NYMEX Europe

Background
NYMEX Europe is the newly-opened (Sept 2005) London branch of the New York Mercantile Exchange, the largest physical commodity futures exchange in the world. It is driving to extend energy and metals trading globally. Its new London exchange trades in Brent crude and gasoil in an open outcry system in a trading pitch allowing transparency and openness in the market place.

Requirement
NYMEX Europe needed to alert the City and the media to the return of open outcry trading in the London oil and gas market and to emphasise its benefits. It also required positive media coverage to promote its plans for international expansion.

Activity
Our planning for the launch began in June 2005 with the defining of a publicity strategy and the filming of promotional footage of new NYMEX offices at 131 Finsbury Pavement, London. (We had previously made a DVD for them when the exchange was based in Dublin). Our staff had constant meetings in both London and New York with senior NYMEX officials to plan day-to-day media strategy and the formulation of the key messages to be delivered, whilst our specialist energy writer produced and placed feature articles, securing third party endorsements from traders. As the launch date approached, there was extensive liaison with journalists in the national print and broadcast media and with writers on periodicals, wire services and specialist oil industry publications. We set up media briefing sessions with senior NYMEX Europe executives, alerted press to the event, emphasising the benefits of open outcry trading, and invited them to the opening. Dozens came.

Results
Coverage included headlines in Britain's major daily newspapers – even the Sun – and coverage on BBC TV, ITN, BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, Bloomberg TV and prime-time Tokyo TV. News agencies including Reuters, Dow Jones and Platts sent the story around the world. Pictures of traders actually trading rather than looking at computer screens guaranteed good coverage.

Since then, there has been lasting media interest in NYMEX Europe with coverage by Sky TV, Mega TV Greece and the official Chinese news agency among others.

We continue to brief journalists and arrange interviews with NYMEX executives as part of our full service package.