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From:
Sent:
To:
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Subject: Re: PANORAMA PLANNING
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Agree entirely and thank you.
Mark
Mark Davies
Communications and Corporate Affairs Director
Post Office Ltd
Hi Mark
Thanks for sending this over
I’ve discussed in confidence with our leads at Mindshare and DLKW who are supportive of my view that
we need to tread carefully.
Assuming 1-2m people at most watch Panorama, this still means most people wont have seen it. So, our
real danger is we spend 100’s of thousands advertising and telling consumers about an issue they know
nothing about. The danger is we believe everyone has seen the programme when actually it’s a small %
of the population. We could by advertising actually makes the situation worse.
On a secondary point, in the case of Tesco and horsemeat (Where they took out full page ads etc),
clearly there was a customer detriment. In the Sparrow case there is not. So, our message is more
complex given there is nothing negative from a customer experience or service perspective (apart from
the obvious concerns on brand trust etc).
The recommendation is therefore:
- Weare proactive online and on social media. Notably, Darren works with the corp comms team
and is around with others to handle all tweets the evening of the programme and the morning
after. Darren is working on a plan for Friday on this. We could also get ready a response to put
on our website (again though just need to be careful we aren’t talking to an audience who
haven’t seen Panorama)
- Be ready to respond in traditional media if the situation is really grave and the programme
creates a really negative pull — we can design a press advert one day and have it in press the day
after so it’s a fast turnaround. Our view is its best to see whats being said first so any copy in any
ad could directly respond to this. My point above about this approach remain so this is very
much a “break emergency glass” type approach
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Happy to discuss further but in short, Darren is point on social and digital under Keith and Keith and I are
ready to respond in offline media but only in the extreme case as above.
Regards
Pete
From: Mark R Davies
Sent: 16 June 2015 15:15
To: Paul Swanton; Jonathan Knox; Alan Taylori-i Jane Hill; Mike Granville; Richard R Weaver; Melanie
Corfield; Kevin X Cooper; Carmel McCarthy; Pattick Bourke; Darren Jones1; Angela Van-Den-Bogerd;
Nick Beal; Thomas P Moran; Tom Wechsler; Mark Underwood;:3 Rodric Williams; Peter Markey; Keith
Gulliver
Subject: PANORAMA PLANNING
Dear all
As you are probably aware, Panorama is planning a programme on Horizon on June 29 (though the date
could move). We are engaging with the programme and BBC executives at present but have to work on
the basis that it will go ahead and that it will repeat the unsubstantiated (and in some cases absurd)
allegations previously aired in BBC programmes.
If the programme does go ahead it is critical that we have armed our people with information,
reassurance and (in cases where colleagues are customer or branch facing) answers to the questions
which may be posed by customers, branch colleagues, postmasters and others.
I have therefore with Mel worked up some ideas and tactics designed to support this need for
information, reassurance and answers. It is set out on the attached document, which is split into three
sections: tactics by audience, a timetable and required materials. Note: we have not suggested customer-
facing branch collateral: this is an option which we will consider so omission should not be seen as
rejection of the concept.
I’m copying you because it is likely you have an action in the document, or you will be asked to support
briefings. I will be discussing with wider colleagues on GE/SLT/relevant teams [and indeed some of the
proposed briefings with agency teams for instance are in the diary for next week].
Three health warnings:
- This is not complete as yet: if you can support by providing me with information to fill any gaps,
that would be welcome [gaps which are either obvious or where audience groups have been
overlooked]
- Notall the tactics in here are set in stone: but I want us to have considered all options: again, if
there are any gaps, please raise them with me.
- Please don’t forward this! If you do have changes please email them to me.
Many thanks in advance for your help. Panorama has the potential to cause serious brand damage and it
is critical we do all we can to minimise that by focussing as much effort as possible on supporting our
people (and their businesses) through what could be a difficult period.
Best wishes,
Mark
<image001.png> Mark Davies
Communications and Corporate Affairs Director
Ast Floor
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Street
London EC2Y 9AQ
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