As the calendar inches closer to Y2K, conventional wisdom holds that lifeline industries such as banking and utilities will be hardest hit by inquiries (and possible backlash) from consumers, regulators and the investment community.
The "9-9-99" date already put many computer systems to the test, as have mandatory government drills. One such drill conducted earlier this month by the Department of Energy raised concerns about the millennial readiness of a dozen electric utilities. PR NEWS checked the blood pressure at two power brokers to gauge their preparations for Y2K.
Ameren Not Crying Wolf
Ameren Corp., based in St. Louis, was perhaps the largest of the 12 utilities called into question by the feds two weeks ago; nevertheless, staffers on both technical and communications fronts consider Y2K to be an overblown issue.
"Our CIO has been clear that Jan. 1, 2000 will be no different than any other day," says Susan Gallagher, general manager of corporate communications. "We've been doing market research about Y2K concerns in the public and no one is really that worried."
While other utility companies have contacted consumers and volunteered Y2K readiness information via bill-stuffers, Ameren has passed on the added expense of such a venture.
"Our research shows that the average person doesn't have the same degree of concern about Y2K as the media," Gallagher says. "We're in the Midwest. This is the 'Show Me State.'"
Although Ameren's strategy is responsive rather than proactive, the company isn't completely ignoring the issue. It's deployed 31 teams (roughly 100 staff in various disciplines) on Y2K missions, including multiple spokespeople. Communications and IT execs are available for interviews and speeches and the corporate Web site contains compliance information. Ameren customer service agents are armed with a Q&A sheet to ensure consistent message delivery across multiple constituencies.
Still, most incoming calls aren't from customers, but rather from bureaucrats and financial lenders seeking to cross items off their compliance checklists, Gallagher says.
The biggest wave of angst is emanating from the media, she says. "We already have TV stations asking not how our company will be staffed to handle Y2K, but specifically how our PR operations will be staffed, because they're planning a media blitz."
Kohler: Keeping a Low Profile
On the flip side of the coin, Kohler Co. has a definite branding advantage with media rabble-rousers and millennial doomsayers who are stockpiling water and canned food in anticipation of a crisis.
The manufacturer, named for its home base in Kohler, Wis., is a purveyor of high-end electric generators. And to be sure, the company's PR team is riding out the Y2K wave in style.
While other businesses are poised in crisis mode, Kohler execs are bracing themselves for a different challenge: to avoid looking like cheesy opportunists.
"We don't want to appear to be snake oil salesmen," says Todd Weber, communications manager. "We have been providing standby power supply for over 80 years, not just for Y2K."
Last spring, Kohler sent news releases touting its automated generator systems to major daily newspapers (100,000+ circulation) and building industry magazines. But the term "Y2K" was noticeably absent from the copy.
Information about the company's Y2K policy is available online (www.kohler.com) and via fax or email - for anyone who actively seeks it out.
Although the rental side of the Kohler's business is already sold out for the weeks surrounding Dec. 31, Weber declines to discuss increases in overall sales, production and workforce related to Y2K. From a PR standpoint, his bigger concern is deregulation, which will bring new players to the power generation market.
Meanwhile, at the Banks...
The utilities bear a resemblance to their brethren in the lifeline industries - the banks. Both are bravely claiming there is nothing to fear when the year comes to a close.
The Savings Bank of Rockville (Connecticut) waxed confident (PRN, Aug. 8) that Y2K is an overblown issue - so much so that the bank plans to throw a party and open its vault at 12:05 a.m. Jan. 1 (although whether anyone would choose to hail the new millennium with their bankers as opposed to their loved ones is another story).
Not worried about Y2K? More power to ya.
(Kohler, 920/457-4441, x2707; Ameren, 314/554-2175; Savings Bank of Rockville, 860/871-1858)