What the fast food industry doesn’t share with, say, a retail clothing company is the inherent trust that consumers place in the quality and safety of the product they’re purchasing – and the repercussions that come with that trust being broken. If someone was photographed ripping a sweater or pair of jeans as a form of employee protest at a GAP, for example, the public reaction would likely be muted.

A viral photograph of a Taco Bell employee holding a stack of empty taco shells while licking them, tongue fully exposed, is different. The sharp and disgusted public reaction (and obvious health concerns) escalates the incident to full-blown crisis. And the stakes are particularly high when the brand is a subsidiary of a publically-traded food conglomerate like Yum! Brands Inc, which enjoyed total revenues topping $13 billion in 2012.

Crisis communication is less science than art. No crisis is exactly like another. But by staying focused and holding true to the main tenets of effective, rapid crisis communications, a company can often mitigate any long-term brand damage.

In this case, Taco Bell responded quickly (an indication, perhaps, of lessons learned from similar cases in recent years?). It gathered information from the franchised location in California and immediately posted a comment on the infamous Facebook photo ensuring the public that it was committed to strict food handling procedures.

The company followed with a statement that systematically addressed each of the most pressing questions the public might have. Loosely following the “5 W’s,” the company outlined what the issue was, how it happened and, most importantly, the action it had already taken and would continue to take moving forward.

By gathering the right information quickly, taking immediate action and responding to all outstanding questions in a clear and concise statement, the company took the right first steps towards mitigating any long term damage. Preventing future issues will require a constant reexamination of hiring guidelines, staff training and best practices, but in this particular case Taco Bell should be credited for its response.

Tuesday’s election gave the BC Liberals their fourth consecutive majority mandate. The new government will likely continue its focus on BC’s economy and a balanced budget with a particular emphasis on sectors such as LNG development. Given the wide-spread attention the election attracted, pollsters and pundits will dissect the results for some time. In the meantime, attention turns to the immediate next steps for the Premier and government as it prepares for implementation of its new mandate.  FH has identified three milestones the new BC Liberal government will need to address over the coming weeks and months in order to re-start governing the province.

FH Vancouver Public Affairs Update – May 17, 2013

FH Election Report May 10 2013

The team successfully used digital data to challenge the assumptions on how the Annual Report was read, navigated, shared and composed, and then subsequently worked with this global organization to improve the process and increase impact.

While keeping names and specifics quiet, I can share a few key learnings that make this case so interesting.

First of all it was assumed that Annual Reports have a limited shelf life – a few days maximum.  MYTH. In turns out that for this organization, although there were 10,000 views in the first day, 400 views on day three, the annual number of views was more than 95,000 the long tail was making up the majority of visits over time. How does/should this impact the promotion and distribution of an Annual Report? How do you work to maximize an extended shelf life and target specific audiences with relevant information? Organizations today go far beyond the balance sheet when preparing the Annual Report. Leveraging additional developments and accomplishments in areas such as employee engagement, or environmental or corporate and social responsibility initiatives with strategic outreach is a great opportunity to capitalize on content created and gain more from that original investment. Optimizing that content through search is another key consideration. This global organization had done little to leverage search engines for promotion of its report. Imagine the increase in visits if they had…

It was also assumed that social media was an ideal way to promote and circulate the annual report. MYTH. For this organization, the key stakeholders were not distributing or passing the information on, and the organization was seeing little tangible results from their current investment in promotion through social media. Understanding the needs of your audience is critical across all platforms, and this includes social media. Consider using tailored services such as StockTwits to deliver a more comprehensive offering for the financial specifics, while leveraging more general content as a drip feed through existing social media channels and to key influencers.

By leveraging the results, FleishmanHillard was able to work with this client and increase exposure by 218% over the previous year. Engagement and page views increased, as did the number of report downloads.

Are you getting all you could out of your Annual Report? How do you know?

FH Election Report May 3 2013

New Logo and Creative Revealed, First Issue of Digital Magazine Launched

To see a preview of the rebranding, please visit: http://fleishmanhillard.com/

ST. LOUIS, May 1, 2013 — FleishmanHillard today unveiled a newly refreshed corporate brand and associated digital media property. The new branding reflects the evolution of the leading public relations firm into a fully integrated communications company that provides clients with the world’s most complete communications solutions. Long recognized around the world for excellence in public relations, public affairs, and digital and social media communications, FleishmanHillard has redefined the boundaries of traditional public relations by becoming channel agnostic.  Able to solve client business problems by working across paid, earned, shared and owned (PESO) media channels.

“Many years ago we recognized the changing communications environment and increasingly heard client demands for integrated solutions,” said Dave Senay, FleishmanHillard president and CEO. “Mostly under the radar, we reimagined and reinvented our business. We invested in nontraditional talent and new capabilities behind four significant growth areas driving our business today: the alignment of brand and reputation; analytics and insights; social enterprise; and strategic integration across paid, earned, shared and owned media channels.”

New Brand Platform, Tagline and Logo

To reintroduce the firm, FleishmanHillard is unveiling a new brand platform, tagline and logo. “Having evolved, and with a new story to tell, we needed our brand – a brand that had not been touched since 1990 – to catch up,” said Stephanie Marchesi, FleishmanHillard chief marketing officer. Believing that brands are revealed and not invented, the firm looked closely at itself, conducting more than 100 one-on-one interviews with employees, clients and industry observers. They found that three significant factors – who the firm is at its core, how the world has changed, and new client demands – intersected at one word: True.

