Media Relations: Press office development and management

The Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA UK)

In 2001 after six years of operation, the Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA UK) decided to take a more professional approach to their media relations. As a small trade association the sensitivity and sheer number of enquiries they received from journalists when internet issues were raised in the media were difficult to manage. Communications with journalists lacked planning and consistency.

Parker, Wayne & Kent began by auditing ISPA’s media relations. The results of this audit would inform our recommendations for ISPA’s media relations strategy and plan. The audit highlighted ISPA’s need to develop faster response times to media enquiries, to assert greater control over ISPA’s media presence and to communicate more consistent and clear messages via the media.

ISPA needed to implement a planned press office function.

Parker, Wayne & Kent identified the issues on which ISPA should be communicating and developed essential press office materials including key messages, backgrounders and question and answer documents for each issue. By creating a corporate press pack with biographies and photography of key senior personnel, ISPA could exploit media and speaker opportunities more readily.

Parker, Wayne & Kent identified ISPA’s key target media and implemented a journalist management and tracking system. We also arranged media training for all ISPA spokespeople.

As well as building the ISPA website with Brightlemon, Parker, Wayne and Kent devised and developed ISPA’s online press office, offering an indispensable resource for journalists interested in ISPA and internet issues.

Parker, Wayne & Kent achieved

• a very significant increase in the amount and quality of media coverage, 
• a press office with a response time of less than one hour for the majority of requests for comment, 
• greater attendance of key journalists at ISPA events,
• essential media coverage to support ISPA’s lobbying activity, such as ISPA’s campaign on data retention and access, for which the association was nominated for a 2003 CNET Award for Outstanding Contribution to UK Technology.

ISPA continues to use Parker, Wayne & Kent’s trained and dedicated public relations professionals to manage strategic, tactical and day-to-day media relations. Parker, Wayne & Kent manages ISPA’s press office and develops and disseminates all of ISPA’s news releases.