Community relations (1)

Creating an Effective Community Relations Program

Presented by

Maureen RichThe Edison Group

Spotlight on Community Relations

• Companies are starting to get it – conscience isn’t just trendy, it’s necessary

• “Sustainable development plans” are becoming commonplace

• No one wants to be Martha, Enron, etc.• The Bonus: Doing good = Good for business

A Gradual Shift

• PriceWaterhouseCoopers 2002 Sustainability Survey Report

– 140 U.S. companies

– 70 percent had no broad-based sustainability program in place yet.

– 69% were reviewing or revising ethics programs or their corporate-governance process

Top 10 Reasons Companies Are Getting Involved

Competitive Advantage (75%)

Cost Savings (73%)

Industry Trends (62%)

CEO/Board Commitment (58%)

Customer Demand (57%)

SRI Demand (42%)

Top-line Growth (37%)

Shareholder Demand (20%)

Access to Capital (12%)

PriceWaterhouseCoopers

In Their Own Words

• More than 7 of 10 Americans say they distrust CEOs of large corporations

• 80 percent of surveyed CEOs agree non-financial indicators such as environmental and social performance metrics are essential to characterizing future financial performance

– Business Week

• 70 percent of investors consider reputation in their decisions

– Citizen watch

• 91 percent of surveyed CEOs believe CSR management creates shareholder value

– Managing CSR Report

Baseline Basics

• Determine Goals• Establish Protocol & Criteria• Get Everyone Involved• Incorporate PR Elements• Establish a Metrics System

Determine Goals

• What Do We Want Program/Involvement to Accomplish?– Reposition company– Raise CEO profile– Get more press coverage in X community– Establish company as a resource

Community Media Government reps

– Target a specific audience Latino community Teens Elderly/baby boomers with aging parents

Establish Protocol & Criteria• Establish a process/protocol

• Decide how to respond to requests

– Relevance: What are our criteria for getting involved?

– Budget: What are our constraints?

– Always ask: Will fulfilling this request help us fulfill our goal/mission?

• Determine level of involvement up front – but get involved!

– Be more than a name in a press release – be visible

– Provide resources or planning support if possible

– Consider pros, cons to partnerships

• Weigh short- and long-term benefits

Get Everyone Involved

• Encourage employee involvement– Show enthusiasm, participation from the top down– Get departments involved– Provide incentives (e.g., comp day for day spent volunteering) – Create team-oriented events

• Volunteer programs• Sponsorships that foster teamwork• Fundraisers

• Prepare employees for events– Identify spokespersons (bilingual)– Ensure consistent messaging

Incorporate PR Elements

Remember:• Don’t do CR for the PR…

• But leverage CR in ways that maximize PR potential

• Don’t lose your mission!

But don’t forget: not everyone (i.e., media) cares• Offer compelling stories beyond “Company writes check”

• Put spotlight on subject, not donation

• Offer solutions to timely problems

• Have local stories ready

Establish a Metrics System

• Establish goals• Understand your impact on quarterly, annual bases• Characteristics of a “good” metric:

– Measurable– Easy– Timely– Repeatable– Insightful– Controllable

• Pay attention to the data; don’t just tally — measure

Effective CR the SoCal Way

A ’70s icon…

…combined with the right strategy!

Case Study: 21st Century Insurance

When the ’70s Icon Becomes Part of the Strategic Solution• Situation Five Years Ago:

– 21st Century Insurance was a leading California auto insurer

– Heavily involved philanthropically but without strategic direction

– Virtually no press coverage for any goodwill projects

• Goals:

– Continue philanthropy but with a more targeted approach

– Raise 21st’s profile… and get press coverage for their goodwill efforts!

PR Campaign Elements

• Child safety seat program (targeting key demo)

– Educate parents on state law, proper use

• Unprecedented law enforcement partnership

– California Highway Patrol

• Spokesperson Erik Estrada

– CHiPs connection

– Appeals to parent age group

– Appeals to Latino community

• State-specific, free educational materials

– “Child Safety Seats: A Parent’s Guide”

– Now in six states, in English and Spanish

• 21st secures a large, easily accessible, highly visible site (e.g., mall parking lot)

• CHP officers set up multiple inspection tents• Families arrive with children in vehicles• Trained officers inspect existing seat for proper fit,

installation and use• 21st employees staff event to assist• If seat isn’t right, 21st donates brand-new seat

Logistics

• The Edison Group handles all event promotion• Fliers distributed in English, Spanish

– Local child care centers– Churches– Schools– Key community groups– Event site

Community Outreach

• Pre-Event Promotion– PSAs– Calendar listings– Morning of event media

• Law enforcement officer, Erik Estrada provide live demo on-air

• On-Site Media Relations– Setting the scene

• Great visuals– Providing arc of story, from police to family to corporation

• Why are we involved?• Every officer, family, 21st spokesperson has a story

Media Outreach

PR in a CR Program• Message Delivery

– Media training for company reps, spokesperson– Spanish spokespersons– Talking points– Collateral materials

• Press kit, bilingual guides• B-roll package

• Leveraging the Message– Local, state or national events (e.g., Nat’l Child Passenger Safety

Week)• Op-eds• Silver-platter events

Results by the Numbers

Since the 21st Century Insurance Child Safety Seat Programbegan:• More than 60 events conducted• More than 7,200 seats inspected• More than 2,700 seats discarded• More than 5,800 seats donated by 21st

We’ve helped raise company’s profile within:• Key States/DMAs• Media• Industry• Web

Child Safety Seat Campaign Highlights

• 21st continues to distinguish itself through partnerships with state law enforcement and elected officials

– In 2005, successful launches in AZ, IN, OH & TX

– Continued success in CA and IL

• These partnerships and collaborations with Industry Associations (e.g., IIHS), add legitimacy and increase news value

• All 35 child safety seat events in 2005 garnered media coverage

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2002 2003 2004 2005

# of hits

Child Seat Campaign Media Hits ’02 - ’05

The Edison Group

Mission Statement

To help our clients communicate

successfully by thinking smarter, working

passionately and keeping our promises.

Creating an Effective Community Relations Program

Presented by

Maureen RichThe Edison Group