Strategy
Thinking and acting on strategy are at the core of public relations planning. We begin by listening to you to better understand your needs and unique opportunities. Then, we link strategic thinking to what we’ve learned and develop the strategic approaches that will get desired results.
Strategies might include:
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Preparing for a crisis
Building a brand
Developing market positioning
Strengthening employee communication
Communicating core values
Obtaining media coverage
Connecting with key publics
Case Study: Aramco Services Company
Situation:
For years, Ben Wheatley has assisted Aramco Services Company (ASC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, plan, coordinate, staff and perform the communication activities for ASC’s Oil Spill Response Team (OSRT) exercise. The annual spring event involves ASC shipping subsidiary Vela International Marine Ltd., the U.S. Coast Guard, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, NOAA and the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Department. The drill rotates among four U.S. Coast Guard zones in which Vela vessels regularly ship crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the U.S.
Objectives:
Staffing a Joint Information Center (JIC) with communication operations
Working with facilitators who play reporters and the public by simulating calls into the JIC
Deploying effective and consistent messaging to key audiences
Deploying effective and consistent messaging to key audiences
Ensuring that key ASC employees can observe, learn and participate in the drill’s communication activities
Tracking calls from simulated media and community in an online database
Drafting and distributing simulated press releases and media alerts
Conducting a series of press conferences for the media and town hall meetings for the general public
Solution:
Considerable planning goes into the event to prepare as much as possible, yet we know to anticipate surprises and uncertainties designed to challenge the participants. As in any crisis response exercise, there are many unknowns since each year’s crisis scenario is kept secret in order to be as realistic as possible. Overall, we draw upon our prior drill exercises for much of our strategy and preparation priorities. We pull together background information to prepare for responding to calls from the media and the public. Additionally, we compile an electronic news release template, typical questions and answers to use at press conferences and pre-approved statements, talking points and boilerplates to use throughout the event.
Results:
The OSRT exercises have been successful at meeting stated objectives. Overall, we succeed but frequently discover new opportunities for improvement –one of the purposes of these type of exercises. The JIC is fully staffed and adept at taking and making calls to media and the public, press materials are written and distributed, a series of press conferences are conducted that demonstrate ASC’s concern and grasp of each simulated situation and numerous ASC personnel are trained in drill communication activities.
Case Study: Cherry Demolition
Situation:
Cherry Demolition specializes in building demolitions by performing implosions and the dismantling of commercial structures. Following one of its recent successful implosions, an amateur photographer posted a video on the Web that seemed to show a person running through the building seconds before it came down. Cherry was besieged with calls from the media, all wanting to know more details about the “ghost in the building” and how this could have happened. The company needed help in managing those calls and disseminating factual information about the implosion incident.
Objectives:
Contain the media crisis by disseminating facts and ongoing updates
Manage the information flow and answer media inquiries quickly
Provide controlled comments in support of the investigation being conducted by the Houston Police
Change the conversation from “implosions and demolitions” to one of concrete and steel recycling in an ongoing media relations program focusing on trade and Houston area media
Solution:
After the video surfaced, Ben quickly met with Cherry officials to get up to speed on the facts. He then developed an approach for handling the situation. Statements were crafted and a series of news updates were written and released—all demonstrating cooperation with Houston Police, the investigators of the case. Cherry crews worked feverishly to remove debris from the site to prove that no one had been inside during the implosion—thanks to their meticulous preparation that precedes any job of this type. Ben also worked incoming media calls and provided counsel to Cherry on appropriate media responses. As the last of the rubble was removed giving proof that no one had been in the building, we issued a final news release bringing the matter to a close. As a follow-up, Ben created a proactive media relations campaign designed to burnish Cherry’s reputation, which had been damaged during the unfortunate incident. Ben’s strategy was to focus on the concrete and steel recycling that results from building implosions and demolitions. He and his team proactively pushed the green recycling stories to Houston area and Cherry’s trade media outlets.
Results:
In addition to generating a significant number of news and feature stories in trade media important to Cherry’s industry, Ben and his team were able to help secure a number of other mainstream media hits, including a Growth Strategy profile in the Houston Business Journal and a front of the business section feature in the Houston Chronicle. And, perhaps more importantly, the outbound messaging about Cherry now focuses heavily on the green angle of recycling.