Marketing and Business Development (MBD) accountancy firm case studies

November 25, 2025|Accountants, Kim's Blog, Management Skills, Marketing, Relationship Management, Web Sites|

Marketing and Business Development (MBD) property firm case studies (2024-2025)

Following the recent Marketing and Business Development (MBD) law firm case studies, here are some Marketing and Business Development (MBD) accountancy firm case studies (2024-2025). Shortly, I will publish the final series – for property and real estate firms.

Whereas there was real variety in the law firm case studies, the recurring theme for the accountancy sector is rebranding. Although this may be simply because these have received more attention in the media.

Buzzacott (Rebrand)
HaysMac (Rebrand)
HLB International (Communications and Client Experience training)
HLB International (Thought leadership)
PWC (Rebrand, sponsorship and AI innovation)
Sorren – (Merger for growth and Rebrand)
UHY International (Rebrand)

Buzzacott – Rebrand

Buzzacott | undefined October 2025

The firm serves private clients, businesses and non-for-profit organisations.

The video (with drum-heavy catchy music) talks about the refreshed brand and new website to reflect the firm’s growth ambitions and focus on delivering clearer, more connected advice to clients. Its key messages:

Advising with purpose
Sharper perspectives
Keeping pace with the world around us
Somewhere to grow

There’s emphasis on the firm’s independence (rather than mergers and private equity investment). It mentions its 100 year growth defined by an innovative strategy and bold decisions. Romina Gaudioso, partner and head of marketing and growth provides a quote.

Aligning with a new “Fit for the Future” strategy, the new brand was developed with the design firm Athlon. The refreshed brand is anchored by green – chosen because it represents growth, balance and calming authority, qualities that sit at the core of Buzzacott’s work. It also includes a contemporary brand typeface, a new vibrant confident colour palette, bold people photography and image art direction and a new brand voice guide.

HaysMac – Rebrand

Introducing HaysMac: A New Look, An Enduring Commitment – HaysMac – Award-winning Chartered Accountancy Firm November 2024

Award-winning top 10 London accountancy firm haysmacintyre unveiled its new name and new brand – HaysMac. A nod to how the firm’s clients and people refer to it, HaysMac’s modernised identity emphasises its progressive approach in the accountancy, audit and tax sector.

The firm’s rebrand elevates three core values: “For Business, For People, and For Good” – mirroring HaysMac’s enduring commitment to all of its clients and their best interests, as well as the factors that make it a successful business: empowering its people and championing positive impact.

With business clients ranging from: fast-growth, international tech, media, retail & ecommerce businesses and household names in the hospitality industry; to property developers, hedge funds and wealth managers; leading social purpose organisations; and a broad private client practice catering to the ever-increasing complexity of personal and family wealth tax planning, HaysMac delivers dedicated and specialist support for all its clients, bolstered by intimate sector and market knowledge.

The new brand also honours HaysMac’s growth trajectory and positive impact: the firm is constantly championing its people throughout their career journeys whilst challenging the status quo in the sector. In five years alone, the firm’s revenue has risen 81%, while headcount has grown 60%, with four new additions to the partnership in 2024.

HaysMac’s continued commitment to nurturing its people – from home grown talent to lateral hires – and ensuring a progressive working environment for all has also seen the firm recognised as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024, and a LinkedIn Top 15 Midsize Company in the UK to Work for.

Commenting on HaysMac’s new brand identity, Natasha Frangos, Managing Partner, said: “We’re excited to be unveiling our new name and new look. At its core HaysMac is a different kind of accountancy firm; a friendly face offering exceptional tax advice and financial know-how, with specialist sector expertise at every level”

HLB International – Communications and Client Experience Skills

Communicating the why – PSM – The Professionals May 2025

Marketers and communicators need to broaden their skill set to better support their clients, argues Rita Carolan, the Communications and PR Manager at HLB International, the top 10 advisory and accountancy firm. She says:

When working in public relations or communications, it’s easy to focus solely on your area of expertise. Yet, exploring new disciplines outside your usual scope can be incredibly beneficial, both personally and professionally.

