What We Do

Proactive management of our clients’ public profiles is critical in today’s information-saturated environment. We actively monitor and advise our clients on market and public sentiment around their businesses in the media and online.

We work with our clients to craft messaging for customers, employees and regulators surrounding major initiatives and in response to events that have an impact on their firms or sectors. Working with our media contacts, we ensure that our clients’ stories are being told accurately and move swiftly to set the record straight whenever misinformation surfaces.

We have deep, long-standing relationships with journalists and editors across traditional, digital and broadcast media, globally. We understand what they’re looking for and how to separate what is truly newsworthy from blatant promotion. Most importantly, they trust us as a credible source of important and timely information.

We develop customized media relations programs designed to support each client’s unique objectives, and we are well-positioned to play both offense and defense with media.

Our people are experts at helping clients define and articulate what they stand for. We work with each client to develop a positioning strategy that distinguishes the company from competitors, resonates with all key constituents, and is supported by actual proof points and accomplishments.

We provide comprehensive communications support to companies at all stages of mergers, acquisitions, spinoffs, carveouts, divestitures or buyouts, including friendly, hostile or contested transactions.

Working closely with clients and their advisors, we develop tailored announcement strategies and the full suite of transaction communication materials, including press releases and shareholder, employee, customer and regulator communications.

We help clients take control and get ahead of situations with potentially damaging consequences. From cybersecurity breaches to product liability to employee litigation and executive dismissals, we have experience across the full gamut of crises and disruptive events.

We pride ourselves on the ability to react quickly and provide exceptional value in managing issues affecting our clients and entities within their portfolios.

We provide real-time, candid strategic counsel and execution support, from developing and disseminating key messages and written materials to managing the media. We work hand-in-hand with legal and other advisors to ensure alignment of messaging, and track news articles and social media sentiment to ensure we are providing timely and effective responses – all with the goal of winning and sustaining confidence and trust among our clients’ core audiences.

We partner with our clients and legal counsel to help our clients navigate complex, bet-the-company litigation and regulatory matters. Our practice spans civil and criminal investigations, employee matters, internal investigations, and IP theft, among others.

Distressed situations can be highly complex, nuanced and emotional for all parties. We provide comprehensive communications support and reputation management solutions to creditors, investors and companies throughout all stages of the bankruptcy and restructuring process.

Whether it’s behind-the-scenes communications between management and key stakeholders, pre-packaged Chapter 11 situations, or contested, highly visible hostile restructurings, we develop and execute communications and media strategies for all stages of a restructuring process to ensure effective message delivery to all relevant stakeholders.

Perception is often reality in shareholder activism campaigns.  We have vast experience supporting firms and shareholders seeking to effect change, and leveraging our unparalleled global media relationships to ensure our clients’ voices are heard.

We work hand-in-glove with advisors and clients to develop and execute hard-hitting investor communications and media strategies, crisp messaging and materials, effective digital and social media campaigns, and battle-tested shareholder engagement tactics for all critical steps of a campaign.  We also provide hands-on logistical support for participation in annual meetings and investor conference calls.

Gasthalter was ranked #1 in shareholder activism support for the first half of 2020 by Bloomberg.

Investment firms and companies across all sectors are held to a high standard by the investment community, media,  and the public for their ESG policies and behaviors. Indeed, ESG mandates are on the rise among allocators. ESG factors increasingly have an effect, positive or negative, on a company’s market value and often play a role in stakeholder activism campaigns.

We help our clients tell their ESG story effectively, to the right people through the right channels. We provide advice when corrective steps are warranted and take measures to mitigate any misinformation that could impact a company’s ESG profile.

Global investors are more sophisticated and skeptical than ever. Our clients rely on us to develop mission-critical investor communications materials – including letters, talking points, Q&As, videos and newsletters – and execute creative digital strategies to amplify their stories to the investment community.

In today’s competitive environment, differentiation is not a nice to have, but a must have. We help firms define what makes them tick, and develop brand and visual identities – including logo, color, type, photography, and graphics – that tell their stories in a lasting and impactful manner. We also work with firms to best showcase their brands by building or refreshing websites to ensure they are modern, easy to navigate, and meet SEO and indexing best practices. Websites serve as a critical first port-of-call for external audiences seeking to learn more about a firm, its portfolio, and its approach, and thus must clearly articulate and illustrate a firm’s points of differentiation.

The media and investment community are being inundated with content. We help cut through the noise with materials that matter. Partnering with our clients, we identify relevant topics of interest to their key constituents and develop content programs that showcase thought leadership across channels – including websites, social media, blogs, podcasts, and e-newsletters – and build brand awareness.

An effective social media strategy is a critical component of profile raising for investment firms, financial services companies, and advisors in various stages of their evolution. We develop and execute organic and sponsored social media campaigns as a means of amplifying and reinforcing a firm’s value proposition, depth of expertise, and focus areas to support its business objectives – including new client growth, deal flow, and recruitment – in a targeted and purposeful manner.

The capital markets are complex, global and unforgiving.  Drawing on our decades of experience advising the world’s most sophisticated investment management firms and publicly-traded corporations, we know how Wall Street works – and more importantly, thinks.

We leverage this knowledge to advise clients on earnings announcements, investor presentations, non-deal roadshows, annual meetings, guidance and perception studies to ensure their messages are appropriately reflected and resonating.

The successful launch of a new business requires careful preparation, experience and precise execution. In the investment world, firms have one opportunity to make a first impression. Articulating the firm’s brand, mission and differentiators at the outset is critical.  We have unparalleled experience in introducing new firms to the marketplace by telling a compelling story that is reflective of a founder’s vision.

Succession planning requires a clear long-term vision, an ability to anticipate the unexpected, and precise execution.  We work closely with founders, management teams and boards in times of transition to ensure that succession plans are well thought through and communicated effectively to all stakeholders.