Consensus PR

Coming with a solution to the client in crisis situation

From the normal routine to a situation that could be characterized as  "crisis" may separate  one step. And this step could have a negative effect on the company's reputation and future long-term customer relationships. To return the balance, measures have to be taken as there is a solution for every situation.

One of our clients faced such a crisis and needed to refute the negative comment broadcasted on LTV1 television and portraying themselves as competent industry professionals. 

What we did and what were the results?

After the first client's call about the situation it was suggested to create statement for media, based on the positive: first of all highlighting the complete elimination of accidents consequences as soon as possible and secondly - talk about the company's professional experience and follow-up treatment of water in the port. Message was prepared and sent to a much wider range of media, in order to 'cut off' the possibility that negative commentary would also appear in other media. Client’s message was positive and fair coverage in all the major media. Correction of the information also made it to the LTV1 news headline.

To focus on the positive, after some time another press release was sent with interesting news - a new project created in  the "green energy" field.

Finally few suggestions to help solve any crisis:

a) Think about the basic crisis communication plan - it defines the first steps and facilitates thinking in real crisis situations;
b) Call your communications / PR consultant - he will have a wider view of events, and will help to choose the right action plan;
c) Evaluate how "damaging" the message really is and how widely it was spread;
d) If a decision to rectify it or to respond has been made don’t postpone until tomorrow!
e) Try properly correcting the information instead of making excuses;
f) Give a positive message;
g) Be vigilant, but not suspicious when talking to journalists
h) Think of the human factor when commentating on losses and good news

Campaign: Communication campaign about a creation & construction of the Riga Technical University (RTU) student complex "RTU – City within a city" (first stage)

Client: Riga Technical University (RTU)

Market: Riga, Latvia

Timescale: project lasts 2011 - 2013

Objectives:
With a communication provide publicity that RTU:
1) To be the first state university that carries out a student town project in Latvia
2) To create a modern study environment – comfortable for students and teaching staff. To provide that all the faculties will be in one place – student campus.
3) Within a project to increase a number of students in future (now every year more than 2,500 young people choose to study at RTU)

What We Did and Why:
Press releases, press conferences, other publicity of a project – interviews in media
1) Created and introduced media and society with the brand "RTU – City within a city" in general (New campus – benefits for future students and also Riga city environment)
2) In cooperation with partners launched a web page www.pilseta.rtu.lv – all information about a project, all events, press releases, photo gallery.
3) Informed about the stages project will be realised. The start of reconstruction – first RTU faculty building.
4) Further steps - the Scientific library is renovated within the framework of this project
Results:
1) Latvian society and media are aware about this large scale project
2) Although Riga Technical University is the oldest university in Latvia and with some conservative traditions, today – it is a modern and student – friendly university by creating a better study environment.
3) As this is a long term project, final results is not possible to evaluate.

At the end of a project - RTU Materials Science and Applied Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urban Planning, Power and Electrical Engineering Faculty, as well as Electronics and Telecommunications Faculty students will all be able to study in one place. The first stage of the "RTU – City within a city" project will be realized with state and European Regional Development Fund support. The total project costs are: 19,879,035 LVL, of that amount: ERDF funding (85%) – 16,897,179 LVL; State budget funding (7.17%) – 1,425,325 LVL; RTU co-funding (7.83%) – 1,556,531 LVL

The conference was lead by the Coface Group business risk analysts, and officers of banking and financial industry experts from Europe discussed the upcoming changes in the Baltic States and the world economy next year.

In spite of economic crisis in the world overall business performance in Europe and the United States fell again - noted "Coface" group of experts. This summer Coface reduced the credit rating or changed outlook to negative in 8 developed countries. Negative impact on the economy left the national debt, which illustrates the volatility in financial markets.

"2011 in the global economy marked a cautious optimism, allowing operators to activate the new directions and produce better results. However, on the other side there has an alarm and prompted discussion - what we expect in next year? In order to analyze the foreseeable future, the world's export markets and domestic market, we have been calling for exchange of views in the conference, both - Baltic region risk analysts and European specialists", informed Maris Lukins, "Coface Latvia" Member of the Board.

The audience addressed the "Coface" experts from the Latvia, Poland and Russia, as well as banks, credit institutions and marketing experts. The theme was related to the Latvian current economic situation and accession to the euro-area. "Coface Poland" leading analyst Marcin Siwa in an interview on "Dienas Bizness", said:
"The most important for Latvia is to stimulate domestic demand. If Riga has decided to join the euro area, it is necessary to do so immediately because of the Latvian lat is now makes little sense. However, the "Coface Russia" international program leader Vladimir Vaskov is more conservative in their statements indicating that the present situation in the world economy is very uneven and risky.

Overall, in the conference covered topics and discussions resulted in large-scale and focused on the most topical issues of trade, business and economic environment in Latvia and world.

Interviews in Russian  with Marcin Siwa (Coface Polija) and Valdimir Vaskov (Coface Krievija) at rus.db.lv.

Consensus PR continues publishing „Piena ziņas (Dairy news)” in collaboration with farmers cooperative „Trikāta KS” with July/August issue. This time magazine features both political and seasonal topics as the prime Minister of Latvia Valdis Dombrovskis visited one of „Trikāta KS” farms in Latgale and shared his thoughts on Latvian dairy industry. 

Also read about decreasing stress for cows, how to protect animals form overheating and how to adjust feeding and clarification during summer heat as well as industry news form Latvia and rest of the world.

 Over the years credit cards has become casual way of payment. As follows credit card terminal  is a must for every merchant. They have been developed from bulky, heavy and user-unfriendly  devices to a sophisticated wireless gadgets. "Point Transaction Systems" Head of Service Atis Klavis speaks with Nozare.lv IT&T expert Juris Kaza on user habits, history and technological development.

