Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program

Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program received widespread international media coverage.

Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program received widespread international media coverage.

Situation

Human activity, carbon emissions and global warming are damaging the health of coral reefs worldwide. Policy-makers in coastal areas and marine management officials need better information about what they can do to sustain the life of coral reefs. To fill this gap in knowledge the World Bank implements the Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program. The CRTR Program provides credible, factual and scientifically-proven knowledge for improved coral reef management and policy development. The Australian affiliate for the PRGN, Currie Communications (www.curriecom.com.au), coordinates all communications for this global program.

Strategy

The strategy was to raise awareness that, in order to save coral reefs, there needs to be immediate action from world leaders to urgently cut CO2 emissions, and from policy-makers and reef managers to stop over-fishing, pollution and unsustainable coastal development. To generate media interest the CRTR Program published its first ”synthesis” paper in the prestigious Science Magazineas the cover story. The paper, The Carbon Crisis: Coral Reefs under Rapid Climate Change and Ocean Acidification, highlighted the urgent action required to protect coral reefs from rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere.  The publication of the paper was timed to occur on the eve of a landmark meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali where world leaders were gathering to create a road map for lower carbon emissions. Read the rest of this entry »

Vocollect conquers the globe by PR

vocollect-logo

Situation

  • Vocollect is located in Pittsburgh (USA) with an European HQ nearby London.
  • vocollect-action
  • The company’s portfolio of products and expertise for enabling Voice-Directed Work® creates direct communication between operators and information systems. Especially in distribution centers and warehouses, Vocollect Voice helps to achieve greater productivity, accuracy and safety.
  • When Vocollect started their business in Europe in early years of the new millennium this innovative way to direct operators through their daily tasks was almost unknown.

Strategy

  • Vocollect’s communication strategy was to create media awareness for the company and its technology through PR in horizontal and vertical trade media in their various target regions.
  • For this purpose, Vocollect appointed Industrie-Contact in Germany, a former PRGN member in the UK, Sound PR in Italy, Multi Communications in Poland and S2 in Brazil to install regional PR programs. In some other countries the client commissioned non-PRGN agencies.
  • With regards to Germany, the client reported that Industrie-Contact won the business based on three key criteria: industry expertise, strength of its international network, and price-performance ratio.

Key elements of the campaign

  • Writing and send-out of at least 12 product-oriented releases per annum inclusive pro-active media contacts
  • Writing and placement of by-lined articles and case studies in key print media
  • Arrangement and moderation of individual meetings between Vocollect’s European senior managers and editors of key media at German trade shows
  • Comprehensive consultancy not only regarding PR but also regarding other local marketing communication activities like mailings and advertising

Results Germany

  • Starting with 65 pieces of coverage in 2003 in Germany, Industrie-Contact has made for more than 200 editorial placements in horizontal and vertical media in 2009. Even German business media have already reported on Vocollect’s voice technology.
  • Since the start of the campaign in the end of 2002, the awareness for the technology and the brand increased from almost 0 to 100 % among the key target groups.
  • Industrie-Contact was able to avoid negative press coverage of voice technology or Vocollect. All reporting is positive or at least neutral.
  • Feedback from the market confirm that Vocollect solutions have achieved a positive image.
  • Voice-directed work has become a key technology on the material flow market.
  • Vocollect is the market leader for voice technology, in Germany and globally.

Results other countries

  • In each country Vocollect started PR the development driven by the agencies is similar to Germany: The number of reportings increased rapidly to a high level, negative reporting could be averted and the target groups became highly aware for Vocollect’s solutions

Avoiding a crisis explosion

Situation:

Invencys climate is one of GMC Marketing clients who are part of PRGN through JMC Marketing Communications & PR, base on New York. This company has a factory plant in Mexicalli, Mexico.  JMC and GC&A partnered to manage a crisis situation when one of the employees had an accident that caused his death. During the accident, the Company rapidly advised its agency in the US and through PRGN they got in touch with GC&A for the local know-how, which is a key ingredient of effective PR. The strategic reaction was immediate to prevent and avoid a possible crisis situation.

Strategy:

GC&A designed a management crisis plan focused on internal and external communications. The objective was to maintain all key audiences informed such as authorities, employees and the family of the worker. With this effective internal communication plan we avoided a bigger issue and the appearance of the news on the Mexican media. Also we developed a variety of scenarios to react if the news reached the press, developing key messages, preparing a spokesperson, a media map and preparing all the elements to react if necessary.  We also kept strict media monitoring to detect any news at any time.

Results:

GC&A helped Invencys thanks to PRGN relations and a solid coordination team with JMC Marketing Communications and PR. Fortunately the case did not reach the press because of great internal management with employees and the family. Invencys climate was very receptive to our advices and to respond in a legal, professional and close way to the crisis. It was very useful to react immediately, to have all the scenarios prepared and to talk on the precise moment with the key people.

