Organization: Zoo New England
Agency: Rasky Baerlein
Timeframe: July-November 2009
On July 11, 2009, a war between government and a private nonprofit organization hit Boston, setting off fireworks that might have rivaled those in the Battle of Bunker Hill. The governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, announced that state funding of Zoo New England (ZNE), the private corporation that operates Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Mass., would be drastically reduced—from $6.5 million to $2.5 million.
Depending on state funding for 60% of its operating budget (as is the case for most U.S. zoos), ZNE’s CEO, John Linehan, knew this was an unsustainable cut. In a public statement that repeated a letter sent earlier to legislative leaders, Linehan said that the budget cuts might cause the closure of both zoos, and stated that 20% of the displaced animals probably could not be located to other zoos, “requiring either destroying them or the care of the animals in perpetuity.”
The next day, July 12, the Boston Globe ran a front-page second day story repeating the budget cuts and the zoo’s position:
“Franklin Park Zoo would have to lay off most of its 165 employees in addition to finding homes for more the 1,000 of its animals if it were to close. If zoo officials fail to find places to send the animals, they said state authorities might have to decide whether to euthanize as many as 20% of them, a prospect that disturbed many visitors yesterday.”
It was also disturbing to animal lovers across the country. National media outlets quickly picked up the story, from TV shows like The Today Show, Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight; national print media including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times; and all Massachusetts outlets both print and electronic—including a huge dose of talk radio. This created a public relations disaster for an institution dependent on both tourism and state funding. The situation soon worsened when Gov. Patrick accused ZNE of using scare tactics.
As the crisis grew in intensity, Zoo New England struggled to get a communications grip. “We were caught unprepared in what became a firestorm,” says CEO Linehan.
Four days out from the start of the crisis, in an interview with the Globe, Linehan recognized that some of his initial comments were unfortunate. “It was never our intention to make this sensationalized,” he told the newspaper. But he also maintained his assertion that some animals would have to be euthanized.
That was probably not what the public, and the governor, wanted to hear.
Five days after the crisis began, on the advice of Zoo New England’s board, Linehan brought in Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications (RBSC) to manage media and government relations. RBSC had worked briefly for Zoo New England in the early 2000s, “mostly for happy news,” says Justine Griffin, senior VP at Rasky and one of the leaders in the crisis effort. “By the time we were hired, the controversy had been on front page of both the Globe and the [Boston] Herald for several days in a row,” says Griffin. “As much as Zoo New England tried to undo what it said, people weren’t letting up on them.”
Rasky and Zoo New England quickly put their collective heads together and mapped out the following specific objectives:
• Quell the media and political firestorm;
• Protect ZNE’s reputation and brand;
• Repair ZNE’s relationships with the governor and the legislature; and, perhaps most importantly
• Restore the state funding cut by the governor.
“We told Zoo New England that it had to put the mistakes behind them and move forward,” says Griffin.
DOUSING THE FIRE
It was clear that ZNE had become paralyzed in the crisis. “They had media inquiries they hadn’t responded to in days,” says Griffin. So RSBC created a holding statement that was sent to all media outlets, and distributed customized statements to zoo donors and employees.
Through a July 19 Sunday article by Boston Globe writer Matt Viser, RSBC started to change the tone of conversation from Zoo New England having to kill animals to overcoming financial woes. Then, on July 20, the apology occurred. In an interview on Boston’s WCVB-TV, Linehan backed off on his prior statements: “At the time I was just trying to lay out all the possible scenarios. I think the governor spoke loud and clear on this. There will not be any euthanizing.”
Joe Baerlein, president of RSBC, puts Linehan’s public dialogue in perspective. “John Linehan knows animals as well as any zoo leader in country,” says Baerlein. “He knew that you couldn’t just send animals to other zoos, because they have no room.” Linehan also knew, added Baerlein, that providing care and feeding for any displaced animals would cost much more than those legislative budget cuts. These were two points that RSBC looked to get across—both to the press and to state legislators.
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| Budget cut comments by Zoo New England’s CEO generated provocative headlines in Boston’s major newspapers for days. Photo courtesy Boston Herald |
“We began to make the case for what the cuts would do, and why the zoo merits state funding,” says Griffin. “If you close a zoo, it’s not like a museum. You can’t just turn off the lights and go away.”
To get that messaging out, RSBC worked with Mass. Sen. Richard Tisei on an op-ed piece that ran July 22 in the Globe. His take: Closing zoos would be a costly mistake.
Then, on July 25, a piece of good news occurred that helped change the tone of conversation: A baby giraffe was born at the Franklin Park Zoo. “It’s a rare event, and it really served as the platform for why zoos matter,” says Griffin. Of course, there was the suggestion of selling naming rights for the new giraffe as a way to close the budget gap—a suggestion not acted upon.
INSIDE POLITICS
While RBSC’s media team was helping to change the public perception of Zoo New England, its government relations unit was working the state legislative halls to get some of those millions back into zoo coffers.
The message to legislators was twofold, says Baerlein. “If funding went below a certain level, the zoos would have to close,” he says. “And if the zoos did close, the Commonwealth would be hurt even more financially.” With public affairs making up close to 50% of RBSC’s business, its government relations team leveraged strong political relationships to get the word out, says Baerlein.
The result: $2 million was restored right away, and subsequent funding was added. Not as much as ZNE hoped for, but enough to keep the two zoos open. The firestorm over the comments was quelled, and the CEO’s reputation repaired. The zoo’s core supporters were reassured and broader audiences were educated on the zoo, its value and its challenges.
Yet Linehan knows there’s much work to be done. “Right now we’re in a stable position—we’ve got some exciting projects that we’re working on,” he says.
Linehan has nothing but good things to say about RBSC’s work on the crisis. “They brought sanity back into a situation that verged on insanity,” he says. PRN
CONTACT:
Justine Griffin, [email protected]; Joe Baerlein, [email protected]; John Linehan, www.zoonewengland.org.
Tips for Editorial Board Meetings
Boston-based PR agency Rasky Baerlein’smeeting with the Boston Globe’s editorial board over client Zoo New England’s budget cuts resulted in neutral to positive editorial coverage that helped sway the legislature. Here are some tips from Justine Griffin, SVP at Rasky Baerlein, on how to prepare for and what to expect at an editorial board meeting:
• Make your request for the meeting early. “The worst is when a major outlet editorializes against you on an issue without even talking to you,” says Griffin.
• Any number of board members will attend the meeting, sometimes joined by reporters and/or columnists who have been covering the subject. “On the client side, no entourages,” says Griffin.
• Let the client talk. “Editorial boards don’t want to hear from what they consider to be the hired guns,” says Griffin. “Therefore, when we bring a client in, we do the setup and then we shut up.”
• Meeting formats vary. “Sometimes boards let you make a presentation, and sometimes they jump right to Q&A,” says Griffin. “Expect the meeting to last an hour, and all conversation will be on the record.”