Sample Pr Campaign

Communications Plan Addressing Most Pressing Reputational Issues Facing Livestrong Background of current issue facing Livestrong Foundation Lance Armstrong – the 7 time Tour De France winner, cancer survivor and founding chairman of the Livestrong Foundation, has been facing a lot of pressure and criticism from the media and the public due to allegations of doping made by the United States Anti Doping Agency (BBC, 2012). On October 17 2012 Armstrong resigned as Chairman due to allegation of doping (Mary, 2012).In November 2012, Lance Armstrong officially stepped down from the board of directors and ended his association with the Livestrong Foundation which was then known as The Lance Armstrong Foundation (Mclaggan, 2012; Vertuno, 2012). However, despite this, the opinion of the people towards the Livestrong Foundation is one of prejudice. Many companies who formally endorsed Armstrong have 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: â€Å"this seems like a good time to part ways† while 24 Hours Fitness stated: â€Å"our business relationship with Armstrong no longer aligns with our company’s mission and values† (Schrotenboer, 2012). These and many more statements were made in regards to the doping allegations. Armstrong’s reputation and image is currently deteriorating rapidly.There are many opinions from segments of society (such as the public and the media,) regarding the Livestrong Foundation after this alleged scandal. Here is a brief overview of the situation from various stakeholders (See Appendix for Livestrong Foundation view): The Public: The public had varied opinions. There has been one section of people who have stood strongly by Lance Armstrong and the Livestrong Foundation. They stand by the fact that the foundation is still about researching a cure for cancer and so it will always be respected in the eyes of the community.Lou Hablas has supported Livestrong for years and worn the iconic yellow bracelet in honor of his uncle, stepmother and friends who have lost loved ones to cancer. The 49-year-old Georgia resident says he'll continue to wear the bracelet despite news that embattled cyclist Lance Armstrong is stepping down as chairman of the charity he founded 15 years ago. But the poster of Armstrong leading his Discovery teammates 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 â€Å"overwhelming† evidence of Armstrong's involvement in doping as a professional cycler. â€Å"What Lance initiated through the formation of a foundation in his name and efforts through Livestrong far exceed this formal and seemingly final recognition of Lance's fallibility, Cancer su cks and it is much bigger 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 separate the foundation from Lance Armstrong and the controversy surrounding Lance Armstrong does not change their opinion on the Livestrong Foundation. On the other hand, there has also been a large segment of the public who have lost their faith in the Livestrong Foundation. Wendy Adams of Manchester, Pennsylvania, and her sisters have been wearing their yellow bracelets since their father was diagnosed with end stage prostate cancer in 2004. When her father died in 2005, the family respected his wish to be cremated wearing the bracelet and spent $200 dollars on the bracelets for family and friends to hand out.Now, she says she can't wear the bracelet with pride anymore because of its connection to Armstrong and the organization. She has taken it off and vows to never again wear it. She says â€Å"Lance is Livestrong, he is the face of hope. And when that face is that of a liar, a manipulator, for me? I can't wear it with pride anymore. † (Ibid) Therefore we see that the public has different opinions regarding the Livestrong Foundation after Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal. But the vast majority of people are able to distinguish between the Livestrong Foundation and Lance Armstrong.They recognize that the Livestrong Foundation is about cancer which is much bigger than Lance Armstrong and the foundation needn’t suffer due to the Lance Armstrong scandal. The Media: The media has been investigating 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 article s tating that the Livestrong Foundation doesn’t in fact do much to fund research to find a cancer cure (Gifford 2012).He states in his article â€Å"Equally interesting is what the foundation doesn’t do. Most people—including nearly everybody I surveyed while reporting this story—assume 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 foundation’s website informs visitors that, as of 2010, it no longer even accepts research proposals† (Ibid. ).Gifford also goes on to say that the primary goal of the Livestrong Foundation is to advertise and promote Lance Armstrong as he is the face of the foundation. He says â€Å"I found a curiously fuzzy mix of cancer-war goals like â€Å"survivorship† and â€Å"global awareness,† labels that seem to entail p lastering the yellow Livestrong logo on everything from T-shirts to medical conferences to soccer stadiums. Much of the foundation’s work ends up buffing the image of one Lance Edward Armstrong, which seems fair—after all, Livestrong wouldn’t exist without him.But Livestrong spends massively on advertising, PR, and â€Å"branding,† all of which helps preserve Armstrong’s marketability at a time when he’s 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 Livestrong’s reputation and hence the challenge is in disassociating the Livestrong brand from its founder Lance Armstrong.The message must be communicated that Livestrong is about the fight against cancer at a global level, rather than a mere doping scandal by its founder. ————————————————- The key issues identified previously in this report highlight the importance of rebuilding Livestrong’s brand image in a manner that refocuses public attention towards Livestrong’s over-arching agenda and manifesto: To fight cancer with determination 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 steps taken by the Livestrong Foundation towards this process. ————————————————- PHASE 1 Key Aims * Identify key stakeholders that are currently affected by the crisis, who it may affect and why. * Refocus public attention towards cancer victims and inspirational c ancer fighters supported by Livestrong. Ensure that communication is clear, compelling, continuous, consistent and sustained. * Ensure that engagement, understanding and commitment amongst internal stakeholders is achieved in relation to implementing strategies and tactics to overcome crisis. Promotional Channel: Public Relations Objective: Honest and sincere Acknowledgement of the problem Livestrong is facing, the action taken and highlighting the need to focus on the true adversary – cancer itself. Strategy: Communicate in totality to internal and external stakeholders within the next 6 months.Tactics: 1) Organising a press conference A spokesperson that holds a prominent role in the Livestrong Foundation will address the public. In preparation for the press conference, the spokesperson will be given full media training beforehand in responding to questions by the press such as: What is Livestrong’s current stance on doping? How does Livestrong plan to attract donati ons when its founding member can no longer inspire