HIGH STAKES COMMUNICATIONS

For certain people after fifty, litigation

takes the place of sex.

-Gore Vidal

 

1. Safe Harbor -- “No Comment”

“No Comment”

“No Comment”

Victim

VindicatorVillain

2. Protect the Brand

"Targeting brands was like discovering gun powder for

environmentalists"

--Greenpeace

“We expect our lawyers to understand some fundamental business principles, not the least of

which is that the damage to a company’s reputation after a case is over can far exceed, in

actual dollars, the costs of the lawsuit itself.”

Steven HantlerAssistant General Counsel

for Government and RegulationDaimler Chrysler

3. Recognize the Problem

4. The Rule of JobsColonel Yuri A. Gagarin

The Rule of News

5. The Rule of “ST”

6. The Rule of Audiences

WIIFM

The Big Three

• We’re Sorry (empathy)

• We’re responsible (even if not at fault)

• We’ll fix it (action)

7. Perception Rules

Plan for the WorstEarly AdmissionTake Responsibility (empathy/responsibility/action)Messages from the TopDelay BlameCreate the PictureMake a SacrificeHold Hands

Tylenol v. Exxon Valdez

8. Anticipate Trends

“I’d rather be dead than singing ‘Satisfaction’ when I’m forty-five.”

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Volume of Stories

2000 2001 2002 2003

Volume of Favorable, Netural, and Unfavorable Stories Covering Legal Issues (2000-2003)

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Volume of All Stories Volume of Legal StoriesFavorability of All Stories Favorability of Legal Stories

Volume of Stories ( Bars) Favorability Rating ( Lines)

Unfavorable

Favorable

Comparison of Legal Issues Coverage with Overall Company Coverage (Volume and Favorability). Chart Implies Negative Impact of Legal Coverage on Overall Corporate Image in the Media (2000-2003)

Neutral

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Volume of Stories Volume of Legal and Legislative StoriesFavorability Rating for All Stories Favorability Rating for Legal and Legislative Stories

Volume of Stories ( Bars) Favorability Rating ( Lines)

More U

nfavorable M

ore Favorable

Neutral

Chart Shows Negative Impact of Legal, Regulatory, and Legislative

Trends in Media Coverage for the Automotive Industry (Legal and Legislative/Regulatory Topics Compared w ith New s Events)

(January through July 2003)

2003

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Total Volume of Stories Favorability Rating

Leading Corporate Topics (Jan. 1 – Feb. 10 2004)Litigation coverage was more negative across the industry than coverage of any other topic.

9. Photo, Headline, Story

10. The Rule of Thinking Differently

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