SOMETRA Suspending Its Activity
V+O was hired for damage control and issue management after the company’s decision to suspend activity of the factory and the lay-off of 824 people in Copsa Mica.
Challenge
Announce the temporary suspension of the factory activity and the lay-off of 824 people from a small community and diminish the negative articles on the subject, while being the first victim of the economic crisis
Strategy
Our Strategy was to come clean to the authorities, to the people and to the media and explain them all the reasons that are conducting to this temporary suspension.
Activities
- A Press Release was written in a journalistic style containing all the key messages that were important for people to understand the real situation. The press release was disseminated in the moment that the General Assembly Meeting was finished in order to avoid the rumors or the uncontrolled news dissemination. Our strategy was to write the Press Release in such a manner that no publication to alter it and publish it in the exact form.
- The next day, the company’s official was prepared for a statement in front of the TV cameras and reporters that were waiting at the factory’s gate. The statement was reinforcing the reasons that conducted to such situation, the effects of the economic crisis, and also focused on the fact that the suspension is temporary and all legal things will be followed. The Mayor and the Prefect of the County understood the real reasons and they supported the management in this issue by declaring that there is no other way for the moment, thus endorsing our reasons.
- The V+O team was permanently in the factory acting as a press center and giving the journalists the pre-approved answers to their questions.
Results
Although the press coverage was significant, almost all the published articles were a copy/paste of our Press release, thus all the messages were controlled and the tone of articles was mostly neutral. The subject diminished in few days, after other companies announced lay-offs.