Home / Archive: May 2010

Under Circumstances, BP PR Not So Bad

May 18, 2010  |  10 Comments

Finally, BP released video last week of the deep-sea leak. Withholding the footage was one of the company's PR mistakes.

We”re watching one of the most overwhelming public relations challenges in the modern history of American business unfold around the BP oil spill in Louisiana.

And under the circumstances, the team there isn’t doing half bad.

Yes, the oil is still gushing into the Gulf of Mexico at the rate of over 5,000 barrels per day. And yes, the financial and environmental damage are already devastating and will grow.

But those results were guaranteed April 20, when the disaster first made news. Even the best public relations strategy can’t change the facts.

Since then, BP has kept its executives visible, shared information with its broad constituencies and even ponied up cash to support tourist bureaus in the region.

Daily opportunities to communicate

As is always the case in a situation like this, BP has been given a daily forum in the major media. Though the company has made some mistakes, its spokespersons have used the spotlight effectively to convey the company’s commitment to clean up the mess and to demonstrate that commitment with action.

BP has portrayed the spill as the enemy, and itself as the protagonist.

Contrast its behavior with companies in previous situations, large and small, that relayed limited information and demonstrated no action. The silent approach is not safe, but creates a dangerous vacuum that sucks into the spotlight every opponent, from the credible to the crackpot.

BP is filling the vaccuum, not only by taking advantage of the media limelight but more importantly by updating regulators, members of Congress and local communities.

“It seems like almost on a daily basis somebody has sort of checked in or called or come by the office providing information, being available to answer questions,” Senator Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican, told Business Week (read the full article).

Signs of optimism

Last week, TheStreet.com polled its readers on whether BP would halt the catastrophic leak in time to avert a disaster as massive as the Exxon Valdez leak in 1989. Some 58 percent of respondents thought BP would.

The investing public seems more optimistic. Although BP’s stock price has declined almost daily since last month’s explosion, and closed Monday at $46.57, it’s still far above the $35 it hit early last year. That suggests the spill is less a drag on BP’s value than the 2009 economic catastrophe from which stocks have generally recovered.

The story is not over, and there’s only so much PR can do amid a disaster like this.

At least BP’s doing that.

News Value Blessed Men’s Rally PR

May 17, 2010  |  1 Comment

Channel 33/27's story the day of the event.

When it comes to pursuing the publicity that is so important for their success, many nonprofits, especially faith-based groups, fall into sin.

They tend to advance messages about their causes and their leaders ahead of information that media professionals consider newsworthy.

Fortunately, the organizers of the recent Men’s Rally in the Valley in downtown Youngstown didn’t fall into that temptation. Although their cause – building a Promise Keepers-style event that would challenge Christian men to live up to their faith – was noble enough, their approach relied on strategies and content that scored with the secular media.

As a result, the first-time event drew a huge volume of print, broadcast and online publicity en route to what organizers and the Covelli Centre considered an extraordinary success. Some 3,500 men from diverse Christian backgrounds packed the downtown arena on Saturday, May 8, for a day of challenge and commitment.

Tribune coverage the day after the event.

(Pecchia Communications led the event’s nine-month campaign, pro-bono, leveraging its own handiwork and that of five other northeast Ohio companies that also donated all their time: American Sign Co., Bob Popa Entertainment, Gregoryfilms, On the Brink Creative and Ten29 Productions).

The team effort involved capitalizing on real news hooks:

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams. An outspoken Christian, the mayor agreed early to give the opening remarks for the May 8 event. In addition, he spoke in a compelling video (produced for free by Ten29) about what the Mahoning Valley would be like if Christian men commit to “walk the walk” of their faith. His involvement was a media magnet, and the video played in dozens of Valley churches and on YouTube.

Rally speaker Dave Dravecky. The Boardman native’s name and inspiring story are huge among sports fans and the Christian community. Dravecky’s picture in articles and on the Rally website, posters and fliers gave the event more credibility than a first-time effort typically deserves. His live interview on WYFM 95.5 The Fish in Cleveland was replayed twice.

Newton and Moncrief in front of the Covelli Centre.

Covelli Centre. In Youngstown, the rebounding downtown and its flagship entertainment venue are news. Far before the Rally took place, we invited media to interview event leaders in front of the arena. We secured the Covelli’s community room for a press conference four weeks ahead of the event.

Diversity. The large and diverse volunteer team that planned the Rally reflected extraordinary unity. That resonated with the media, and our handout picture of Bing Newton and Rev. David Moncrief in front of the Covelli Centre was published prominently in several papers.

The marketing effort went far beyond publicity. The team also developed a website, television commercials, radio spots, billboards, yard signs, two videos, an email newsletter and much more. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when not one, not two, but six communications companies donate heavy volumes of time.

Media publicity, though, is achieved not with time but with news value. Non-profits that can objectively apply an editor’s mindset to their activities and create that value can expect answers to their prayers.