you may receive.
