Sample Pr Campaign

Communications Plan Addressing Most Pressing Reputational Issues set some Livestrong Background of current issue facing Livestrong inception transmit Armstrong the 7 time Tour De France winner, crabmeat survivor and undercoating chairman of the Livestrong Foundation, has been facing a lot of conjure upure and criticism from the media and the worldly concern ascribable to t push through ensembleegations of doping made by the United States Anti Doping Agency (BBC, 2012). On October 17 2012 Armstrong resigned as Chairman referable to allegation of doping (Mary, 2012).In November 2012, ray of light Armstrong officially stepped down from the board of directors and ended his draw with the Livestrong Foundation which was then cognize as The light beam Armstrong Foundation (Mclaggan, 2012 Vertuno, 2012). However, despite this, the opinion of the concourse towards the Livestrong Foundation is one of prejudice. Many companies who form-only(prenominal)ly endorsed Armstrong pr olong dropped him from their campaigns. Some of these companies were Nike, Trek Bicycles, Giro, FRS (energy products), and 24 Hours Fitness (Petchesky, 2012).Various reasons were given by the heads of these organizations as to why Armstrong was dropped. FRS Chief of Marketing commented this seems like a good time to part instructions spell 24 Hours Fitness stated our business relationship with Armstrong no longer aligns with our companys flush and values (Schrotenboer, 2012). These and many more statements were made in regards to the doping allegations. Armstrongs reputation and enter is currently deteriorating rapidly.There are many opinions from segments of society (such as the frequent and the media,) regarding the Livestrong Foundation by and by this alleged scandal. Here is a sketch overview of the situation from various stakeholders (See Appendix for Livestrong Foundation view) The Public The public had varied opinions. There has been one air division of people who ha ve stood strongly by Lance Armstrong and the Livestrong Foundation. They stand by the fact that the cornerstone is lock approximately questioning a cure for malignant neoplastic disease and so it entrust al focusings be respected in the eyes of the community.Lou Hablas has supported Livestrong for years and worn the iconic xanthous bracelet in honor of his uncle, stepm some other and friends who have lost loved ones to malignant neoplastic disease. The 49-year-old Georgia resident says hell wait to snap off the bracelet despite news that fort cyclist Lance Armstrong is stepping down as chairman of the charity he founded 15 years ago. just the poster of Armstrong oversteping his Discovery squadmates in the team time trial at the 2005 Tour de France is coming down from his office wall amid news that the U. S.Anti-Doping Agency found overwhelming evidence of Armstrongs involvement in doping as a professional cycler. What Lance initiated through the formation of a substruc ture in his learn and efforts through Livestrong far exceed this formal and seemingly final recognition of Lances fallibility, Cancer sucks and it is much big than Lance Armstrong Hablas said in an interview with CNN (CNN, 2012). The feeling of Lou Hablas mirrors the feeling of millions around the world. While they still continue to strongly support the Livestrong, their respect for Lance Armstrong has diminished due to the doping incident.They are able to sepa deem the foundation from Lance Armstrong and the controversy environ Lance Armstrong does not change their opinion on the Livestrong Foundation. On the other go across, there has similarly been a erect segment of the public who have lost their faith in the Livestrong Foundation. Wendy Adams of Manchester, Pennsylvania, and her sisters have been hold uping their yellow bracelets since their yield was diagnosed with end stage prostate cancer in 2004. When her father died in 2005, the family respected his wish to be cre mated wearing the bracelet and spent $200 dollars on the bracelets for family and friends to hand out.Now, she says she cant wear the bracelet with pride anymore be display case of its connection to Armstrong and the organization. She has taken it off and vows to never again wear it. She says Lance is Livestrong, he is the face of hope. And when that face is that of a liar, a manipulator, for me? I cant wear it with pride anymore. (Ibid) because we see that the public has different opinions regarding the Livestrong Foundation after Lance Armstrongs doping scandal. But the vast volume of people are able to distinguish between the Livestrong Foundation and Lance Armstrong.They recognize that the Livestrong Foundation is rough cancer which is much bigger than Lance Armstrong and the foundation havent suffer due to the Lance Armstrong scandal. The Media The media has been canvass the Livestrong Foundation closely after the Lance Armstrong doping scandal. The Livestrong Foundation