GlobalExpense is the UK’s leading provider of employee expense management services, responsible for processing and paying expenses for businesses covering 2.5 per cent of the UK workforce. Typically it works with businesses which have more than 50 expense-claiming employees. GlobalExpense’s services relieve businesses of the high volume, low value duty of processing employee expense claims and complying with the law. For employees, it provides an easy browser-based claims system and fast payment.
GlobalExpense has accumulated data on over 4.8 million expense claims from employees at over 150 organisations. The campaign aimed to turn currently unused information into a major intellectual and sales asset, create an annual report which would act as a benchmark for employee expenses and to position GlobalExpense as the leading commentator on employee expenses. The report would also provide new and valuable information on the carbon footprint of employee expenses and so enhance the authority of GlobalExpense and Carbon Statement, its consultancy partner on carbon emissions analysis.
An earlier report was updated and substantially enlarged to create a format that can be easily repeated and adapted annually. Extra categories were added and the carbon footprint analysis produced from the particularly large amount of new data on travel expenses and behaviour.
The main target audience was financial directors of large and medium-sized organisations, as well as other members of staff in such organisations involved in employee expenses management. Typical targets were HR directors, financial controllers and procurement professionals, plus chartered accountants in large practices.
The total net cost of the campaign was around £22,700 for marketing costs, data analysis and printing amongst others.
The main target media were national quality and commuters’ newspapers, plus accountancy, HR and payroll management titles. Initial PR activity was very successful, generating 36 items of coverage. Twenty items in the main target media included two large pieces in the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, Radio 4, Virgin Radio, Evening Standard, City A.M., London Lite, Finance Week, Accountancy Age, Director magazine and CFO Europe. Five items of coverage appeared in business travel and environmental titles, while there were also various unexpected mentions in business media in Belgium, Australia and the American Chronicle.
The print and broadcast coverage generated around 22 million opportunities to see and hear, with online traffic on top of this. Requests for copies were received from over 50 strong prospects after initial media coverage.
The total net cost of the campaign included:
- Kelso Consulting: £1000 for writing report, with PR and project management costs met from within monthly retainer (£16,800 for the period of the campaign)
- Data analysis: ASQ Analytics, £3058.75
- Carbon emission calculations provided free of charge in return for Carbon Statement’s accreditation in report
- Kenward Designs: £1500
- Printing: £1300
The report made use of the large amounts of data recorded about past claims, which was freely available and currently providing no value to GlobalExpense. The uniquely-prepared carbon emission calculations were achieved at no cost by including a section by specialists Carbon Statement within the report. Kelso Consulting kept costs down by using freelance specialists with low overheads. Print costs were also kept to a minimum by producing the report as an electronic PDF, which could be emailed to targets and on request. The abridged print version was reserved for strong prospects and clients.
David Vine, CEO, Global Expense says, “Being perceived as the market leader is hugely important. In our market if you are the recognised leader, you automatically get invited to tender. Kelso Consulting has always been firm that to be perceived as the market leader we need to act like the market leader. Publishing a ground-breaking analysis using the data we already held within our system has enabled us to cost-effectively establish a thought-leadership position, which is hugely important to our brand. The report makes a huge impression with clients and prospects when we give it to them – accountants love this sort of data.”
