Public Risk Assessment
Public Risk Assessment™ helps financial services firm defuse negative attention, strengthen support base

The situation

A leading global financial services firm was singled out in a news release by a high-profile congressional representative who claimed the company had preferentially allocated IPO shares. Taken aback by this unexpected turn of events, the firm realized a proactive stance was necessary. Senior management engaged Public Strategies to help mitigate the current crisis and protect against potential further attacks.

Public Strategies' solution

Public Strategies conducted its proprietary Public Risk Assessment™ for the client, to help reconstruct the events leading up to the damaging news release, determine how to resolve the negative public environment now facing the firm, and advise the company on how to prevent similar situations from happening in the future.

• Public Strategies began by performing an environmental scan, to identify the key issues affecting the financial services industry as a whole, and the client particularly.

• Public Strategies conducted a comprehensive media analysis, examining media coverage of the firm and its competitors, as well as identifying key issues relevant to competitors.

• Public Strategies performed a thorough competitor analysis in relation to government affairs, examining relationships with lobbyists, lawmakers, and staff. It also reviewed the company's government affairs budget, personnel, and capabilities.

• Public Strategies conducted an internal analysis of key leadership to determine their perspective on key issues facing the firm.

• Public Strategies offered expertise and counsel to the client on regulatory changes that could positively affect the company's business, on how their government affairs team could achieve such regulatory goals, and on how a public campaign could boost their government-affairs efforts and strengthen their Capitol Hill relationships.

Client benefits

• The client used information it gained through Public Strategies' Public Risk Assessment™ to neutralize the criticism coming from Capitol Hill against the firm.

• The client developed internal entities and channels focused on research about and communication with the public.

• Having witnessed the extraordinary value of positive public sentiment, the client is implementing recommendations from this process internationally.