HLB’s people-first approach encourages investment in upskilling so that its people worldwide can thrive now and in the future. One of the main benefits I’ve discovered from doing training outside the traditional scope of PR and communications is how it empowers you to better understand why you’re doing what you do. Future Marketing Manager – T-shaped people, senior promotions

It’s not uncommon in PR to be given directives or briefs that don’t fully articulate the purpose behind an initiative. When you broaden your skill set, you give yourself the tools to approach projects with a wider lens, enabling you to connect the dots between strategy and execution. Pursuing professional development in other areas also broadens your knowledge, making it easier to have deeper, more meaningful conversations with stakeholders.

Whether you’re engaging with the leadership team, clients, or cross-functional colleagues, your ability to bring an informed perspective to the table strengthens your credibility. It’s not just about adding new angles to your expertise; it’s about showing stakeholders that your advice is rooted in a holistic understanding of the business and its goals.

One of the training programmes that recently left a mark on me was Mindshop Advisory Fundamentals.

Mindshop is an HLB strategic partner to enhance our networks advisory mindset through a host of training and resources. This course explores the mindset and skills needed to adopt a true advisory approach. Rather than staying in the comfort zone of “communicator,” this course encouraged me to think in terms of adding value through strategic advice.

Previously, I approached stakeholder conversations as opportunities to communicate a particular message or gain approval for a campaign. After this training, I found myself asking deeper questions like, “How can I help this stakeholder achieve their overarching objective?”. I started viewing my role as one of helping stakeholders solve broader problems.

Another course that proved valuable was training with another of HLB’s strategic partners customer experience consultancy, MCorpCX, Client experience101 – Leveraging Client Experience to become more human-centric.

This course examined the principles of creating exceptional client experiences, from active listening techniques to designing interactions that feel personal and purposeful. It championed the idea that every touchpoint matters.

The skills I learned here wove seamlessly into my PR and communications responsibilities. For example, rather than simply sending stakeholders updates for the sake of maintaining engagement, I began tailoring correspondence in ways that made clients feel not just informed but truly involved in the process. Whether it’s a stakeholder meeting or a client report, recognising the importance of experience at every interaction fundamentally shifted how I approached relationship-building.

These courses created an invaluable bridge between technical skills and emotional intelligence. PR professionals often deal with complex, high-pressure situations where getting someone’s buy-in or managing conflicts can become critical. By honing skills like identifying root causes or practicing empathetic listening, I’ve been able to craft narratives and strategies that resonate better with my audience. More importantly, it has given me the confidence to approach projects as a partner, not just an executor.

Likewise, being exposed to broader business methodologies allows you to align PR campaigns with company-wide strategies. Every press release, social media campaign, or stakeholder interaction can start to rely on a solid foundation of business context – not just PR intuition.

Stepping beyond the boundaries of a traditional PR role is an investment in professional growth and the value you bring to your role. Training offers perspectives that strengthen your ability to answer critical “why” questions, engage meaningfully with stakeholders, and look beyond immediate deliverables to the bigger picture.

Rita Carolan is the Communications and PR Manager at HLB International. She is responsible for external and internal communications, promotes the organisation’s brand and reputation, and generates thought leadership on key business issues.

HLB International – Thought leadership

A global thought leadership survey to help mid-tier firms punch above their weight – PM Forum March 2025 (Paywall)

HLB is a top 10 global network of advisory and accounting firms across 157 countries. Its annual survey of business leaders rallies member firms together, says Chief Marketing Officer Lesley Hornug.

This article outlines the evolution and impact of the HLB Survey of Business Leaders, a thought leadership initiative launched by HLB International in January 2020. The survey was designed to provide valuable insights into the strategic priorities of mid-market business leaders, positioning HLB as a key player in the advisory and accounting sector.

The initiative not only serves as a brand-building exercise but has also transformed into a vital client engagement tool, enabling member firms to leverage data for enhanced client relationships and marketing efforts. The article discusses the survey’s development, its significance in the industry, and future directions, particularly in the context of technological advancements.

