Case study:

Global vs Boutique PR & Marketing Agency for a Capital Markets Tech Provider

Phase 1: Engagement with a Large, Global Marketing and PR Agency

The B2B capital markets tech provider engages with a large, global agency to help it clarify its positioning on three different verticals and gain brand recognition. The agency was chosen due to its promise of delivering global reach, access to tier-one media, guaranteeing coverage and social media metrics based on quantity.

The Reality

• Difficult onboarding: Months spent educating junior account managers on industry-specific knowledge such as market structure, trading workflows, and regulatory context.
• Generic messaging: Content created to sound appealing to the masses, with no expertise on capital markets audiences.
• Lack of industry coverage: Press mentions in broad fintech outlets, but little relevance to institutional markets.
• Executive time drain: Repeated briefings, rewrites, and explanations from the CEO and CTO, as generalist agencies often lack the nuance.
• Slow turnaround: Multiple internal approval layers on agency side delay responses.
• Lack of organisation and internal communication: Need for repeat chasing, with client needing to make sure the agency delivers on time due to a lack of internal task allocation.
  

Outcome after 9 months

• High press volume, limited influence in the correct industry
• No measurable increase in inbound leads or senior-level engagement
• Leadership felt the agency “looked good on paper” but didn’t move the needle.
  

Phase 2: Switching to Moonlight IQ, a Specialised Boutique Agency

The B2B capital markets tech provider did not gain the results expected with the global agency, and turned for help to Moonlight IQ, a specialised agency in financial and tech markets. 



Why the boutique was chosen

• Deep domain expertise in trading, capital markets, and financial infrastructure
• Senior practitioners doing the actual work
• Clear understanding of institutional buyers and finance media 
• Proven track record of success in similar companies in the field
  

The Reality

• Immediate market understanding: Streamlined onboarding with minimal education needed. Within weeks, we were able to reframe the company’s positioning, with messages mapped to the target audience.
  Result: Faster execution, less internal effort.

• Senior-led execution (not delegation): Strategy and messaging handled by senior staff with market understanding and direct access to decision-makers at the agency.
  Result: Higher quality output and consistent voice.

• Targeted, high-value media strategy: Focused on specialist publications with the right audience instead of chasing volumes.
  Result: Fewer articles, but far higher credibility and impact.

• Efficiency with leadership time: Minimal rewrites, fewer meetings necessary, more output.
  Result: CEO and CTO regained time while visibility increased.

• Delivery always on time: Work always delivered on time, agency chasing client when needed.
  Result: Eliminating unnecessary friction and all work delivered before deadline without client chasing.
  

Results After 6 Months with the Boutique Agency

After six months with Moonlight IQ, the client started gaining coverage in relevant industry publications, with the right target audience. Due to this, there was a noticeable increase in inbound interest from prospects, and the brand gained credibility with partners and potential investors. Its message was also consistent across the board: on the website, sales-enablement documents, and media, helping frame a clear brand narrative.