Why ‘no comment’ is no longer an option- engaging stakeholders and the media.

Lauren Molan- Great Southern Presswww.gastoday.com.au

Introduction

• Lauren Molan, Associate Editor of Gas Today Australia Magazine.

• Great Southern Press are a publishing and custom content marketing organisation.

• Gas Today, quarterly subscribe via www.gastoday.com.au for $69.

Why Communicate?

• Balance/ perspective• Encourage brand loyalty• The skills shortage• Education• Issues management• Safety

Who should we be communicating to?

• Landholders• Communities affected by

gas operations• Investors• Government• Associations• Academic/ training

institutions• Potential employees• Each other!!!• Fence-sitters everywhere

How to engage stakeholders

• Research• Be proactive• Cultivate a public

presence and continue to tell your story

• Be genuine• Be clear and concise in

your message• Be strategic and

forward thinking

The fear of change

• “People are upset therefore they perceive danger rather than people perceiving danger and getting upset” Sandman 1993-1994.

What role does the media play?

• The marketing mix consists of:

• Advertising • Editorial• Direct engagement/

custom content marketing

Advertising

• The most concise way to address an audience

• Allows for repetition of message

• Exists without the audience’s control- audiences don’t seek advertising it bombards them!

• http://www.youtube.com/ausminingstory

Editorial

• Third-party endorsement

• Greater weight/ authority

• Readers are more engaged

• It’s free! (most of the time)

Direct Engagement

• One-on-one/ personal marketing

• Two-way communication

• Greater sense of connection to the brand through experience

• Facilitates greater brand recall

The differences in media

Trade media:• Exist due to advertising

stream• More in-depth industry

knowledge• Audience is engaged on

a higher level• SEO means articles rank

highly in online searches

News media:• Exists due to number of

copies sold as well as advertising

• Greater circulation• Mostly investor

audience• Can reach landholders/

communities in print

Communication Frequency

• Consumers need to be prompted 3 times in order to act on a call to action.

Conclusion• ‘No comment’ means ‘guilty’• The media are a tool to be used• Tell the truth, tell it first and tell

it fast.• Constant communication is

good, so long as it is not ‘noise’• Broadcast your message

broadly using the full marketing mix

• The media aren’t scary• Don’t forget to talk to each

other- through trade publications!

Questions?