Full video...

June, 2011

Continuing the ongoing project, a new issue of dairy industry magazine „Piena zinas" (Dairy News) was issued in May/June.  Its publishers – dairy households cooperative "Trikāta KS", SIA "Latvijas Piens" in co-operation with "Consensus PR" - will this month turn readers' attention to several current issues in local and global industry news.

In this issue there is an interview with Raimonds Freimanis, the member of the board of SIA "Latvijas Piens" and many more.

The issues of protection of intellectual property rights, including copyrights, patents and trademarks, are becoming increasingly topical both in the world and in Latvia. Along with developments in mass media and modern technologies, new possibilities for infringement of intellectual property rights appear again and again.

To focus on these topics, AIPPI Conference „Enforcement of IP rights and survival in new environment” will take place in Riga on 20-21 April, where more than 120 experts from approx. 24 countries will discourse on the issues of enforcement and protection of author, patent, trademark and other intellection property rights. 

At the end of year 2010, within the framework of EU Directive 2001/37/EC on the Manufacture Presentation and Sale of Tobacco Products public consultations, the European Commission has named plain packaging, recommended by the World Health Organisation, as a possible future regulation for tobacco products which is expected to „standardize the look of tobacco packaging. Manufacturers would be given the right to print only the brand name and product name on the packaging, the quantity of the product, health warnings and other compulsory information such as security labels. The container itself is plain (i.e. white, grey or cardboard colour). Similarly, the packaging size and shape would be regulated.”

AIPPI experts maintain that such regulation is an attempt to almost entirely forbid the exercising of trademark and other intellectual property rights and permit only to use the brand name in standardized typeface. „Implementation of such regulation would generate a number of difficult questions about the usage of trademarks, would encourage their counterfeiting as well as would contradict a number of international treaties”, Agris Bitans, AIPPI Latvia National Group President, points out and adds that introducing plain packaging for tobacco products would establish a precedent with regard to other consumer goods and result in a large-scale unjustified infringement of the use of trademarks .

The luxurious party, which was hosted by "Theatre Observatory " actress Agnese Zeltiņa, was attended by various celebrities – including businessman Jānis Motte, singer Candy or Liene Bronuša, and England Premier League Blackpool FC owner, businessman Valerij Belokon.

The event, which was adorned with Playboy Bunnies as well as a nude model was also attended by Italian designer Tom Rebl and the most sought after model in Europe, dark skinned Pepiss Lavdejs, who is John Galliano's best friend and has participated in many famous designer fashion shows.

More photos of the event: http://tinyurl.com/3ws8tzc

Suit Supply is currently the largest and most modern business style men's clothing store in Latvia, and entered the Latvian market in December of last year at the Galleria Rīga shopping center. The new collection is dominated by color, checks and extraordinary detail. Apart from suits and jackets the Spring/Summer Collection consists of shirts, ties and shoes. As always, a superior fit, quality and comfort are evident throughout this collection which also makes a clear distinction between an English and Italian line.

March, 2011

March for Consensus PR was very busy and productive.

* On 29th of March was press conference for Riga Technical University (RTU). They informed that a large scale project will begin this year in the spring - student complex “RTU – City within a city” construction. With that, RTU will enter Latvian history as the first state university to carry out a student town project in Latvia.

“RTU – City within a city” was conceived on a large scale, and its realization will create the most modern engineering study center in the Baltics – a student city, which will be composed of seven RTU faculties, administrative buildings, and the Scientific library.
The project is planned to take three years – from the spring of 2011 until the end of 2013. “RTU – City within a city” building visualization was developed by architects from – “Valeinis un Stepe” Ltd., “Uģis Šēnbergs, arhitekts” Ltd., and “Constructus” Ltd.
The first stage of the “RTU – City within a city” project will be realized with state and European Regional Development Fund support. The total project costs are: 19,879,035 LVL, of that amount: ERDF funding (85%) – 16,897,179 LVL; State budget funding (7.17%) – 1,425,325 LVL; RTU co-funding (7.83%) – 1,556,531 LVL.







* On 21st of March Consensus PR organised press conference for Latvijas Piens Ltd. in cooperation with the Farmers Parliament and the Latvian Agricultural Cooperatives Association - in reply to the untrue allegations publicly voiced by competitors on the new dairy processing factory project goals and cooperation idea.

The role of farmer cooperatives in Latvian agriculture was discussed, a look was taken at relevant events in the history of the Latvian dairy sector - the milk price question, which has lead to farmer disturbances, which in fact continue even now. The construction of a new, modern factory with the involvement of European co-financing has become a large "splinter" in the eyes of big processors.

Answering to the allegations, Latvijas Piens has announced a legal presentation of claim against Jāzeps Šnepts and joint-stock company "Preiļu Siers" and a 20,000 lat claim for indemnification for spreading false information. Latvian Dairy Producer Central Alliance member- joint-stock company "Trikātas siers" announced secession from this organisation, because it is not acting in the interest of all processors.







* On 2nd of March Leading Northern European real estate market consultants and industry leader – NEWSEC Latvia informed during  press conference on 2nd March that optimism grows in the real estate market.

After the drastic decrease in the last few years the situation in the real estate market is currently getting better, however further development will be unequivocally influenced by government tax politics and standard of living indicators.

Real estate market development is hampered by the tax burden and other costs increase. Despite the first signs of recovery, the industry still lacks stable long-term growth trends. Banks announce a positive financial policy, yet, it is still conservative – the number of issued loans is not large, besides, several banks have become the major real estate holders, indicates NEWSEC Latvia representative Olga Kozina.

In residential there is a larger demand for flats that don`t exceed 50 000EUR