donors or call on celebrity contacts? Who will lead the organisation now that Armstrong has stepped down?What will be the next steps of the charity? etc. (More questions will be prepared for media training, closer towards the launch of the press conference). The Spokesperson will begin the conference by acknowledging the doping allegations made towards Livestrong’s 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 mind – Fighting Cancer, which at the moment is not receiving ull attention by the foundation and its public due to Armstrong’s 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, a nti-stigma campaigns and Grassroots fundraising events; all done in order to raise awareness, increase outreach and facilitate collaboration in an effort to improve 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 fight 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 Livestrong’s 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 number of press relea ses 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 media 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 Livestrong’s positive impact on society, in effect, proving to be a cost effective-method achieving search engine optimisation (SEO). 3) Social m edia engagement Firstly, a video release will be made (utilising YouTube) featuring the incoming 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 mainly involve giving undivided attention towards the Livestrong Foundation mission in â€Å"providing free financial, practical and emotional support services for cancer survivors and their families. † This video will then be attached to Livestrong’s 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 creative 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 trying its best to move past the Lance Armstrong doping scandal and refocus all its energy towards fighting cancer. ) Establishing an Intranet system for internal stakeholders of the Livestrong Foundation Given the possibility that not all members, employees and shareholders may be aware of the severity of the issue concerning Lance Armstrong’s alleged doping scandal and the strategic action taken to repair Livestrong’s reputation; an intranet will be established to provide the latest information on the issue and steps taken to rebuilding Livestrong’s brand image in a manner that refocuses public attention towards Livestrong’s battle against cancer.The intranet page will b e 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 conference, on whether the responses given by the Livestrong Foundation were sufficient in communicating Livestrong’s 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 social media, they will be measured according to the tone of commun ication. 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, Committed or Loyal. The activity on the intranet will be measured in a similar fashion although it would also include tracking the amount of internal stakeholder 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 2nd 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 faced a product defect issue where they avoided damages to their reputation through responses received through their established crisis website (Larkin and Register, 2008:63) 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 advertisement to broadcast Livestrong’s new image. Tactics: Two different advertisements will be made for two groups of audiences. 1. Advertisement directed towards the general public: This advertisement features a little girl frolicking happily in a garden. The whole frame is colourful. Suddenly, a monster called â€Å"cancer† appears, and a thunder storm occurs. The little girl begins to cry in fear. At this time, a large number o f Livestrong wristbands appear to fight the monster and protect the little girl.The wristbands knock the monster down and sunshine prevails. The slogan: 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 Fresh Start—the campaign which is called up by Welsh government to stop smoking in cars. This campaign used children as their starting points and inspired people stopping smoking. ((2012). GOLLEY SLATER LAUNCHES FRESH START WALES. Online] Last accessed December 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. Th e advertisement has a black and white tone to portray people’s 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 terrible 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 stops because it has a wider reach 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: I t 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 people’s awareness of Livestrong Strategy: Take advantage of social media, such as Youtube, Twitter and Facebook to let more people know Livestrong’s new image Tactics: 1. Flash MobThere will be several â€Å"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 Livestrong’s slogan. All this will be recorded and broadcasted onto social media sites. This tactic is inspired by the popularity of Psy’s Gangnam Style. Gangnam Style’s shoot to popularity is attributed to the effective use of social media through which it gained global recognition. 2. Twitter and Livestrong Another act ivity, mainly to do with Twitter, can also be undertaken.A custom designed poster stating â€Å"Keep Calm and Trust Livestrong† will be posted by Livestrong. Every 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 pique 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 speed of social media is faster compared to broadcasting via traditional means. ————————————————- Prediction: In this six months campaign, Livestrong’s exposure rate on social media will increa se and people will have more positive aspects to discuss about Livestrong. ————————————————- Word Count: 3,275 References British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). (2012), â€Å"Lance Armstrong receives US Anti-Doping Agency charges. ’ [Online] Available at: http://www. bbc. co. uk/sport/0/cycling/18435771 [Accessed: 1 December 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 December 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), ‘It's not about the lab rats. ’ [Online]. Available at: http://www. outsideonline. com/outdoo r-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/reference/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: Only 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), â₠¬ËœThe Spastics Society to Scope: The story of the name change and relaunch November in 1994. ’ [Online] Available at: http://www. scope. org. uk/sites/default/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/CYC–Armstrong-Livestrong [Accessed:1 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 Armstron’s Allegations: The Livestrong Foundation was initially 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 Livest rong. This was done to ensure that the negative publicity directed towards Lance Armstrong would not affect Livestrong’s 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 controversy. â€Å"Lance Armstrong was instrumental in changing the way the world views people affected by cancer,† Garvey said. â€Å"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. â€Å"We are trying to tackle a global problem, the number one cause of death 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 distracted even for 10 minutes is