- Introduction
- Case Study 1
- Case Study 2
- Case Study 3
To assist the London office of Burson Marsteller with a Northern Ireland project. The recommendation was made by Baroness Denton, with whom Nick had previously worked as Press Officer during her time as a NIO Minister.
The project involved changing the perception of the power station fuel Orimulsion which had gained an unfair world-wide perception as, in the words of one GB politician, "the fuel from hell." The company acknowledged its mistakes at mishandling its own reputation. However Friends of the Earth had eagerly grasped the previous comment and added their own, concluding that Orimulsion was the "dirtiest fuel on earth!"
"sole responsibility for planning and implementing a communications strategy..."
From the beginning of the exercise Nick Carson had sole responsibility for planning and implementing a communications strategy which was designed and managed to change that perception. That strategy included onetoone briefings with academics (one of which prepared an independent, scientific analysis and report on the fuel), politicians, Councillors, NGOs (including Friends of the Earth) and other interested parties. The campaign also featured three separate and accompanied trips to a power station in Denmark where the fuel is used and where environmental regulations are the most stringent in Europe.
"Both UTV and BBC local television also covered the story..."
Nick also produced a glossy hand-out demonstrating the benefits of using the fuel for securing the future of one of Northern Ireland´s largest power stations. The document presented facts which showed that the intended package was actually better for the environment than the current coal burning option. The production team for BBC ´Countryfile´ a nationally broadcast programme was encouraged to come to Northern Ireland to produce what turned out to be a very favourable piece indicating that the fuel´s previous reputation had been undeserved. Both UTV and BBC local television also covered the story and no opposition was recorded.
All former protagonists against the fuel scaled down their opposition and indicated that they would not oppose the use of the fuel on environmental grounds. The fuel became the subject of a proposal which would substantially reduce the costs of electricity generation in Northern Ireland and Friends of the Earth changed its web-site content to indicate that it did not consider the use of the fuel to be one of its priority campaigning issues.
"With your professional approach and outstanding ability to get to grips with all the issues associated with a subject, of which you had no previous knowledge, you soon got a campaign organised. I can only liken your approach to that of a championship snooker player who while executing the shot in hand is considering the next three or four moves.
It was not only your ability to make contact with the various organisations and individuals from Government Ministers to members of the public, it was your approach, making them feel they must hear what people had to say, that created the opportunities for getting the message across. Once a door was opened your advice on the method of presentation, level of detail and basically what would hit the target was always well judged."
William McIlhatton, Director NIGEN (former owners of Kilroot Power Station)