“…Pepco was actually named the ‘most hated company in America’ …bringing them on board was essential to being able to react in a much more proactive way, and then obviously sharpening the messages that we wanted to get out to the public, and therein is where we started to see the shift.”
— Joseph M. Rigby, former Chairman, President and CEO, Pepco Holdings, Inc.
In today’s world of immediate communication, reputations can be tarnished faster and damage can last longer than was the case just a few years ago. Longstanding hot button issues can reach critical peaks rapidly and unexpectedly and threaten business performance, total shareholder return, employee engagement, stakeholder relations and profitability.
We provide customized, research-based communications strategies to help repair and restore corporate reputations for even the “most hated” companies. The research we conduct allows us to get to the heart of the issues, drives all messaging strategy and helps to identify the “quick wins” that begin to tip the scales back in the company’s favor. Having spent the last decade working directly for Fortune 500 companies, we have seen the results from the inside.
Our approach is robust, but nothing is arbitrary. Each communication tactic serves a specific purpose and offers an opportunity to influence perception, reputation and customer satisfaction and all are based on a solid foundation of research findings.
How do we know our method works?
- Successfully restored the reputation of the “most hated company in America” as the company’s reputation improved by 39 points and customer satisfaction increased 28 points over three years
- Pepco Holdings, Inc., headlines went from “Why Pepco Can’t Keep the Lights On” Washington Post 2010 to “Inside Pepco: How the Utility Kept the Lights On During Hurricane Sandy” Washington Post, 2012
- JD Power recognized Pepco as the most improved utility among large brands with a 47-point lift, 2014
- Named Energy Company of the Year by EnergyBiz, 2014
- Received Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silver Anvil Award for Turning Around the Most Hated Company in America, 2013
- After the brand was repaired, Pepco Holdings, Inc., merged with Exelon Corporation receiving a 29.5% stock price premium
Since each repair effort is steeped in research, no two approaches are the same. We provide a custom approach that is based upon what we learn through research and aligned with business goals.