has been under intense scrutiny recently. Bill Gifford, a journalist from OUTSIDE magazine, released an denomination stating that the Livestrong Foundation doesnt in fact do much to breed research to find a cancer cure (Gifford 2012).He states in his article Equally interesting is what the foundation doesnt do. Most peopleincluding nearly everybody I surveyed while reporting this invoiceassume that Livestrong funnels large amounts of money into cancer research. Nope. The foundation gave out a total of $20 million in research grants between 1998 and 2005, the year it began phasing out its support of hard science. A note on the foundations website informs visitors that, as of 2010, it no longer even accepts research proposals (Ibid. ).Gifford also goes on to say that the primary ending of the Livestrong Foundation is to advertise and promote Lance Armstrong as he is the face of the foundation. He says I found a curiously fuzzy mix of cancer-war goals like survivorship and global a wareness, labels that seem to entail plastering the yellow Livestrong logo on everything from T-shirts to medical conferences to soccer stadiums. Much of the foundations work ends up buffing the image of one Lance Edward Armstrong, which seems fairafter all, Livestrong wouldnt exist without him.But Livestrong spends massively on advertising, PR, and branding, all of which helps concern Armstrongs marketability at a time when hes under fire. Such stakeholder viewpoints illustrate that Livestrong has to be careful in all its future endeavors as it is under constant scrutiny due to the doping allegations surrounding Lance Armstrong. This may have serious impacts related to the loss of Livestrongs reputation and hence the gainsay is in disassociating the Livestrong brand from its founder Lance Armstrong.The message must be communicated that Livestrong is about the scramble against cancer at a global level, rather than a mere doping scandal by its founder. - The key issues set previ ously in this report highlight the importance of rebuilding Livestrongs brand image in a manner that refocuses public prudence towards Livestrongs over-arching agenda and manifesto To fight cancer with purpose in the face of adversity.The following communications plan outlining key aims, objectives, strategies and tactics has been produced with this message at heart. The formal severing of ties with Lance Armstrong, are the first move taken by the Livestrong Foundation towards this process. - conformation 1 Key Aims * Identify key stakeholders that are currently affected by the crisis, who it may affect and why. * focus public attention towards cancer victims and inspirational cancer fighters supported by Livestrong. Ensure that communication is clear, compelling, continuous, concordant and sustained. * Ensure that fitting, understanding and commitment amongst internal stakeholders is achieved in relation to implementing strategies and tactics to overcome crisis. promotional pipeline Public Relations Objective Honest and sincere Acknowledgement of the problem Livestrong is facing, the execute taken and highlight the need to focus on the true adversary cancer itself. schema Communicate in amount to internal and external stakeholders within the next 6 months.Tactics 1) Organising a pack conference A part that holds a prominent role in the Livestrong Foundation get out address the public. In preparation for the machinate conference, the translator give be given well(p) media training beforehand in responding to questions by the press such as What is Livestrongs current stance on doping? How does Livestrong plan to attract boons when its founding appendage can no longer inspire donors or call on celebrity contacts? Who lead lead the organisation now that Armstrong has stepped down?What entrust be the next go of the charity? etc. (More questions will be prepared for media training, closer towards the launch of the press conference). The Spoke sperson will begin the conference by acknowledging the doping allegations made towards Livestrongs former founder which have resulted in the foundation formally severing ties with Lance Armstrong. The spokesperson will then, make it explicit that it was a necessary decision made with the true cause at chief Fighting Cancer, which at the moment is not receiving ull attention by the foundation and its public due to Armstrongs doping allegations. The spokesperson will highlight the significant difference made by the Livestrong Foundation in its long-term fight against cancer through conducting educational programs emphasising on healthy lifestyle, anti-stigma campaigns and Grassroots fundraising events all done in order to raise awareness, affix outreach and facilitate collaboration in an effort to alter the situation of cancer patients.Furthermore, the spokesperson will highlight that it is important for the public to keep in mind these contributions made by Livestrong in the figh t against cancer and will advise the public to look at two separate people Lance Armstrong the cycling champion allegedly turned drug-user and Lance Armstrong the cancer fighter and symbol of inspiration of which the latter was the reason for Livestrongs success until this point.Not only does Livestrong reach out to cancer patients, but also to those who look for inspiration, determination and hope, in their darkest hours of need. After these key points are made, the spokesperson will invite the press for a Q&A session. 