« More Insight into Future of Media and Evolving Role of PR | Main | Pay to Play PR is Not On »
January 3, 2005
The Central Role of PR in Tsunami Relief
I am wondering how many of you had an ambivalent feeling as you began your New Year's Eve revels. I just could not put out of my mind the images of the devastation wreaked on the largely impoverished communities in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India and the Maldives. The mother kissing the feet of her dead child which were protruding from the back of an Army truck, the father pressing the limp hand of a dead child to his forehead...these and many other moments are etched onto my brain.
How can as the PR community react to such an overwhelming disaster? In short, we should use our core competencies to mobilize the private sector as part of a long term relief effort. Governments and Non Governmental Organizations are the right vehicles for short term assistance. To revive the devastated tourism and fishing industries will require a different kind of intervention, based on mutually beneficial business relationships. We can act as a bridge among the stakeholder groups and as a catalyst for action.
Job #1 must be to reinforce the positive coverage on NGOs and other relief enterprises emanating from the affected areas. The continued flow of funds from donors depends on the volume and tone of media. Several of the relief organizations, such as the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) have asked for temporary assistance from the PR community through the Arthur W. Page Society (AWPS). Please contact Paul Basista, director of AWPS, at exec@awpagesociety.com or 1-212-387-4238. Our firm's Asia Pacific mid year management meeting on Jan. 16-17 in Bangkok will be devoted totally to brainstorming with NGOs on how to keep this story in front of the world's opinion formers, and help clients support NGOs. Edelman Canada is now in a full partnership with Save the Children Canada, one of the five NGO's that the Government of Canada has agreed to match.
Job #2 should be a dedicated effort by PR executives to conceive of ideas that will reestablish normal business conditions in the affected areas. I want to commend two of our clients, Pfizer for its munificent gift of $10 million in cash and $25 million in drugs, plus Starbucks for its long term commitment to purchase large quantities of Sumatran coffee. I read this morning about an initiative led by the BBC to produce an album featuring leading recording artists, hoping to raise $8 million. Could major purchasers of fish not combine with financial institutions to put fishermen in a position to buy new vessels? The tourism industry is a huge employer in several of these markets. I noted a web site this morning: Image-asia.com which told a very different story about the condition of the Thai resorts--in fact many are open and ready for business. We should encourage our clients to put convention business into these and other regional resorts, and then put the story out to restore confidence.
Job #3 is a longer term concept. How can we turn this disaster into long term positive? I heard a speech by John Pepper, chairman of Procter & Gamble, on bringing the 3 billion very poor into the global economy. He discussed specific products under development at P&G, including a straw with a charcoal filter that allows safe consumption of water. We in the PR field should be pushing an agenda that envisages free trade, continuous improvement of environmental conditions and spread of technology. Note the progress of China and India as a hopeful sign that the gap can be closed.
I am reminded of a quote from Victor Hugo, Les Miserables "Daring is the price paid for progress. All sublime contests are more or less the rewards of boldness. To attempt to brave, persist and persevere, to be faithful to oneself, to astound the catastrophe, to hold firm and withstand. Such is the example people need and which electrifies them. In order for the human race to progress it must have proved lessons of courage permanently before it. The dawn dares when breaks."
Happy New Year to all of you. Let's get to work on tsunami relief!
Richard
Posted by Edelman at January 3, 2005 11:31 AM |
Comments
I recently read your comment in Fortune's TOP TEN TECH TRENDS that "Now you've got to pitch the bloggers too. You can't just pitch to
conventional media."
How does one go about "pitching" the bloggers? It isn't as if there is a wire service for bloggers you can send a press release to.
Posted by: Tiffany at January 6, 2005 10:49 AM
No wire service for bloggers that I know of. Make sure that you track most frequent commentators on given subject (Google, Technorati). Send along press materials with links to other credible source sites. Have email conversation. Offer interviews. In short, treat like a journalist but continue the conversations.
Posted by: Richard Edelman at January 10, 2005 10:39 AM
Richard -
Next time you're in Portland, let's catch up, please. I'm at 503-469-9209 or jackrubinger@verizon.net. Wonder what ever happened to all those great accounts from the 80s -- Brown & Williamson, etc.?
Best,
Jack
Posted by: Jack Rubinger at May 9, 2005 4:56 PM
Jack,
Thank god we have moved beyond those clients!
Would love to see you
Richard
Posted by: Richard Edelman at May 10, 2005 5:13 PM