Campaign: Hurricane Katrina Response
Winner: The Humane Society of the United States
In response to Hurricane Katrina's impact on the Gulf Coast, the Humane Society mobilized to help the area's furriest residents. Anticipating the storm, communications
executives planned ahead and were ready to spring into action as soon as the hurricane had passed. When they did, they faced a harsh reality: Tens of thousands of animals
had been left behind.
The PR team shaped a plan and relayed critical messages about animals' safety. A press release to Gulf Coast media reminded pet owners to evacuate with their pets and
offered preparedness tips. The practitioners leveraged the media to expedite rescuers' access to affected areas, and members of the PR staff stayed in temporary animal
shelters to help and give the media first-hand accounts. The PR managers also updated media on a regular basis to dispel rumors that animals were being killed or abandoned.
The national attention that focused on the Humane Society's efforts resulted in preemptive actions when future hurricanes approached. When Hurricane Rita threatened the
coast of Texas, the state governor and the mayor of Galveston urged residents to take their pets with them.
After the Humane Society saved 10,000 animals and reunited 2,000 families with pets, the PR team used Hurricane Katrina to lobby Congress to pass the Pets Evacuation and
Transportation Standards Act - PETS - which would require local and state disaster plans to provide for pets and service animals. The act passed, and its message trickled
down to state levels. The Department of Homeland Security created a new awareness campaign about including pets in disaster planning.
This PR powerhouse achieved its victory by turning tragedy into a platform for change and giving animal safety front-of-mind presence for times when four-legged lives
hang in the balance.
Honorable Mentions
If anyone knows about being prepared, it's the nation's scouting organizations. So when the Girl Scouts of the USA began to plan the 2005 Girl Scout National Council
Session, which would host more than 14,000 girls and adults, it reviewed its issues/crisis management system to make sure it was ready to protect the safety of all
attendees at the Atlanta event. The group developed extensive security measures and medical triage capabilities. A media room stood ready to handle crisis communications.
Spokespeople were chosen and trained. At the event, no security or safety issues arose, and more than 1.1 million media impressions were generated. A planned realignment
was successfully pitched to council leaders, and the reputation of the Girl Scouts was preserved.
On May 30, 2006, one of Washington Hospital Center's MedSTAR Transport helicopters crashed while transporting a critically ill patient, and the hospital's PR team had to
take control of the story and underscore the helicopters' safety record. By following a strategic crisis plan, remaining completely transparent and being the go-to source
for information about the crash, the executives managed the story and subsequent coverage. In the end, 574 stories about the incident were broadcast or published; 80% were
neutral, fair or objective, 15% were positive and only 5% were negative.
With medical devices such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators being recalled left and right in early 2005, the Heart Rhythm Society stepped up to
combat the industry's floundering reputation. Communications executives reassured a nervous public with a task force created to develop guidelines for providing heart
patients with clearer, timelier and more consistent information about the recalls. In addition, by bringing together medical device manufacturers, cardiac care
professionals, government agencies, Congress and patient advocacy groups in July of 2005, the Society's PR team was able to position the specialists - and the truth - in
front of media. Thanks to their smoothly run operation, the Society effectively quelled a potential maelstrom of negative press and fearful patients.