2) Distributing press releases and feature articles online and offline Firstly, a count of press releases will be distributed to key media outlets (offline) and wired agencies (e. g. Reuters online), raising and addressing similar points to that of the press conference.Secondly, feature stories focusing on Livestrong Foundation support given to local and national cancer victims and their families will be distributed (both online and offline) in local and national m edia outlets. These stories will focus on an angle showing the determination of the cancer victims, survivors and their families and how Livestrong aids them in this journey through emotional and financial support essentially, communicating in a compelling way to engage the public with Livestrong.Further, by distributing a considerable number of press releases and feature stories online, it would ensure that members of the public will encounter such stories which focus on Livestrongs positive impact on society, in effect, proving to be a cost effective-method achieving search engine optimisation (SEO). 3) Social media engagement Firstly, a depiction release will be made (utilising YouTube) featuring the inward board chairman of the foundation Jeff Garvey, who outlines the next steps that will be taken by the Livestrong Foundation followed by the severing of ties with its former chairman Lance Armstrong.This would of importly involve giving undivided attention towards the Livest rong Foundation mission in providing free financial, applicative and emotional support services for cancer survivors and their families. This video will then be attached to Livestrongs website, Facebook page, Twitter account and Blog. This will be followed by an invitation to the public to give their honest opinion about Livestrong and suggest ideas about what steps the foundation could take in order to better contribute to its fight against cancer.In addition, a competition will be posted on Facebook and Twitter announcing that the winner who suggests the most yeasty and engaging idea will have their name as part of the next Livestrong campaign title and the opportunity take part as one of the campaign team leaders. Not only will this type of approach promote symmetrical communication between Livestrong and the Public, but also indirectly suggests that Livestrong is exhausting its best to move past the Lance Armstrong doping scandal and refocus all its energy towards fighting cancer. ) Establishing an Intranet governance for internal stakeholders of the Livestrong Foundation Given the possibility that not all members, employees and shareholders may be aware of the acerbity of the issue concerning Lance Armstrongs alleged doping scandal and the strategic action taken to repair Livestrongs reputation an intranet will be open up to provide the latest information on the issue and steps taken to rebuilding Livestrongs brand image in a manner that refocuses public attention towards Livestrongs battle against cancer.The intranet page will be maintained by a trained team who will monitor current problems, predict any future revelations and watch the movements of public and media opinion closely. This will also provide the opportunity for internal stakeholders to ask questions, post responses, and contribute ideas about the crisis in a community sphere. Measurement and Evaluation Firstly, feedback could be gained from journalists, who will attend the press con ference, on whether the responses given by the Livestrong Foundation were sufficient in communicating Livestrongs future intentions and vision purely focused on battling cancer.The press releases and feature stories will be evaluated in relation to how consistent, clear and compelling they are in producing communication outcomes (e. g. Whether the key message was fully, partially, incorrectly, negative/positively, etc. conveyed . In relation to evaluating the level of public engagement with neighborly media, they will be measured according to the tone of communication. For example, whether the blog, twitter and Facebook responses by the public, were positive, balanced, neutral or negative.Furthermore, this will also be measured by tracking levels of public engagement. E. g. whether target audiences are Lurking, Casual, Active, affiliated or Loyal. The activity on the intranet will be measured in a similar forge although it would also include tracking the amount of