An impending crisis in the industry threatened to spill over to the system supplier (automotive industry) literally overnight. This was the trigger to immediately bring a competent external communications expert on board. The company also had an urgent need to increase awareness and improve its image anyway - and therefore also to optimize corporate communications in the German market.
Overnight initial action plan and sustainable crisis communication
The interim manager took on the project as a management consultant. After the initial discussions, he drew up an overnight initial action plan for the managed handling of the impending danger. He then immediately developed a crisis communication and crisis management strategy tailored specifically to the client. The results led to a results-oriented, company-specific work manual for crisis management.
Optimization of corporate communications
The next step was to develop an optimization strategy for corporate communications in order to increase the company's profile and improve its image. The focus of this strategy was professional PR work. The interim manager developed a corresponding PR plan. His work also included preparing the top managers for interviews and other discussions with high-profile journalists in media training sessions. He also introduced a topic management system.
Press office function
The interim manager also took on important press office functions. His tasks included the following:
- Contact person for journalists
- Inviting and accompanying important media representatives to trade fairs and events
- Organizing and accompanying press trips and editorial meetings
- Writing and sending out press releases
Crisis communication and corporate communication well positioned
At the end of the interim mandate, the company's crisis communication and corporate communication were sustainably well positioned. The people responsible are sensitized to potential crises and prepared to manage them professionally. The responsible managers are trained and tried and tested for discussions with the media.
The PR measures ensured a significantly higher profile and increased the company's presence in the relevant media.
