On May 25, this public relations program was recognized by the Florida Public Relations Association with a 2017 Image Award for Reputation Management.
It was a Friday morning when it became clear that Florida would suffer damage from Hurricane Matthew, heading straight for the eastern seaboard and ready to wreak havoc on everyone and everything in its path. But the Category 4 beast was no match for Sachs Media Group Rhinos – with proactive planning, smart thinking, and teamwork, we were able to jump into action for two of our clients who had a role to play in the disaster — People’s Trust Insurance and the Florida Association of Insurance Agents.
That Friday we quickly developed a new media-facing page on the People’s Trust Insurance website, offering reporters the chance to ride along with People’s Trust Insurance’s Rapid Response Team as it mobilized recovery supplies for those in need and repair staff after the hurricane. Simultaneous with the PTI plan, we swung into gear to organize a Monday morning media conference call for the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, which had independent agents on the front lines taking claims after the storm.
Since the storm posed a major challenge to reach journalists that Friday – with many of them reporting at the scene – our team pulled together a media list of reporters who were covering Hurricane Matthew and actively talking about it on Twitter. Sachs Media Group began reaching out to these journalists through Twitter, pitching the PTI ride-alongs, and the Monday FAIA media conference call. We continued to communicate with journalists throughout the weekend to promote these media opportunities, and in the meantime sent the firm’s vice president of public relations to Jacksonville to liaise with reporters signing up for ride-alongs with the Rapid Response Team. From this, The Florida Times-Union published a front-page centerpiece feature on PTI’s post-storm recovery efforts, among other TV news stories across the coast.
On Monday, it was time for the FAIA media conference call. After a morning spent following up with statewide media pitched via email and Twitter, we listened in as the Associated Press, the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times bureau, St. Augustine Record, and more called in to participate. Our smart, strong, and strategic thinking amid the chaos of a monster storm helped position FAIA and its independent member agents as the authority on the complex claims process after a hurricane. Reports included a feature in the St. Augustine Record, the Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Jacksonville Business Journal, and more.
In the aftermath of a devastating storm, information and help can be difficult to find. Through quick responses and expert insights from our team and our clients, we were able to raise the profile of important and credible information that would ultimately help countless homeowners find the help they needed while navigating the post-storm recovery process.
To view the case study, click here.
Earned media outcomes:
- Florida TimesUnion (front page centerpiece)
- WFTV-Orlando
- WTLV-Jacksonville
- St. Augustine Record
- Jacksonville Business Journal
- Insurance Journal
- Palm Beach Post
- Orlando Sentinel
- Property Casualty 360