internal stakeh older response within a period of 6 months. Given that the above strategies and tactics are successful and meet the objective, the Livestrong Foundation can move towards the second phase which involves creatively utilising the promotional channels of Advertising and Viral Marketing.Note The above strategies were considered after examining the cases of Sony and Dell when they set about a product defect issue where they avoided damages to their reputation through responses received through their established crisis website (Larkin and Register, 200863) Further, the case concerning the rebranding of Scope the charity organisation for cerebral palsy was also examined in detail (Scope, 2012). - - PHASE 2 Promotional Channel AdvertisingObjective Ensure a new and improved understanding of Livestrong by the public. Strategy Creating a new advertizing to broadcast Livestrongs new image. Tactics Two different publicizings will be made for two groups of audiences. 1. Advertisement directed towards the general public This advertisement features a elflike girl frolicking happily in a garden. The whole frame is colourful. Suddenly, a monster called cancer appears, and a thunder storm occurs. The little girl begins to cry in fear. At this time, a large number of Livestrong wristbands appear to fight the monster and protect the little girl.The wristbands knock the monster down and sunshine prevails. The guideword Let Livestrong Protect the One You Love then appears . The advertisement will be shot in the style of caricature which makes it simple and easy to comprehend. Even children will be able to understand the advertisement therefore, the target audience is broadened. This inspiration comes from dulcet Startthe campaign which is called up by Welsh administration to stop smoking in cars. This campaign used children as their starting points and inspired people fish filet smoking. ((2012). GOLLEY SLATER LAUNCHES FRESH START WALES. Online Last accessed celestial latit ude 13th). 2. Advertisement directed towards cancer survivors and their families The second advertisement is aimed at encouraging people who have suffered from cancer to be hopeful and to trust Livestrong. This advertisement will focus on the reliability of the Livestrong foundation. The advertisement has a black and white tone to portray peoples emotion after knowing that they get cancer. This scene will simply focus on the facial shots of people who have just found out that they have cancer. Sad music plays in the background to enhance the affect.After this, the Livestrong wristbands appear. The yellow color of the wristband symbolizes sunshine and how Livestrong can brighten the lives of those who suffer from this dread(a) disease. The advertisement ends with the frame being full of sunshine and smiles on the faces of the people who suffer from cancer. Platform These advertisements will be played in public places, such as subway stations and bus sugar because it has a wider rea ch in terms of viewers. Some posters with a similar theme will also be used as outdoor advertisements. There will also be a donation box near the screen.This is done because people will feel the need to donate immediately after viewing such a touching advertisement. Prediction It is estimated that 6 months into the advertising campaign, the awareness of Livestrong will increase by 30%. Also, the donation towards the Livestrong foundation will also increase about 10%. Promotional Channel Viral Marketing Objective Increase peoples awareness of Livestrong Strategy score advantage of genial media, such as Youtube, Twitter and Facebook to let more people know Livestrongs new image Tactics 1. Flash MobThere will be several flash mob activities in target cities, such as London and Manchester, which means organizing about 50 people at the city landmark wearing Livestrong apparel and repeat the Livestrongs slogan. All this will be recorded and broadcasted onto social media sites. This ta ctic is inspired by the popularity of Psys Gangnam Style. Gangnam Styles shoot to popularity is attributed to the effective use of social media through which it gained global recognition. 2. Twitter and Livestrong Another activity, mainly to do with Twitter, can also be undertaken.A wont designed poster stating Keep Calm and Trust Livestrong will be posted by Livestrong. every(prenominal) time the poster is re-tweeted, Livestrong will donate 1 pound towards a cancer rehabilitation center. This action will not only help people who suffer from cancer, but will also irritability the attention and interest of the people and increase brand awareness. Platform Social media will be the main platform for this strategy as it is currently more popular than traditional means of marketing. Social media will reach a very wide range of audience from the youth to the older generation.Also, the broadcasting induce of social media is faster compared to broadcasting