Social Media Usage in the FTSE 100: Company Profile – Aggreko
This article forms part of a study on social media usage amongst FTSE 100 companies.
Each company in the FTSE 100 index was reviewed on its usage of such social media tools as RSS feeds*, blogs, online video, podcasts and social media platforms like Flickr and Facebook on its main website and on occasion, on websites of well-known subsidiary companies.
*RSS feeds are a simple way of delivering fresh versions of a website’s content to online readers automatically.
According to the Guardian.co.uk Business Glossary:
“The FTSE 100 index comprises the 100 most highly capitalised blue chip companies on the London Stock Exchange, representing approximately 81% of the UK market.”
Here’s how Generator Rental Company Aggreko (AGK.L) stacked up.
| FTSE 100 Company | RSS | Podcast | Blog | Online Video | Audio | Facebook, Flickr, etc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggreko | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
………………
Online Video/Webcasts: Yes
Usage of Social Media platforms: No
(Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, del.icio.us, Twitter, Digg etc)
According to Yahoo! Finance:
Aggreko plc is a British firm operating in a very specific sector, renting electricity generators, temperature and moisture control equipment, chillers, heating systems and compressed air. Its a global leader due to its capacity for reaction and ability to answer every customer without delay. With over 133 locations offering 24/7 services in more than 100 countries, its interventions span many different events including Olympic Games, film sets and natural disasters.”
My pre-evaluation expectation of how the company will fare:
Aggreko deals within a niche rental sector. Therefore, I’m expecting a website targeted at their main consumer, with a lot technical information in regards to the equipment they offer.
Commentary:
Aggreko plc opens up a simple and easy to navigate site with predominately black text with orange (the same used in there logo) to highlight certain areas.
Instantly your eye is caught by a Video with the caption “Take a tour with CNN reporting from the 2010 World Cup in south Africa”. The clip is a CNN report, discussing how South Africa has planned for the energy requirements whilst hosting the 2010 World Cup. This includes the provision for backup generators, due to the concern of a power cut during a match. During the report, CNN pans across a large site of Aggreko generators with there logo clearly visible.
From this, I instantly understood the business Aggreko was in and what they do! It just goes to show how a video with the right content can easily deliver key information about a company on its site.
The Investors tab takes you to a clearly laid out site. It has a live share price and links to reports and results in pdf (including some availability in HTML format). You can access an interactive analysis in the form of a java applet allowing you to view accounts in bar graphs from 1998 to 2009. An email alert service is available but no RSS feed.
There is a tab labelled Media Center, but only contains images. In their own words-
“Our Media Centre contains images from corporate archives that are available in high-resolution electronic format for immediate download. They depict various aspects of the company’s operations and history around the world that help tell the Aggreko story.”
Recommendations:
- RSS feeds - there is a number of informative press releases that show the markets, new clients and contracts. Investors would be interested in these stories. Adding a RSS and share tag to these releases would really get the information out on to the web and to investors.
- WebCast of annual meetings - this is an easy way to deliver information to the investor along with a chance to see who is running the company.
………………
What do you think?
Are you a customer, employee, shareholder or stakeholder of Aggrecko? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this review. What would you like to see Aggrecko doing more of in terms of social media? More online video? A CEO blog, perhaps?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
Need any help?
Do you work for Aggrecko and want some insight into some of the ideas published here?
Or perhaps you look after marketing for Aggrecko and would like a quick chat about putting some of those recommendations into practice. Contact us.
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- Social Media Usage Amongst FTSE 100 Companies – Company Profile – Imperial Tobacco
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