Creating an Effective Community Relations Program

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Creating an Effective Community Relations Program

• Presented by
• Maureen Rich
• The Edison Group

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Spotlight on Community Relations

• Companies are starting to get it conscience
  isnt just trendy, its necessary
• Sustainable development plans are becoming
  commonplace
• No one wants to be Martha, Enron, etc.
• The Bonus Doing good Good for business

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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

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Top 10 Reasons Companies Are Getting Involved
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
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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

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Baseline Basics

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

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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

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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

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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

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Incorporate PR Elements

• Remember
• Dont do CR for the PR
• But leverage CR in ways that maximize PR
  potential
• Dont lose your mission!
• But dont 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

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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 dont just tally
  measure

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Effective CR the SoCal Way

• A 70s icon
• combined with the right strategy!

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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 21sts profile and get press coverage for
  their goodwill efforts!

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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 Parents Guide
• Now in six states, in English and Spanish

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Logistics

• 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 isnt right, 21st donates brand-new seat

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Community Outreach

• The Edison Group handles all event promotion
• Fliers distributed in English, Spanish
• Local child care centers
• Churches
• Schools
• Key community groups
• Event site

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Media 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

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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., Natl
  Child Passenger Safety Week)
• Op-eds
• Silver-platter events

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Results by the Numbers

• Since the 21st Century Insurance Child Safety
  Seat Program
• began
• 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
• Weve helped raise companys profile within
• Key States/DMAs
• Media
• Industry
• Web

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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

Child Seat Campaign Media Hits 02 -
05
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The Edison Group

• Mission Statement
• To help our clients communicate
• successfully by thinking smarter, working
• passionately and keeping our promises.

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Creating an Effective Community Relations Program

• Presented by
• Maureen Rich
• The Edison Group