Workplace consultancy case study: extensive coverage for client AWA

Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) is a global workplace management consultancy. In 2021, the firm sought to learn more about how the Covid-19 pandemic had impacted organisations’ workplace strategies, including the frequency with which employees were going to the office during the return-to-office period.

Magenta worked with AWA to develop the Hybrid Working Index, a survey tool which gathered and published the relevant data from AWA’s international network, including current and prospective clients. Over the course of three reports, Magenta successfully secured high-quality coverage across national, vertical and trade media such as the BBC, the Telegraph, the Guardian, the New York Post, Bloomberg, People Management, and ZDNet.

Utilising data to drive media interest

AWA’s customer base comprises big corporations across many sectors, such as technology, banking, professional services, law, pharmaceuticals, media, and more. The firm delivers strategic advice and support on workplace management, with a focus on transitioning to new ways of working.

With many organisations struggling to implement effective return-to-office and hybrid working strategies, Magenta and AWA founder Andrew Mawson saw an opportunity to capture the space and position AWA as a thought leader while these topics remained headline news. The aim was to get AWA’s name in some of the world’s leading media by offering data-rich insights on office occupancy.

The outcome was AWA’s Hybrid Working Index, a series that enabled AWA to publish the survey results periodically so they could understand how office occupancy levels would change and the key differences across regions.

Targeted media outreach

Magenta worked with AWA to develop a survey and then crunch the data to formulate the most newsworthy insights for target media, including nationals in the UK and US, built environment and HR press, and verticals such as finance and professional services, law, media, and pharmaceuticals.

Once the survey report had been published, Magenta sought to get as much quality coverage as possible. This included the targeted distribution of a press release leading with the key data point that employees were going to the office just 1.4 days per week on average (from a dataset that consisted of 80 offices in 13 countries, representing nearly 80,000 workers).

Extensive press coverage

Over the course of three AWA Hybrid Working Index reports, Magenta secured hundreds of coverage pieces. Highlights included the BBC, the FT, the Guardian, Reuters, Bloomberg, the New York Post, ZDNET, People Management, HR Dive, Business Matters, and Facilities Management Journal. The Guardian story read: “UK workers going into office less than 1.5 days a week, data shows.”

Following a Reuters request for office occupancy data specific to banking firms, the World Economic Forum ran the story: “Banking has higher office attendance rates than any other sector.”

The research established AWA as an expert source on workplace issues, leading to features on BBC 5 Live, BBC News, talkRadio, and on the topic of 10 Downing Street as a workplace for the Telegraph, helping us achieve a key aim for AWA.