By Kevin McCauley
A majority of Wall Street executives believes Occupy Wall Street had a real impact on their business, and a big chunk of them were surprised by the rise of that protest movement.
That’s among findings of a Wall Street survey commissioned by New York PR firm Makovsky + Co. and conducted by Echo Research.
Fifty-three percent of 150 communications/marketing executives polled at banks, brokerage houses, asset management firms and insurers agree that Occupy made its mark. Nearly four-in-ten (38 percent) were caught unaware by the activists.
A robust 71 percent of those surveyed expect Occupy to continue its protests well beyond the presidential election.
Scott Tangney, executive VP of Makovsky’s financial services group, says the poll finds that respondents believe Occupy “is not going away anytime soon and financial services executives need to be better prepared to address this issue going forward.”
A whopping 96 percent of Wall Streeters blame their own actions for the negative perception of the sector. Nearly three-in-four (74 percent) say increased regulation will help improve reputation and build trust with consumers.
Asked to grade financial services PR, 57 percent give PR an “average,” “below average” or “failing” mark. Thirty-four percent give PR an “above average” mark. Nine percent rate PR “perfect.”
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