Pendulum Swings in Client's Favor After Intensive PR Push
You've seen them thousands of times -.org,.com,.net - but did you ever wonder why the choice of Internet names and Web addresses was so limited? The Internet Council of Registrars (CORE) did and found itself head-to-head with the U.S. government.
CORE is a nonprofit organization founded to add new structure, free enterprise and competition to the Internet Domain Name System (DNS). CORE planned to run a nonprofit Shared Registry System to give consumers more choices in names and addresses, for example,.firm,.shop,.arts,.rec and.info.
When CORE and its 85 registrars in 23 countries faced opposition from the U.S. government, they called on The Gable Group, a marketing communications firm that quickly devised a campaign so impressive it recently netted a PRSA Silver Anvil, one of the industry's top honors.
Step one for The Gable Group was research, which uncovered a sea of confusion surrounding the issue of Internet domain name registration. As a result of widespread misperceptions, negative coverage of CORE was running three-to-one ahead of balanced or positive coverage.
According to Chairman and CEO Tom Gable, the next step was assembling an eclectic team that included experts in crisis communications, complex international media relations programs, issues management and the Internet.
Once assembled, the group "brainstormed on priorities, laid out battle plans on spreadsheets covering every aspect of the program on a weekly basis for the next six months, assigned responsibilities and hit the deck running," says Gable. "We were officially hired on Jan. 5, 1998, and conceived, planned and executed the first CORE press conference 17 days later in Washington, D.C. to announce the CORE position on major Internet issues."
To combat rampant negative perceptions, the team crafted a campaign that included strategic use of media relations, legislative affairs, global email, speeches, media audits and the CORE Web site.
Just five months later, coverage analysis demonstrated the pendulum had reversed from three-to-one unfavorable to three-to-one favorable or balanced. More than 40 new organizations had approached CORE asking to apply as new registrars. CORE also was a major participant in several international meetings to discuss the future of the DNS.
What made the Gable Group's plan so successful? According to Gable, "what worked best was getting great thinking from CORE members around the world on key issues, using it to create in-depth briefing documents and news releases from a global perspective, and establishing CORE executive committee members as key contacts for the media based on their reasoned approach to the debate."
Adds Gable: "CORE could focus better than anyone on the global impact of the Internet and the need for competition and deregulation."
Email was another critical component of the program's success, said Gable, as CORE has 88 registrars in 23 countries and board members on every continent. The team went online to plan every step of the program, conduct research, get input on various U.S. government actions and positions, and seek approval on news releases and white papers.
A relationship in Washington proved crucial. Because the Gable Group is a member of IPREX, an international partnership of independent agencies in some 50 markets worldwide, it worked in conjunction with its IPREX partner in Washington DC, Susan Davis International (SDI). "With its great expertise and depth of contacts, SDI put an experienced team on the program right away and began helping guide CORE through the morass in Washington, something they hadn't done before," says Gable.
To supplement the email and legislative attacks, the team targeted media at different levels: general business, Internet, regulatory, technology trade, online and interactive, broadcast and international media. As a result, the domain name issue has received widespread coverage in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, Economist, Washington Post and online media.
In addition, members of the CORE executive committee spoke at a variety of Internet, technology and business forums. These included Internet World, ISPCon (for Internet service providers), INET'98 (the Internett Society annual summit in Geneva) and regional and local venues.
(Tom Gable, 619/234-1300)
Fast Facts about The Gable Group
Online: http://www.gablegroup.com
# of employees: 40
1998 gross billings: $3,151,317
1998 fee income: $2,325,298
Background: Founded in San Diego in 1976 by Tom Gable, former newspaper business editor, correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and 1974 Pulitzer Prize winner. Two offices: in San Diego and Los Angeles.