Mad Cow PR machine

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http://www.prweek.com/news/news_story.cfm?ID=198740 & site=3

 

Meat industry scrambles to respond to mad cow frenzy

Written by John N. Frank

Published on January 05 2004

WASHINGTON: Meat-industry trade groups were scurrying during the recent holiday

season to coordinate key messages and media lists as they responded to reports

of mad cow disease rearing its head in the Western US.

 

 

" We're having to use a triage approach " to answering media calls, said Janet

Riley, SVP of public affairs with the American Meat Institute (AMI), a processor

group. Riley said she has been returning calls to media outlets with the largest

reach first, and acknowledged that she couldn't have returned all the calls she

received. The volume of calls " was like nothing I have ever seen, " she admitted.

 

While AMI handled the media crush without the use of external PR support, the

National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) worked with Burson-Marsteller,

which regularly does consumer PR for the association, said Sara Goodwin,

associate director of PR.

 

PR staffs at both the AMI and the NCBA worked through the Christmas weekend

answering media calls. Riley allowed NBC News to come to her home on Christmas

Day where she commented on the situation. The NBC crew also taped her preparing

beef for dinner in an effort to demonstrate her faith in the safety of the beef

supply, although that footage didn't air, she said.

 

One challenge for the various associations was reaching the right reporters

covering the outbreak. The Christmas holiday meant that many regular food

reporters were on vacation, so media lists had to be updated to reflect new

contact names and e-mail addresses, Riley noted.

 

The US Department of Agriculture held daily press briefings on its investigation

regarding the infected cow, which was found in Washington state.

 

The cattlemen also decided to hold technical briefings for the press each day

after the USDA conference, Goodwin said, while the AMI held teleconferences to

answer reporters' questions.

 

Key message points the industry was stressing revolved around the safety of the

US beef supply and the extent of efforts underway to track down how the disease

reached US shores, Goodwin said. Her association was also conducting a survey to

see how news of the outbreak was impacting consumer opinions. Early indications

were that US beef sales were not being affected.

 

PR firms with food clients were closely monitoring the situation.

 

Edelman revived a weekly newsletter it had done several years ago called Mad Cow

Monitor, looking at media coverage of the topic, said Mary Earley, SVP and

director of media analysis at StrategyOne, Edelman's Washington, DC research

operation.

 

" The intensity of coverage is increasing, and we think it will continue to [do

so], " she said.

 

Food PR pros also agreed that coverage of the issue would only grow once media

outlets are back to full staff after the new year begins.

 

 

 

 

 

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