VW Barbie Beatle

Situation

In 2006, Mattel and GC&A had the idea to create a customized, real-size car for grown-up Barbie fans, and their daughters.  It had to be an aspirational, chic vehicle, inspired by the World’s most famous doll.

Strategy

On behalf of Client Mattel, GC&A approached Volkswagen Mexico to explore the possibility to create a special edition Barbie Beetle.  VW immediately realized the potential of this co-branding opportunity, and they got to work right away, customizing their popular VW Beatle with selected Barbie colors and decoys.  Because of logistic limitations, all parties agreed to produce a limited edition of just 13 vehicles.  All fuss would be PR-based, with GC&A in charge.   For additional promotion, eight cars were initially exhibited at branches of Palacio de Hierro, Mexico’s leading high-end department stores chain.  Afterwards, all 13 vehicles were sold through VW Dealers. 

Results   

Both lifestyle and automotive media were all over the Barbie Beetle.  This project, which cost virtually nothing, generated massive coverage, worldwide, with well over 500 positive notes from every Continent. The story achieved a huge impact not only in the press, but also in blogs and other social media.    

Commercially, the VW Barbie Beatle helped boost local Barbie sales:  During the exhibition of the vehicles at Palacio de Hierro, Barbie sales went through the roof with an increase of 500% vs. the same period, one year prior.  

Also, VW welcomed more customers in their selected dealerships, and offers to purchase Barbie Beatles were pouring in well after all 13 vehicles sold out.  Three years later, FIAT and Mattel emulated this initiative in Italy with a Barbie Fiat 500 “Cincuecento”.

ETS – European Tissue Producers

Background

The European Tissue Symposium (ETS) is a trade association, organized as a non-profit association established in the International and European Union environment of Brussels, Belgium. The members of  ETS represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and about 90% of the total European tissue production.

Project
The ETS Tissue Category Growth Task Force faced a declining shelf space for its premium products in the retail chains due to increased interest from the large chains for private label and discount products.  A communication project needed to enhance more awareness for the added value of these premium products for both consumers and retailers.

Strategy
ETS and PRP (Belgium) opted for an integrated campaign targeting 500 top retail managers in 19 European countries. The campaign needed to demonstrate the added-value of premium products also for retailers. She was built in three waves to enhance increased visibility and presence, using one wave per type of product. Personalised direct mail and media relations with a selection of the key trade publications in each market, were the two channels used.

To achieve a perfomant placement of the information in the media, PRP (Belgium) brought in several European members of the PRGN network, a.o. Industrie-Contact (Germany), Cullen Communications (Ireland), SCR Relaciones Publicas (Spain) and Peter Sawell (United Kingdom). PRP was responsible for the editing of the messages and materials, as well as the guidelines for both the colelague agencies and the local partners of the ETS-members, and for the overall coordination and reporting.

Key elements of the campaign included a.o.:
Pan-European mapping of the trade magazines;

Collating and stringent handling the clients lists of the ETS-members;

Research and analysis of the special projects and relevant innovation cases provided by ETS-members;

Editing the press and DM-documents;

Translations;

Direct mail to 500 top retail managers;

Providing guidelines and procedures to both PRGN-agencies as local ETS-representatives;

Coordination with the ETS Tissue Category Growth Task Force and with their representatives in the markets;

Coordination with the PRGN-agencies;

Monitoring of print and online results and evaluation;

Results
Multiple articles in all concerned markets in more than 70% of the  targeted trade magazines, ongoing media presence for an overall advertising value of almost 0.5 mio EUR.

The North Face – Dean Karnazes Italian Book Tour

Dean_Libro_200p

Situation:

The North Face is the world’s leader supplier of technically innovative outdoor apparel and equipment. The North Face has a team of more than 60 professional global athletes from around the world which includes snowboarders, skiers, rock climbers, mountaineers and endurance runners. Among the latter, Dean Karnazes stands out as the Ultramarathon runner par excellence, having completed several endurance events, most notably the Endurance 50: 50 marathons in the 50 American states on 50 consecutive days.

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A Tragedy in Full

A long-time legal friend recommended The Ledlie Group to one of his Fortune 500 clients hours after one of the client’s subsidiary companies suffered a disastrous mine explosion that killed 13 miners. The company’s communications director was overwhelmed by the gravity of the incident and the number of media requests, which were multiplying at record speed.

Project
To ensure consistent and timely strategic communications with company employees and their families, members of the media, union representatives and government investigators, our team traveled to the site of the explosion and established a communications command center, where we worked side-by-side with the company’s communications director, as well as its corporate and legal teams.

