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Not Your Average Joe's
Client
Not Your Average Joe's, a restaurant chain with more than a
dozen locations in Greater Boston and Northern Virginia.
Challenge
Not Your Average Joe's has a strong reputation for building
and maintaining good relationships with their customers, so
when it was determined that a fairly limited number of customer
credit-card numbers were breached by an outside third-party,
they quickly took action.
There were several challenges. Not Your Average Joe's needed
to conduct an investigation to determine the scope of the breach
and meet public reporting requirements - all while maintaining
the trust of its solid base of loyal customers.
Our Plan
Denterlein Worldwide Public Affairs worked very closely with
Not Your Average Joe's legal team to develop and executive a
proactive plan that addressed state regulatory requirements
and timeframe for reporting, as well as specific strategies
to communicate with customers affected and the general public.
Denterlein Public Affairs pursued two avenues - we proactively
reached out to the Globe and also posted a notice on the company's
website, along with a detailed Q&A to help minimize the
scope and duration of coverage.
Results
The proactive approach resulted in a story that lasted for a
24-hour news cycle, rather than a much more prolonged coverage
from dripping details. While the website did see an exponential
increase in visits during the following week, that number declined
just seven days later. Customers repeatedly expressed their
appreciation of Not Your Average Joe's proactive approach.
Mandarin Oriental
Client
Mandarin Oriental, Boston, a high-profile, mixed use development
of retail, luxury condos, apartments, and a 149-key hotel, located
in a premier Boston location - connected directly to the Prudential
Center and in the heart of the Back Bay.
Challenge
Two months before Mandarin Oriental, Boston's completion date,
a four-alarm fire broke out, damaging hotel rooms and the Spa,
making an on-time opening impossible.
Our Plan
Denterlein Public Affairs responded immediately by providing
a three-person on-site crisis team within the hour, led by President
Geri Denterlein. In the early stages of the crisis, Denterlein
Public Affairs fielded press calls and created and coordinated
messaging between the developer, the contractor, and the operator,
and advising all stakeholders on their initial responses to
press inquiries.
Result
The client's transparent interaction with the press on the day
of the fire - guided by Denterlein Public Affairs' crisis communication
plan - engendered a sense of trust in the media. This transparency
was rewarded as complicated questions arose concerning the cause
of the fire, the extent of the damage, its subsequent costs,
and possible delays in opening.
As a result of Denterlein Public Affairs' guidance and messaging,
the team was able to reinforce Mandarin Oriental, Boston's standing
as a one-of-a-kind project with the highest level of commitment
to quality construction standards. While the fire eventually
caused a delay in opening, at end of the news cycle, the public
had the perception that this was an unparalleled project reaffirmed,
and reporters, appreciative of the team's responsive, were amenable
to reporting favorably on the team's progress toward opening.
National Financial Institution
Client
A large, nationally-based financial institution with customers
throughout New England.
Challenge
The challenge was three-fold: it faced a change in leadership,
declining revenue and a potential change in its customer service
model.
Our Plan
Denterlein Public Affairs worked with local leadership to ensure
that there was a strong plan in place for the leadership transition,
and that the communications strategy addressed any issues that
contributed to its financial losses.
Although we did not engage in any proactive media outreach,
Denterlein Public Affairs ensured that leading team members
were prepared to address any press inquiries in a timely and
responsive manner as a way to help maintain confidence. More
importantly, we encouraged a more aggressive customer outreach
campaign so that key client audiences would be well informed
about the current business strategy. Though the potential change
in business model was not a public discussion, we worked with
the institution to be prepared to address issues related to
the topic, with a focus on communicating with regulators, media
and customers.
Results
Although press coverage was challenging, the key messages that
the fundamental operations of the institution were sound and
that there was a strong leadership team in place were featured
prominently in all coverage. In addition, customer confidence
remained strong because of the institution's transparency, and
detailed reporting about steps the organization put in place
for the future.
Children's Hospital Boston
Overview/ Objective
Children's Hospital in Boston, regarded as the number one pediatric
hospital in the nation, has been represented by Denterlein Worldwide
for a number of years. While providing overall communications
strategy development and implementation for the hospital, Denterlein
also created a crisis communications protocol for the hospital.
Strategy
As part of our effort for Children's Hospital, we met with key
groups to determine issues most likely to generate news coverage
and develop key messages. We also provided media training for
physicians and hospital leadership so that the team would know
how to respond to media inquiries. Following completion of the
project, we gave Children's Hospital staff a crisis manual that
walked them through each step of the containment process.
Results
While the hospital has been fortunate to experience few negative
media stories, hospital leadership and administration recognized
that all health care related issues are becoming increasingly
scrutinized — and may be potentially explosive.
Hallmark Health
Overview
Continuously recognized for quality care, Hallmark Health serves
Boston's northern suburbs through its two main community facilities,
Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford and Melrose-Wakefield
Hospital. Hallmark Health sought a proactive plan designed to
minimize negative fallout from potential one-time incidents
that could harm its reputation.
Objective
Hallmark Health leaders wanted a clear process that would allow
its team to respond quickly and effectively to sensitive situations
and unwanted media attention.
Strategy
Denterlein Worldwide worked with Hallmark Health to identify
a representative sample of potential scenarios that might arise
in the future. Denterlein then crafted a comprehensive guidebook
with step-by-step processes for a variety of circumstances that
could impact Hallmark Health's reputation or admissions. A follow-up
session provided one-on-one media training for key Hallmark
Health spokespeople.
Results
Hallmark Health took a unique, sensible approach to crisis management.
As a result, the entire leadership team understands how to respond
to a sensitive situation, and uses our manual as a guide in
crisis response.
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