via traditional means. - Predi ction In this six months campaign, Livestrongs exposure rate on social media will increase and people will have more positive aspects to debate about Livestrong. - Word Count 3,275 References British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). (2012), Lance Armstrong receives US Anti-Doping Agency charges. Online on tap(predicate) at http//www. bbc. co. uk/sport/0/cycling/18435771 Accessed 1 celestial latitude 2012.Burleigh, N. (2012), Will Livestrong Stay Strong? Online available at http//www. bicycling. com/news/featured-stories/will-livestrong-stay-strong? page=0,1 Accessed 1 celestial latitude 2012 CNN (2012) Livestrong bracelet To wear or not to wear?. Online. Available at http//www. cnn. co. uk/2012/10/18/living/lance-armstrong-livestrong-legacy/index. html Accessed 1 December 2012 Gifford, B. (2012), Its not about the lab rats. Online. Available at http//www. outsideonline. com/outdoor-adventure/athletes/lance-armstrong/Its-Not-About-the-Lab-Rats. tml? page=all Accessed 1 December 2012. Golly Slater (2012), Golly Slater launches Fresh Start Wales. Online. Available at http//www. golleyslater. co. uk/services/public-relations/news/news-detail. php? id=976 Accessed 29 November 2012 Livestrong (2012) Livestrong Milestones Online. Available at http//www. livestrong. org/Who-We-Are/Our-History/Milestones Accessed 10 December 2012. Maclaggan, C. (2012) Exclusive Livestrong cancer charity drops Lance Armstrong name from title Online. Available at http//www. chicagotribune. om/sports/olympics/sns-rt-us-cycling-armstrong-livestrongbre8ae000-20121114,0,6273785. story Accessed 1 December 2012. Mary, P. (2012) Armstrong Is Dropped by Nike and Steps Down as Foundation Chairman. Online. Available at http//www. nytimes. com/2012/10/18/sports/cycling/lance-armstrong-dropped-by-nike-steps-down-as-chairman-of-his-charity. html? pagewanted=all Accessed 1 December 2012. New York Times (2012) Times Topic Lance Armstrong. Online. Available at http//topics. nytimes. com/top/ref erence/timestopics/people/a/lance_armstrong/index. tml Accessed 1 December 2012. Petchsky, B. (2012), A full list of the brave brave companies that dropped lance Armstrong only after Nike did. Online Available at http//deadspin. com/5952679/a-full-list-of-the-brave-brave-companies-that-dropped-lance-armstrong-as-an-endorser-only-after-nike-did. Accessed 1 December 12. Regester, M. & Larkin, J. , (2008) Risk Issues and Crisis Management in Public Relations A Casebook of Best Practice. London Kogan Page. Schrotenboer, B. (2012), Livestrong lonesome(prenominal) 8 donors asked for their money back. Online. Available at http//www. usatoday. om/story/sports/cycling/2012/11/12/livestrong-lance-arms trong-doping/1700831/ Accessed 1 December 2012. Scope (2012), The Spastics Society to Scope The story of the name change and relaunch November in 1994. Online Available at http//www. scope. org. uk/sites/ evasion/files/pdfs/History/Scope_name_change. pdf Accessed 1 December 2012. Vertuno, J. (2012) Lance Armstrong Cuts Formal Ties to Livestrong, Resigns from Board Online. Available at http//www. therepublic. com/view/story/c98e415cc01346f19a7a67a12ead195f/CYCArmstrong-Livestrong Accessed1 December 2012.Wall Street Journal (2012) Statement by Lance Armstrong Online. Available at http//online. wsj. com/article/SB10001424052702303734204577464962634804348. html Accessed 1 December 2012. APPENDIX The Livestrong Foundation Perspective of Lance Armstrons Allegations The Livestrong Foundation was ab initio very supportive of Lance Armstrong during the doping incident. However, Lance Armstrong stepped down from the board of directors of the foundation and ended all association with Livestrong. This was done to ensure that the negative publicity directed towards Lance Armstrong would not affect Livestrongs popularity.The incoming board chairman, Jeff Garvey, said that Armstrong was distancing himself from Livestrong to protect it against any damage resulting from his doping con troversy. Lance Armstrong was instrumental in changing the way the world views people affected by cancer, Garvey said. His devotion to serving survivors is unparalleled and for 15 years, he committed himself to that cause with all his heart. (The New York Times 2012). Livestrong CEO Doug Ulman, a cancer survivor himself, sees the scandal as little more than a sad distraction from a noble cause, and he sees no need for a formal distancing from Armstrong. This organization has never been stronger in terms of fulfilling our mission and the support that we receive from literally millions of people, he says. We are trying to tackle a global problem, the number one cause of decease around the world. And so the investigation unfortunately has become a distraction from our mission. We are literally, positively changing lives every day and we have so much more to do and to be pulled away and put off even for 10 minutes is