Results

The client was pleased with how we diffused the situation and asked us to develop a crisis communications plan for future implementation.  The Ledlie Group quickly became the company’s crisis agency of record (a year later the client also asked for our counsel when the government agency’s report was released).
We have since been asked for assistance in several other incidents involving one or more of the company’s subsidiaries.

NIRAS, nuclear waste agency

Background
NIRAS is the Belgian Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile materials. This federal agency by law is responsible for the management of nuclear waste. Its mission is to draw up the inventory, to handle, treat and stock radioactive waste and to propose solutions for its long term depository and management.
In 2006 the Belgian government decided to dispose of the low and medium active short-lived waste in a surface disposal installation; NIRAS now needs a decision in principle for the high active long-lived nuclear waste so as to steer its further research and development in the right direction. The decision is relatively urgent as the agency will need another three to four decennia on R&D to work out any type of solution.
Such a decision is highly subject to pressure and influences from political, industrial en environmental groups.

Project
PRP (Belgium) provides strategic consultancy to NIRAS in the fields of networking and communication with view on obtaining the much needed decision to allow the agency to fulfi mandate.

Strategy
As this federal agency until 2009 only communicated reactively, a communications strategy was developed for the next five years focusing on positioning, pro-activity on transparency. Next communications plans have been drafted to accompany the specific projects linked to the implementation of the earlier decision on category A waste as well as the Waste Plan related to the cat B & C waste, and issue management.

Key elements of the Corporate Communications accompaniment include:
* Corporate communication:
* Review of house style (please advice the  meaning of house style), publications, websites;
* Media relations with a mapping of the media landscape, spokesmanship, media trainings and coaching, development of procedures, statements & Q&A’s, informal press meetings;
* Networking with a mapping of tier 1 to 3 stakeholders, identification of visibility platforms, development of storyboards, setting up programs and follow up procedures;
* Setting up public participation processes;
* Accompaniment of citizen consultation forums;
* Issue management with monitoring of key influencers and editing and proactive deliverance of statements, and stand-by;
* Trainings and coaching.

PRP also accompanies the communications plans of the specific projects with both national and local activities.

Results
PRP achieved:
* NIRAS is no longer perceived as a non-communicative and non-transparent federal agency. The media have begun  to start  asking for NIRAS’ view on topics that are related to thei mission. The Belgian politicians have been made aware of the urgency of a decision, providing the direction in which NIRAS has to work in the next decennia.
* The agency now controls the communications on its many projects and is able to enhance synergies and to avoid disrupting programming of announcements and activities.

New England Law|Boston

NESL logo1

Century-old and prestigious law school, New England Law|Boston, selected The Castle Group to create and execute a year-long public relations and marketing campaign to raise the school’s visibility, differentiate the school from peer institutions in the region and promote its centennial year. The year-long program culminated with a signature convocation and celebration. This project was a fully integrated public relations and events management program.

Project
Castle faced many challenges, including managing the school’s name change and rebranding efforts, while planning and executing a large-scale celebration.

Strategy
The Castle Group designed a strategic campaign that included expert commentary, NELB program publicity, and student/alumni/faculty profiles, directing efforts to legal, business, higher education and general consumer audiences.

Castle’s event division planned, designed and managed NELB’s 100th anniversary celebration, a signature event at the Banknorth Garden, featuring thousands of attendees, as well as participation from noted local and national legal luminaries.

Results
Castle promoted, planned and managed a highly successful milestone event, which brought together NELB and helped them reach their ultimate goal of revitalizing the NELB community.

Castle helped in NELB’s rebranding by securing widespread media coverage in hundreds of print and broadcast outlets both regionally and nationally, including:

New York Times
FOXNews
Washington Post
Boston Globe
Lawyers Weekly
National Law Journal

CA/CDW Overachievers

CA logoCA, a worldwide leading information technology management company, partnered with Castle to produce a customized sales incentive program to incent CDW sales personnel to sell CA’s products. CDW is a reseller channel partner of CA’s.

Project

Castle worked with CA/CDW to customize a four day trip to Riveira Maya, Mexico. Complete event management included site selection, pre-event marketing, website design and implemetion, registration management, air and ground transportation, welcome events, numerous teambuilding and group activities, a final night gala and a post-event survey to measure ROI.

Strategy

Castle’s approach was to create motivation to sell CA’s products over that of its competition by creating a reward that was equal or greater than the effort put forth, but to also add value. Using experimental marketing and unique online tools geared towards “techies,” we were able to attract the sales reps, maintain their interest and reward their efforts with a trip to Mexico.

Mexico2009

Results

The trip was highly successful, with CA/CDW overachieving the goals they were given. Adidiotnally, the contest fosterd some health in-house competiiton, with the …

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