Since Sept. 11, top corporate communications pros have been faced with the challenge of how to serve not only their local communities, but to aid a healing national
community.
Companies that have been successful in creating strong reputations within local and national communities have poured dollars, manpower and painstaking strategic planning into
their community relations programs, ensuring that the corporation and its values are showcased in every community effort.
Meeting National Needs
Following the terrorist attacks in September, almost every company rushed to meet America's needs, whether through massive donations to the Red Cross or volunteer efforts to
help victims. Scripps Networks, owner of popular broadcast networks like Home & Garden Television, The Food Network and the soon-to-be-launched Fine Living Network, had
planned to begin filming a week of "Emeril Live" in New York City on Sept. 11. Its kitchens at Food Network headquarters in New York were well-stocked for the popular chef's
appearance. In the wake of the disaster, Food Network employees immediately began preparing the food for delivery to St. Luke's Hospital and other emergency response locations.
"It was something so natural in terms of who we are and what we do," says Cindy McConkey, VP of corporate communications for Scripps. The effort positioned Food Network not only
as part of its "hometown" but as part of a national relief effort.
Home Depot also saw a natural fit after the Sept. 11 tragedies: One of its primary focus areas for community relations is disaster relief and preparedness. The retailer, (which
recently placed sixth on Fortune's list of America's most admired companies) offers a variety of seminars on disaster preparedness through local retail outlets. On the East Coast,
stores focus on hurricanes, and in the midwest, local teams offer information on what supplies should be on hand in the case of an overwhelming blizzard. So it was a natural for
Home Depot staffers to be on the scene in Washington and New York to aid rescue workers in their efforts.
Local Response
But in today's market, perhaps even more important than those highly visible, high impact national efforts are smaller local initiatives that involve a community deeply with
the corporate brand and build trust. Scripps, which is headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., holds an annual Garden Stakes contest for its HGTV brand, with a $25,000 prize. The
Knoxville community and viewers nationwide wrote in asking if the $25,000 could be given to a national charity instead. "Legally, we are bound to give the prize to the winner,"
McConkey laughs, but "we matched the prize and made a cash contribution to [a Tennessee group] raising money to donate a fire engine to New York. It was another natural way for us
to become part of a local community effort and to connect with our [Food Network] people in New York, as well."
The company also looked to local nonprofit groups which were suffering from a lack of interest as donations flooded the Red Cross and other major charities. The Knoxville Opera
Co. was in critical condition, and Scripps came to its aid with a donation.
Recognizing local needs can be tricky, however, when your stores are in 1,350 different geographic locations. Home Depot has developed a powerful network of community relations
professionals from headquarters right on down to divisional operations so that individual retail locations can make powerful connections with their local communities and enhance
the Home Depot brand. "It's a fairly sizeable department," says Tom Gray, public relations manager at corporate headquarters in Atlanta. "When you take the divisional people into
play, it's 20 to 25 people." The corporate team specifies four areas of focus for community relations projects (affordable housing, at-risk youth, the environment, and disaster
preparedness and relief) in order to ensure they fit the corporate values, but community relations managers in the field are constantly monitoring possibilities for local
involvement and relaying that information back to Atlanta. "On a regular basis, there's awareness in individual communities," Gray says. "I think the thing that sets us apart is
that we not only encourage, but require support of the community." (Contacts: Cindy McConkey, 865/560-3976, [email protected]; Tom Gray, 770/384-2648, [email protected])
Too Few Resources for Community Relations?
Are you devoting enough internal resources to community relations? Home Depot's team (including divisional communications pros) is somewhere between 20 and 25 people, Gray
estimates.
But that may be the exception to the rule, according to The Repovich-Reynolds Group, an international executive search firm with a specialty in public relations.
Smooch Reynolds, president and CEO of TRRG, says only about 50 percent of corporations have someone specifically devoted to managing community relations - either as their sole
function or as part of other corporate communications responsibilities.
That statistic comes from TRRG's database of 9,000 corporate communications professionals, 4,500 of whom list community relations as a responsibility of their job.
(Smooch Reynolds, 626/ 585-9455 ext. 210, [email protected])