The HLB Survey of Business Leaders was launched in January 2020, following a brand refresh in 2018, with the aim of elevating HLB’s thought leadership function

The survey has expanded to include over 1,200 responses from more than 50 countries, evolving into a year-round program that enhances client engagement

Data collection is primarily sourced from HLB clients, allowing for relevant benchmarking and fostering client relationships

The initiative has garnered significant media attention and has been featured in prominent publications, enhancing brand exposure for HLB member firms

Future developments include the introduction of an AI tool for data interrogation, aiming to provide customized insights and maintain high-quality data collection

In October 2018, HLB launched its new brand, including a new logo and website. To match the vision of the brand and ambitions for the future, it needed to elevate its thought leadership function. It became an ambition to develop a global, research-based thought leadership piece for the network. Something like the PwC CEO Survey but for a mid-tier network. And so, we got started, with very little budget, running the survey in-house and doing all the data analysis ourselves.

In January 2020, the firm launched its inaugural HLB Survey of Business Leaders at a conference in Vienna. From there on out, it rapidly gained support and an increased number of partners wanted to get involved until the survey evolved into a nearly year-round programme with 50-plus countries represented.

While the global report itself is still the main output, the design of the campaign has seen it transform from a brand-building initiative to a client engagement tool. The research and data collection phase is used to start client conversations with the volume of responses now exceeding 1,200. It means that we have been able to segment into various regions, sectors and countries, making the insights more relevant.

Delivering client insights with confidence

One of the things partners love about this survey is that the firm sources the responses. The majority of respondents are clients of HLB firms, and they source top-up responses through an external panel to ensure good presentation across regions. This is why the data sourcing phase of the programme has evolved into a client relationship exercise. It creates a good reason to reach out and hear about what is happening with clients and their businesses. People love to talk about themselves and the data collection allows them to do just that. Fee earners learn first-hand what their clients’ strategic priorities are for the year ahead before the research report is published.

Some member firms also use the data collection process as a way for upcoming talent in the business to gain more exposure with clients. It provides them with the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation about the client’s business and challenges in a structured way.

Sourcing responses this way also means that respondents accurately represent the markets HLB firms operate in, making a more relevant benchmarking tool. There are several brilliant CEO studies out there by larger competitors, but the CEOs they survey are not representative of the mid-market-sized clients HLB serve.

The programme is a bonus for marketing and BD people within HLB firms too, as they do all the heavy lifting for them. Besides data collection and analyses, they developed a comprehensive set of turnkey marketing communications materials to use in local markets. This way, marketing teams can take the campaign materials and use them to supplement their own thought leadership campaigns. Or, if they wish, they can take the data most relevant to them and create their own thought leadership without the investment it requires to conduct research themselves. Various HLB firms have been running their own campaigns and client events off the back of this programme.

Measuring success

Measuring the return on investment of thought leadership is difficult for marketers within a single firm, let alone when you are looking to measure impact across a network of firms. Therefore, they had to redefine what success looked like around the question ‘How do we create value for HLB member firms?’

As such, they measure the impact of the campaign through HLB member firm engagement and brand exposure. Looking at the number of firms that participate in the research, how many amplify the campaign locally or create their own campaigns and client events using the findings.

Brand exposure is another important KPI, and they are proud to say the campaign has garnered notable global media attention and has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine and Fortune Italia. There have been collaboration with educational institutes such as the world-renowned Cambridge University.

A senior international tax partner at the largest US member firm didn’t think her firm would be able to conduct an international study of this scale themselves, and that it helped her with thought leadership for the international client base of her firm.

Another partner used the findings of the report during an external speaking engagement, allowing him to back up his expertise with primary data specific to his target audience.

So, what does the future hold?

You have to keep moving with the times. Change brings opportunity.

This year, the firm launched an AI tool that allows users to interrogate the data, including six years’ worth of historic findings.

The firm will continue to publish a campaign for the brand impact it delivers, but the real value will come from customised data analysis for client insights or bespoke outputs.

Lesley Hornung is the Chief Marketing Officer at HLB. HLB International is a top-10 global network of advisory and accounting firms. The network encompasses 157 countries and represents US$5.96 billion in combined revenue.

PwC – Rebrand, sponsorship and AI innovation

The next era: PwC April 2025

‘Confused and confusing’: Why PwC has rebranded to simplify its brand identity

This was PwC’s first global brand update in over a decade. It launched a new brand platform and updated its visual and verbal identity to align more closely with its AI and technology services and ensure it is “relevant for today’s buyers”. Its new look reflects a firm (across all three lines of service—Advisory, Assurance, and Tax) at the forefront of business, technology and industry change.

