Sample Case Studies

We were contacted to provide reputation management for two high level officials in the Washington, D.C. government who were subjects of ongoing negative coverage in media and damaging campaigns by interest groups. We worked with these clients to create strong messaging to counter unfavorable publicity; we trained the clients for media appearances, inoculating them against harsh, negative questioning with rigorous mock interviews; we identified forums and venues for them to get their refined messaging out to the public.

Result: A shift to more fair and favorable coverage of our clients and an end to damaging actions and reactions by our clients to aggressive, negative reporting.

We assisted the chief plaintiff in a very high-profile case before the U.S. Supreme Court after unfair media profiles portrayed him very negatively. We created messaging for him across the full range of issues involved in his case, and assisted in producing opinion pieces for critical media outlets. We also provided intensive media training.

Result: More fair coverage of our client and a more effective presentation by him to the media and public at large, concerning his points of view. Our client won the case before the Supreme Court.

A biotechnology company in the forefront of cancer research called on us to address internal dissension within the company that threatened its public reputation. We established core beliefs and goals that united all internal parties and led staff sessions designed to move forward from a culture of grievances to a culture of shared efforts and goals. A large part of our process was coaching the executive team on the principles and practices of strong, inspiring leadership.

Result: Internal dissension was greatly reduced and risk of public disclosure of this dissension was eliminated.

A private jet manufacturer needed a luxury lifestyle magazine/marketing channel for its UHNW operators and prospective customers. Working with the client’s own marketing department we researched the audience, defined the requirement, negotiated with publishers, printers, distributors and advertisers, sourced all original content and imagery and staged a high-profile roll-out at an international industry convention.

Result: An immediate boost to the client’s penetration of a highly-competitive market, raised peer profile, improved internal messaging and enhanced product-awareness among targeted customer base. Plus an incidental benefit: the magazine was recognized by two industry awards.

A foreign government department required a highly-focused information campaign aimed at corporate and academic audiences to communicate details and progress of a classified technical competition and publicize results for critical internal audiences. The highly-complex brief called for understanding of stakeholder priorities, faultless diplomacy, quick turnaround and absolute discretion.

Result: Our involvement was recognized as central to the success of the project, resulting in the adoption of similar procedures for subsequent competitions in the field of defense procurement.

A European industrial family whose products are household names engaged us to prepare legacy materials – principally a specially-commissioned book – intended to inform future generations of the philosophy, principles and experiences on which the family’s success had been built. Our involvement demanded an instinctive understanding of the patriarch’s perspective combined with sensitivity towards family members whose attitudes to the project differed to such an extent that a successful outcome seemed at times to be beyond reach.

Result: We successfully aligned even the most skeptical family members behind the patriarch’s wishes and worked with expert advisors to achieve a set of products that met the key objectives; of arguably greater importance, transformative discussion began within the family that would not otherwise have been contemplated let alone pursued to a mutually-beneficial conclusion.