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 Corporate
Reputation
Welcome to another issue of Command Post Communications
Notes; our observations on the latest news media and public policy issues
as they relate to industry. CP Notes provides O'Brien'sRM clients with
the benefits of our insights and observations based on our years of
experience and expertise as to how the news media-rich environment we
operate in these days can affect your business and influence business
decisions. We also provide links at the bottom of this e-newsletter to
additional recent articles of interest, which you may find valuable. As you
review this week's CP Notes, ask yourself how would your business handle
these issues, all of which touch on that most valuable of corporate
assets; reputation. We'd like to hear from you if you have your own
thoughts and are willing to comment. In addition, if you think we could
help your business address similar issues, please let us know. I can be
reached by e-mail at toleary@obriensrm.com or by calling +1
(281) 379-7173. I've recently heard from many clients that they
appreciate receiving this newsletter. Thanks very much! Please feel free
to send to friends and colleagues or register here for
automatic distribution.
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Are You a Greenhouse Gas
Emitter?
The U.S. government has instituted a rule that would
require emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG) to annually report on their
emissions, similarly to what industry is already required to do with its
annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). According to the EPA, "under
the rule, suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial greenhouse gases,
manufacturers of vehicles and engines, and facilities that emit 25,000
metric tons or more per year of GHG emissions are required to submit
annual reports to EPA. The gases covered by the proposed rule are carbon
dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons
(HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and other
fluorinated gases including nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and
hydrofluorinated ethers (HFE)."
According to a story in the New
York Times regarding this rule, environmentalists and regulators have
hopes that large GHG emitters will somehow be shamed into cutting back
their GHG emissions once those numbers are released to the public.
Whether or not shame is a viable public policy tool in the United States
remains to be seen, but you can and should anticipate pressure groups
using this data to press industry into cutting back, similarly to what
happened with the annual TRI report. Does your company have a policy
statement on this rule? What will you tell your stakeholders if asked? Do
you have a communications plan to deal with this rule? If not, please
drop us an email at mediarelations@obriensrm.com. If you have
technical questions about this rule please contact our Compliance
Services Department at 281 320-9796 or at info@obriensrm.com.
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USCG Makes the News
On the anniversary of 9/11 last month the president of the
United States attended a memorial service at the Pentagon. For those of
you not familiar with the geography of Washington, D.C., the Pentagon is
situated in Virginia across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The
US Coast Guard decided the morning of September 11 when the president was
at the Pentagon would be a good time for a security exercise on
the Potomac-right across from the Pentagon. CNN broke into the
broadcast of the Pentagon ceremony with a news flash that the USCG had
fired shots at a boat on the river. Much self-inflicted confusion by the
news media followed in quick time. There are two main issues here. First,
CNN's judgment (or lack thereof) to run the story without verification,
which is addressed by former CNN broadcaster Jamie
McIntyre. The second issue is "who over at the Coast Guard had
the big picture in mind?"
Planning a public event should always include asking "what could go
wrong?" Simply ask the question: is there any reasonable way a
public event could have an unintended, negative consequence? Certainly
with 20/20 hindsight it's obvious now that everyone connected with this
security exercise should have seen a public relations crash coming. It's
not always so obvious however.
When I was the senior US Navy public affairs officer in the Persian Gulf
in mid 1991, US Forces planned and executed an amphibious exercise in
Kuwait that included a major troop movement of US Marines from the sea.
The Marines (and their equipment) were to move through Kuwait City up to
northern Kuwait to take part in a series of live fire exercises near the
Iraqi border. At a planning meeting it became clear to me that we
needed to change the primary public affairs objective, which was then
concerned with sending a "strong message of resolve" to the
Iraqis and international community. The Kuwaitis at this time had barely
begun the recovery process from a brutal Iraqi occupation. The Kuwait
City population was still quite nervous with people ready to dash for the
Saudi border at the earliest sign of a resurgent Iraq. I made the point
that our primary PR objective should not be to send a message to the
Iraqis, but that we should instead focus on sending a message of
reassurance to the Kuwaitis: "Hey, those tanks and helicopters that
you'll soon be seeing are here to protect you."
This was a good example of what many call strategic
communications--otherwise known as keeping the big picture in mind.
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O'Brien'sRM Responds to
Houston Ship Channel Oil Spill
O'Brien'sRM recently responded to a significant oil spill
on the Houston Ship Channel in which more than 10,000 gallons of #6 fuel
oil was discharged into the channel. Many of you are aware of the intense
media coverage and public outrage that followed the Cosco Busan spill in
San Francisco. In contrast, this spill in Houston received modest
attention and this difference was highlighted by a blog written by Rajesh Joshi
in Lloyd's List.
Resulting news media coverage and USCG press releases follow:
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H1N1 Flu
As we head into the Northern hemisphere's Fall season, the
number of reported cases of H1N1 flu continues to increase. H1N1 flu is
now at the pandemic stage and the prudent operator should heed advice
offered by health ministries, the World Health Organization and companies
like O'Brien'sRM.
We have full-time staff members with advanced degrees in epidemiology and
ample experience developing pandemic influenza plans and flu advice for
facility operators. If interested, you can contact us by calling +1 (281)
320-9796 or by emailing Clint Ladd.
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What Can We Do to Monitor a
Company's On-line Reputation?
While some of our clients are aware of some of the
different social media platforms, most are not aware that these platforms
are also used to post critical comments about companies. These platforms
are not just for teens to keep in touch with each other. Although
reputation damage is only seen in extreme cases, it can be said that
"what you don't know can hurt you."
Give us a call, we can help you monitor your on-line reputation.
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Social Media Application
Profile
This is the second in a series of articles introducing you
to the various social media applications that are out there and may
influence the reputation of your company. Don't know a Twitter from a
Tweet? Read on:
Twitter is a free social networking
and micro-blogging
service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets.
Tweets are text-based posts of
up to 140 characters
displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's
subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to
those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users
can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service
(SMS) or external applications.
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Are You Ready?
Incidents can quickly escalate into a business crisis and
a business crisis will last as long as there is news media interest in
the incident. Is your business ready for global news media scrutiny in
the event of an incident involving one of your ships? Does your company
have processes in place and the ability to field a team to respond to an
incident and return your business operations to normal as soon as
possible? Have you managed this risk?
Let us assist you with your news media and public relations needs.
Contact us today for a quote or more information at (281) 320-9796
or at mediarelations@obriensrm.com.
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Thank you - Please let us know
if you have any stories or items of information that we should know and
you'd like to pass on to other readers
Tim O'Leary, Vice President, Communications
O'Brien's Response Management
toleary@obriensrm.com
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