“True speaks to our unique ability to help clients navigate a world demanding unprecedented authenticity and transparency,” said Senay. “True also reflects our firm’s moral compass and commitment to the highest values. It defines who we are as a company, and the direction we are moving ahead.” To capture the meaning and message behind true, FleishmanHillard is introducing the tagline, The Power of True.

The Power of True defines who FleishmanHillard is and what it believes. It also explains what the firm offers clients, including: The power of true insights; the power of true ideas; the power of true integration; the power of true client service; and the power of true outcomes.

The new logo equally reflects the firm’s transformation. “Our former logo did an excellent job of reflecting the trust and confidence clients have long placed with us,” said Marchesi. “Our new logo maintains those values, but with a fresh, innovative and more contemporary interpretation.”

The logo unites the names of both founders – Fleishman and Hillard – on one line to reflect the heritage of the firm and the originators of modern public relations. FleishmanHillard also added to its logo an iconic mark that complements the logo but also symbolizes the transformation of the firm. The vertical bars tell the story of a firm deeply rooted in the industry sectors and communications capabilities most important to clients. The horizontal bars represent FleishmanHillard’s ability to innovate, integrate and redefine the boundaries of traditional public relations.

New Digital Magazine

Brands today have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to not only leverage media channels to tell their story, but also to be the media channel. As a firm steeped in knowledge, rich with thought leaders and connected to some of the most important minds in the world, the company is launching FleishmanHillard TRUE – a digital magazine. TRUE has engaged forward thinkers from business, academia, consulting and other disciplines to share their insights on new realities, challenges and opportunities that exist at the intersection of marketing, communications and media.

FleishmanHillard has appointed veteran journalist Pat Wechsler as editor and content strategist. Wechsler joined FleishmanHillard with more than 25 years’ experience as a writer and editor at prestigious media companies such as Business Week, Bloomberg News, Crain’s New York Business, New York Magazine and Newsday.

FleishmanHillard TRUE (true.fleishmanhillard.com) will publish a themed issue each quarter, but will refresh portions of its content weekly so it has an opportunity to weigh in on developing stories. The first publication explores the evolving relationship between a company’s brand – what it says about itself – and a company’s reputation – what others say about it. The May 1 launch includes interviews with Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya on the Greek yogurt maker’s challenge to remain entrepreneurial after hitting $1 billion in sales, and Hyatt CMO John Wallis on how companies need to recognize employees as potentially their best spokespeople.  It also features commentary by Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why, on the ability of some companies to inspire.

TRUE Creative Campaign

FleishmanHillard is supporting its refreshed brand with a multimedia creative campaign spanning paid, earned, shared and owned media. “In a nutshell, the creative strategy is to be the media, not merely appear in it,” said Nick Childs, FleishmanHillard executive creative director, who led the creative and production teams. “Success is not limited to just reaching people and raising our visibility. We are aiming for something much more magnetic that will draw clients and talent back from time to time, especially as we debut each new issue of TRUE.”

Working with FleishmanHillard’s media planning team, a media plan that signals the evolution of FleishmanHillard and public relations, was developed.  Ads will appear in expected channels, including trade media, as well as in channels untraditional for a public relations or communications company, such as broadcast and digital display ads in mainstream business outlets. The creative campaign makes its debut in the U.S. and will expand across international markets. A new corporate website that reflects the firm’s refreshed brand and positioning also makes its debut today. It can be viewed at fleishmanhillard.com.

About FleishmanHillard

FleishmanHillard is the world’s most complete global communications firm, specializing in public relations, public affairs, marketing, paid media, and transmedia and social content. FleishmanHillard delivers on The Power of True, reflecting the firm’s high values, and unique ability to guide clients through a world demanding unprecedented authenticity and transparency.  FleishmanHillard was named “Standout Agency” on Advertising Age’s 2013 A-List; NAFE’s “Top 50 Companies for Executive Women” for 2010-2013; Advertising Age’s 2012 “Best Places to Work”; and The Holmes Report’s 2012 Global “Public Affairs Agency of the Year.” The firm’s award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., and has more than 80 offices in 29 countries, plus affiliates in 42 countries. Visit us at www.fleishmanhillard.com.

About Diversified Agency Services

Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom’s holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

About Omnicom Group Inc.

Omnicom Group Inc. (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

To read our full analysis report click here: FleishmanHillard 2013 Budget Analysis

Just like a ‘good old hockey game,’ an election debate is a spectator sport. The players try to score the most points, land a few big hits and give their loyal fans something to cheer about. A good performance can put a political party on the path to victory, and a poor performance can land them in the penalty box in the minds of voters.

The players in a debate must come equipped with a game strategy and superior skills. They have to be quick on their feet and willing to play rough. When it’s all over, there’s no shortage of commentators and analysts to discuss how it all plays out. Sound familiar, hockey fans?

Of course, elections are much more than a contest. The purpose of an election debate is to inform voters about how politicians will deal with critical issues like the economy, taxation, social services and the environment. Debates can be pivotal moments in an election campaign.

As professionals in the communications and public affairs industry, we’ve been following the election closely. There are many excellent sources of information about BC politics, but we wanted to create something a bit different. The SCORECARD infographic puts the Leaders’ Debate in a format designed for sharing on social media. We hope it sparks interest and brings more British Columbians into the conversation about the May 14^th election.

The BC Election Debate Scorecard can be found here: http://bit.ly/12XCrJX

FH BC Election Report April 26 2013

The success of the Toronto pop-up store was overwhelming and the CPRS judges presented FH Toronto with the silver medal for Best Use of Media Relations under 50,000. Overall, it was a great night of agency interaction and interactive campaigns. A big congratulations goes to the One D World Toronto team for their well-earned accolade!

Jacob Porpossian holding evidence of a job well done.