Crisis Communications

Assess and optimize an organization’s readiness, preparation for, and effective responses to prospective and ongoing crises

Putnam Insights consortium members have collectively led crisis preparation and response for over a dozen publicly traded companies over the past two decades. We provide a full suite of services in this area, from organizational crisis readiness, preparation for potential crises, crisis scenario and action planning, garnering outside expert perspectives on an ongoing or pending crisis, and immediate crisis response. We offer strategic consulting services and several curated service packages to address an organization’s unique needs.

Custom Service Program

Assess and provide recommendations for improving the organization's readiness to respond to crises.

Offering & Deliverables

A formal assessment of organization crisis readiness and response plans, evaluating currency and actionability, including comparisons against best practices

Recommendations for architecture, content, and process improvement to rectify gaps and ensure that the plan remains refreshed and actionable

Draft sets of materials and recommendations are provided for the CCO to share with or deploy to the senior executive team

Assessment of current state, templates for improvement, and step-by-step action processes

Process

Scope project with the CCO, CLO, and other relevant C-suite officers, including identification of internal and external stakeholders to be consulted and arranging access to existing materials

In tandem with the CCO, identify and characterize various scenarios the assessment would capture

Program Duration

Estimated at several weeks to a small number of months for assessment, following approvals, and resource allocation. Putnam Insights will participate in remediation measures extending beyond the projected term upon request.

Cost Drivers

Dependent on the scope and granularity of the current plan and range of internal and external stakeholders engaged for consultation, and whether participation in rectification actions is requested

Custom Service Program

Aggregate expert perspectives, positions, and response recommendations on a critical enterprise issue or issues

Offering & Deliverables

Working in alignment with the CCO’s advice, Putnam Insights designs and convenes an appropriate panel of internal and external experts to develop a consensus point of view that helps inform leadership decision-making in the face of a crisis or significant opportunity

Identifies and engages an informed panel of internal/external experts to generate a range of insights and perspectives on the matter

Collates summaries from the panel discussion(s) to support the CCO in bringing forward perspectives to inform decisions at the senior executive level

Counsel provided to the CCO on presenting the panel views and CCO perspective at an appropriate senior forum to inform leadership decision-making

Briefing includes summary document and briefing presentation as well as probing, decision-making questions for executive leadership to consider

Process

In collaboration with the CCO, Putnam Insights determines an approach to address the matter in a defined timeframe, which may include a single session or pulsed series of sessions in-person, virtual, or hybrid

Secures and schedules experts to participate

CCO or designee tees up the situation (positive/negative) for the panel

One or more of the panel discussions may be open to members of the senior leadership team to hear external perspectives on the proposed issue

Oversees and manages workshops, roundtable discussions

Aggregates a full range of commentary in briefing materials, highlighting consensus, opposing, or split points of view

Program Duration

Depending on the initial agreed-upon process, the project ranges from a single session, with briefing documents developed in days, all the way to planned, regular periodic check-ins with the expert group over several weeks or longer.

Cost Drivers

Number and caliber of experts; factors such as one-off engagement around a specific time-limited situation or continuing engagement with multiple touch-points over time; and whether Putnam Insights participation in remediation action is requested

Custom Service Program

Support real-time effective response to an ongoing crisis

Offering & Deliverables

Putnam Insights assesses the crisis situation with the CCO and other appropriate internal stakeholders

Provides recommended alternatives for response, outreach and messaging plan with associated timelines

Participates as an influencer, subject matter informant as appropriate

At enterprise option, Putnam Insights may conduct perception assessment among critical stakeholders

Defined stakeholder engagement plan incorporated into response plan

Process

Work with the CCO to understand crisis context, dynamics, and organization objectives

Putnam team builds analysis, response, outreach plan, and timeline with the CCO

Conducts a baseline stakeholder perception assessment (optional)

Participates in message development and direct outreach (optional)

Program Duration

Estimated as short as days for immediate assessment, initial response and outreach plan, following approvals and resource allocation, up to several weeks a complex situation including multiple stakeholders and perception assessments. Timing for engagement is per scoping with the CCO following assessment and plan approval.

Cost Drivers

Complexity and duration of crisis; scoping of Putnam's role in planning only, or directly engaging internal/external response.