Crisis & Issues Management

“BlueChip has always given us excellent service and "know their stuff". We get value from the executional competence of the team, coupled with the strategic input from BlueChip seniors.”

Australian funds manager

The Brief

A funds manager of unlisted property trusts had an emerging investor issue that required a delicate touch, intelligent planning and swift response. Dealing directly with a number of issues and avoiding a full-blown crisis was a critical component of the brief:

Can BlueChip help win unit holder support?

The Response

An issues ‘triage centre’ was created to manage all incoming and outgoing communication, including with media.

Direct channels of communication were conceived, including BlueChip managing a series of ‘town hall’ meetings with unit holders nationwide. Consistent messages were drawn up for speeches, spokesperson preparation materials and audience Q&As. Presentation coaching for the CEO formed part of this phase of the response.

A plan of long-term communication with unit-holders was created, including a multi-layered ongoing stakeholder program encompassing various mediums - traditional media, online forums and direct communication.

The Results

• Crisis averted!
  
• Direct communication with clear, single focus messages helped the client swing the reputation pendulum back in its favour. Unit holder feedback was considerably positive, and investor understanding of a number of underlying and complex technical issues was much improved. The client enjoyed the benefit of being in a position to influence further ongoing investor decisions.