Issues Management
Experience and global insight to manage your most challenging issues.
Life happens
Even the most successful companies, the most groundbreaking and effective services and NGOs sometimes run into trouble. Perhaps a lawmaker who was expected to uphold a policy decision reverses her stance. Perhaps an adverse event hits the headlines or a trial delivers poor results.
Maybe a programme delivers a long-term environmental benefit but creates short-term problems for established interests? Maybe international relations are jeopardised by a neighbouring state or a domestic political interest group?
What happens then?
It is in these situations that strong research skills can help minimise the fallout. Stakeholders are critical and it is important to gauge in advance how they will react in such a crisis. Who will speak on your behalf? Do they have easy access to facts and your perspective? Who will social media and traditional media turn to? Who is likely to form their own opinion and who’s going to follow the herd? And how do you manage the fallout?
It happens to the best of us.
Reputations are built over decades and can shatter in a moment. A single insensitive tweet can ruin your image but preparation can mitigate the dangers.
Such issues need expert handling.
Good quality research can help you engage your stakeholders quickly so you don’t alienate them.
Our experience
Issues management is one of Baird’s CMC’s strongest capabilities. We have experience with industry, governments and not for profits. We have handled product issues from supply to delivery. We have managed unintentional management and operational mistakes that could have cost successful businesses their reputation. We’ve enabled clients to minimise potential damage to reputation and shareholder value by helping them deliver an effective, timely and appropriate response. We have helped governments to talk to investors, activists and donors.
Our team has over 20 years experience managing communication issues related to qualitative and policy research.
You need a crisis management plan as part of your communications strategy and you need it before life interrupts your planning.
If you haven’t got one built into your communications strategy we can help.
If you are dealing with a hot issue right now, we can help you respond in a way that minimizes the damage and protects your reputation.
- We have worked with clients across the world to deliver comprehensive communication strategies that include crisis planning and risk identification, and that build messaging and response platforms
- We help clients respond effectively when they are on the front lines of crisis communications
- We have worked as senior members of international aid organisations, directors of communications at multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and strategic communications consultants
