case study 1

Highlighting the world's threatened flora

This campaign was winner of a PRCA Award for Outstanding Consultancy Practice

Plants cover almost all the land on this planet. They are a food source for humans and animals as well as a source of medicinal drugs. It is estimated that there are 270,000 trees, grasses, flowers, ferns and other plants of which a massive 33,798 are considered threatened species.

In 1998 the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), with its partners, launched the first ever worldwide list of threatened plants, the 'IUCN Red List', compiled after ten years of study. We were asked to launch the publication of this list to the UK media and public, raising awareness of the work of the WCMC in the process.

The project had to be carried out in a very short time frame and therefore strategic planning was a key element of the programme. It was agreed to distil the key messages into a short punchy press release and provide the statistics and background information as a one page fact sheet.

Our communications programme defined messages, target audiences, key media with an action plan with timings, and material for use with the media. We communicated with all parties involved, 'sold the story' to journalists, distributed material and arranged interviews with broadcast media.

Rather than plan a press event, the principal journalists, publications and broadcast titles were targeted directly and offered a personalised angle for the story. The launch, held at the Linnean Society in London, was to invited guests only and provided a focus for the announcement. We briefed key spokespeople in advance and set up media interviews for them. Additional information and high quality photographs were made available on request.

The results surpassed all expectations. Extensive coverage was achieved in the majority of national newspapers, including a cover story and six pages in the Independent on Sunday colour supplement, as well as key journals such as the New Scientist and Nature.

The broadcast media covered the story in depth, with interviews on Radio 4's Today Programme and the BBC 9 O'Clock News. Highlights included interviews at Kew Gardens and coverage by BBC Breakfast News, and the World Service also covered the story on a range of programmes over a period of several weeks. The story was featured on hourly news bulletins through the day and regional news programmes.

The coverage included both the main story and additional information that was supportive of the WCMC corporate objectives, but the icing on the cake was that it generated enquiries from potential sponsors and has positioned the WCMC as an authority in this field.

As a final testament to our work, a Government announcement recorded in Hansard 17/6/98 said "I am delighted to be able to announce today that my department will be providing a contribution of Ł10,000 to a project being undertaken by the WCMC in Cambridge", and we won a prestigious award from our industry body, the Public Relations Consultants Association – the PRCA Award for Outstanding Consultancy Practice.