This document discusses spin, public relations, and issues management. It defines these terms and outlines the differences between crises and issues. Issues are long-lasting, involve factual and moral disagreements, and can affect a company's license to operate. Issues management is an anticipatory strategic process to detect emerging trends and respond appropriately. Examples discussed include the REACH chemical regulation and Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). REACH involved intense lobbying over many years. ACTA faced grassroots opposition through petitions, protests, and social media that ultimately led the European Parliament to reject the agreement.

1. Spin, PR and Issues Management
29 October 2015
Sara Magdalena Goldberger
Executive Communications Lead Group Operations and Technology

2. Agenda
 A definition
 Difference between crisis and issues
 From crisis to issue
 How an issue might develop – Child Obesity
 Issues – 3 likely scenarios
 What is issues management?
 License to operate
 Examples – REACH and ACTA
 REACH and Chemical Industry
 REACH and Chemical Industry
 Messaging examples
 ACTA and grass roots
 ACTA cont’d
 ACTA cont’d
2

3.  Spin
 Public Relations
 Issues Management
 Providing a biased interpretation of an
event or campaigning to persuade
 Managing the spread of information
between an individual or an organization
and the public
 an anticipatory, strategic management
process that helps organizations detect and
respond appropriately to emerging trends
or changes in the socio-political
environment
A definition
3

4. Crisis
 Immediate
 Short lived
 Human mistakes
 Facts are clear
 Rarely any moral disagreements
 Cleaning up the mess
 (Under)informed public
 Societal vacuum
Issues
 Long lasting
 Lengthy and disputed decisions
 Factual Disagreement
 Moral disputes
 Coalition building
 Public is well-informed
 Institutional matrix
 Based on commercial market decisions
Difference between crisis and issues

5. From crisis to issue
Emergence Resolution Permanence
Pressure

6. Emergence Resolution Permanence
How an issue might develop – Child Obesity
6
A notion that children are
getting obese
Sports on school curriculum Health issues: present and future
Regulation is being discussed Research – Industry action Social behaviour
Piecemeal industry solution
rather than addressing the issue
Healthier product ranges Growing middle class can afford
healthier choices
Choice Legislation Less choice

7. 1. A trigger event will bring about a “dormant crisis” – this can be
managed and dealt with and remain dormant
2. The issue completely changes the playing field and affects
corporate license to operate
3. Crisis – flare up and go away but does not affect the corporate
license to operate
Issues – 3 likely scenarios
7

8. Non-
market
strategy
Issues
Management
Public affairs
Crisis
Managment
What is issues management?

9. Corporate
Governance
Corporate
strategy
Stakeholders
Internal (risk
analysis)
Formulating and
evaluating
alternatives
Strategy
implementation
Sustainable
competitive
advantage
External/intern
al formulated
alternative
strategy
License to operate
9

10. Corporate
 REACH and Dow Chemical
 REACH – Registration, Authorisation and
Restriction of Chemicals
Grass-root
 How grass-roots stopped legislation
 Anti-Counter fitting Trade Agreement -
ACTA
Examples – REACH and ACTA

11. 2001 – White paper
from the EC
April ´01 – Council
of Ministers accepts
White Paper
May ’03 –
Commission
presented draft
legislation & Public
consultation
REACH and Chemical Industry
11
Intense lobbying in Brussels and Member States: dinners, events, workshops

12. ’03 – ’05 EP
negotiations
and intense
lobbying
’05 – co-
decision process
’06 –
Negotiations EP
and Council
REACH accepted
’07 REACH
implemented
REACH and Chemical Industry
2003
June - NGOs deliver 22000 signatures
supporting REACH
Sept. - Joint letter from Tony Blair, Jacques
Chirac & Gerard Schröder anti-REACH
Dow CEO & President visit Greece to influence
new commissioner and before Greece’s chair
’03 - New Commissioner:
Mr. Dimas
Secretary of State
Powell sent 3 telegrams
with instructions to US
embassies to take
direct action
Intense lobbying in Brussels and Member States: dinners, events, workshops

13. Greenpeace Dow Jones
Messaging examples
13

14. 2006
Introduction of ACTA,
US insist NOT to
involve international
organisations
2007
Portugal’s Prime Minister
Economic Adviser tells the
US that his government
supported the
Commission’s leadership
on ACTA
2008
Wikileaks gave ACTA
public attention
2009
White House claims the
ACTA secrecy is a matter
of “national security”
ACTA and grass roots

15. 2011
protests are picking up
2012
2,4 million signatures
anti-ACTA,
EP committees start
voting against ACTA
July 4 2012
The EP turned down
ACTA
478 No to 39 Yes with
165 abstentions.
ACTA cont’d

16.  25 February, 2012 –anti-ACTA day
– 150 protest marches in 19 countries
– Second large protest 9 June 2012
 41 activist organisations co-operated –
creating a broad coalition with protestes
coming from different angles
 National and international petitions
– National German parliament e-petition
collected 61.000 names in 1 month
 Financing through crowd sourcing
 Tools
– Alternative legislative proposals
– Petitions – national and EU wide
– Newsletters
– Events
– Twitter
– Facebook
– Internet activist groups in Member States
ACTA cont’d

17. Thank you!
Sara Magdalena Goldberger
Executive Communications Lead Group Operations and Technology
zurich.com