Case Studies

Because of the confidential nature of much of our work, client names and program details have been withheld.

Issues Management: Exempting Interest Group from New Legislation

• Challenge … State passes new law that allows residents with permits to carry concealed weapons. State’s restaurant association is concerned about impact on customer attitudes.
• Approach … Conducted statewide media publicity campaign highlighting concerns.
• Result … Bars and restaurants are exempted from the concealed weapons legislation.

Crisis Communications: Addressing Environmental Onslaught

• Challenge … Large heavy metals smelter faces coordinated attack from environmental extremists who disseminate false, inflated and misleading information. Attack results in over-zealous scrutiny from state’s regulatory agency and widespread, regular negative media coverage. Parallels are drawn to Love Cannel and Times Beach, so the town (in which the smelter is located) is adversely impacted.
• Approach … Prepare briefing books to create legislative support group that is armed with facts. Conducted statewide media relations effort to offset negative news coverage about the company’s pollution problems and raise the public’s awareness of the need for certain heavy metals in our everyday lives. Rallied town’s citizens to take the debate on the town’s future away from special interest groups, environmental extremists and other outsiders.
• Result … Media fervor ended. Company reports to town group regularly on environmental compliance. Town group has refocused on economic development.

Public Affairs: Regional Support for National Effort

• Challenge … Provide regional support to a nationwide coalition of energy producers promoting the use of coal as a wise and inexpensive energy source.
• Approach … Conducted regional media publicity effort, facilitated meetings with environmental organizations and conducted editorial board meetings with coalition representatives.
• Result … The coalition successfully persuaded Congress and the President to protect coal-fired power plants from additional environmental regulations.

Public Policy: Standardizing the State’s School Year

• Challenge … The state’s travel and tourism industry (as represented by a travel federation) relies heavily on high school summer help to meet staffing needs. The start of the school year is different all over the state.
• Approach … Conducted statewide media relations campaign. Federation lobbied state legislators.
• Result … Legislation was passed mandating standardized school year start dates for all local school districts statewide.

Multi State Lobbying: Standardizing Regulatory Reporting

• Challenge … Major healthcare provider is portrayed in a poor light because of the way consumer complaints are reported in several Midwest states.
• Approach … Conducted public education effort via state-by-state media outreach. Coordinated with lobbyist who worked to gain understanding from state insurance departments.
• Result … Successfully changed the way various state departments of insurance compile and publicly report consumer complaints against HMOs and PPOs.