It appeared across advertising, sponsorships and client experiences. PwC will debut as the official consulting partner of Formula 1 – connecting the firm’s innovation and speed with one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.

At the same time, the firm published new research published that reveals that AI has the potential to boost global economic output by up to 15 percentage points over the next decade. PwC own use of AI includes investing in responsible, industry-specific GenAI applications, embedding AI into core services, and working side-by-side with clients to reimagine workflows, products and operating models. PwC has upskilled nearly 300,000 professionals worldwide in AI fluency and engineering to help both its people and clients lead in an AI-driven world.

One of the firm’s latest innovations is PwC’s agent OS – a patent-pending connector for building and orchestrating Agentic AI systems. With more than 250 AI agents already in use across industries, agent OS helps companies deploy and scale AI-powered workflows with speed and precision. PwC’s AI ecosystem includes deep collaborations with AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft.

PwC also released Value in motion PwC’s Industry Edge: Industry intelligence & research: PwC – a new body of thought leadership that explores how AI, climate disruption and economic fragmentation are reconfiguring industries worldwide. Backed by over a year of research, the report reveals that in 2025 alone, up to $7.1 trillion in revenue will be redistributed across the global economy as companies reinvent their business models.

Sorren – Mergers for growth and Rebrand

M&A Brand Therapy: Sorren’s Approach to Uniting 16 Firms November 2025

US marketing consultants Hinge produced a video and podcast interview (Spiralling Up) of Sorren’s Tara Davis, National Marketing Director and Heath Alloway, Growth Partner. Key points included:

They started in early 2024 with five firms who planned to merge and ended up with 16 firms combining – the process took nearly two years
The benefits of shared resources (in the light of increasing tech costs) and infrastructure were recognised early – another driver was recognition that there would be less people joining the profession
An annual partners’ meeting of legacy firms spent time in workshops on the culture and values and rolling out the new vision and mission. Then each office and service line used a thematic goal process focusing on one of the values
There were projects and games in each office using interviews (clients and employees) and consultants
Post merger integration covered M&A brand therapy sessions and addressing anxieties about aligning multiple web sites, processes and systems
They focused on creating a positive mindset and changing the psychology – from onboarding to career progression. HR played a key role in using different communication channels to build trust and counter rumours as well as projects to address regional issues, explaining the benefits to clients, aligning around key industries and career impact
On the web integration:
- The content from all sites was downloaded and analysed alongside engagement statistics
- Evaluations took place every few months – reflecting the different levels of sophistication of the legacy firms
- A new marketing plan was developed and the central MBD team grew from two to 10

UHY International – Rebrand

UHY Unveils New Global Brand Identity, Marking First Rebrand in 20 Years | citybiz (October 2024)

UHY has 330 offices worldwide (38 in the USA) across 100 countries

After 20 years, it unveiled its new global brand identity with a complete overhaul of brand’s visual elements. A green colour palette and redesigned logo with a bold shield icon (“agility in meeting client needs and protection it offers”). The upward sweeping stripes represent firm’s ambition and commitment to driving growth. The new tagline is “Connect to Possibility”

The rebrand reflects the network’s transformation into a more unified and collaborative organisation – highlighting the world’s need for cross-border collaboration.

They conducted research amongst member firms before embarking on the rebrand. Strengthening the identity that is synonymous with empowering dynamic businesses worldwide. At the same time, the firm launched its new US web site at the UHY Annual Conference 2025 in Sydney.

The firm has just (November 2025) released a video celebrating one year since its rebrand launch One Year On: Celebrating a Year of the New UHY Brand | Insights | UHY.com. And with a strong sign up call to action.

(It brings me great pleasure to have some clients within these accountancy firm case studies – not that I was involved in these projects. I worked with HaysMac – as a locum Director of Marketing and BD on two occasions but also on client research, MBD team planning and fee-earner BD skills training. I also did a short assignment for HLB developing and facilitating a session in Brussels for one of its international conferences).