Emergency Public Relations Case: The Nanticoke Ferry Services

Executive Summary:
On May 08, 2014, there was a devastating occurrence with one of The Nanticoke Ferry Services
ferries. A ferry boat sank that night during a storm on the Chesapeake Bay. More than 17 people
perished that night, including four children. The following are the measures taken to minimize
damage and prevent another occurrence of the situation.
Research:
Client Research:
Established in 1984, The Nanticoke Ferry Service is a private corporation that uses high-powered
hydroplanes to transport cars and small trucks from Saint Michaels to Annapolis, Maryland,
allowing residents of Marylands Eastern Shore to commute to Washington in less than half of
the time it takes to drive the whole way, about 90 minutes). The ferry service has become
increasingly popular, thanks to relatively low fares and the ability to circumvent the traffic-
clogged Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There are no seats or services on the ferry boats. Passengers
simply drive onto the deck and sit in their cars as the ferry makes its voyage. The Nanticoke
Ferry Service employs more than 1,000 workers. The clients current president is Alan Reiderer.
Senior management consists of Thomas Desago, head of sales; Milton Cleavy, chief of
technology and maintenance; and Anna Dileen, head of customer service.


Audience Research:
Relevant Publics: The target audience exists as a five-tiered system. The first and most crucial
tier is contacting emergency responders. Though Edelman believes family of the passengers are
of utmost importance, the emergency responders are the first to be contacted because they have
interacted with the passengers and have an absolute understanding and witness accounts of what
happened before shock or amnesia has set in. The second, and most important tier, is the affected
family members of the passengers. The third tier Edelman will be reaching out to are the
employees of The Nanticoke Ferry Service. The fourth tier is the media. The fifth tier is the
community both in Saint Michaels and of Annapolis.

Current Situation (Problem Research):
One of Nanticoke Ferry Services boats sank and took every single vehicle on the ferry to the
bottom of the Chesapeake Bay. Because there are no seats on Nanticoke Ferries, all passengers
remain in their vehicles until the ferry has arrived at the destination. 52 passengers were on board
and 17 of these passengers perished because they were trapped in the cars. Four of those who did
not survive were children from Alberdeen, Maryland.

Secondary Research:
Edelman conducted secondary research prior to the crisis at hand. The agency conducted
research on four high-profile emergency cases, which later won Silver Anvil awards. These cases
consisted of the BPs Deepwater Horizon case, Starbucks Trouble Brewing case, Imperial
Sugars Crystallizing a Response to a Crisis case and lastly, The Writers Guild of Americas
Pencils Down case. Upon examination, Edelman identified the most successful tactics in terms
of resolving a crisis in addition to maintaining a positive brand reputation through the crisis.


Key Findings:
Many of the crisis cases put the families of victims as the number one priority for their target
audience. It is important to maintain community-minded and attempt to right the wrong done or
give back to the community in some fashion. The key is to have the client show they care about
the damage done in addition to remedy it. Furthermore, it is crucial to set up a crisis
headquarters, a public information center and a media information center. It is essential to send
out messages within an hour of the crisis and to keep the community updated with short and
simple messaging. In a crisis, controlled media is key to preventing and stopping false or
confusing rumors on the situation.

Objectives:
To provide accurate, timely information to the target audience(s)
o Output objective / Message Exposure
To maintain a positive image of the organization as a good community citizen
o Impact: Attitude: Reinforcement
To create a way to financially assist affected families
o Output objective
o
Programming and Execution:
Edelman will tackle this crisis with a three-pronged approach. There will be three response
divisions running simultaneously: the PR headquarters, the Media Information Center and
Operation Float On.

PR Head Quarters:
Edelman will establish a PR headquarters. This headquarters will have three subdivisions: the
Public Information Center Experts, the Family Notification Taskforce and the Briefing Agents.
The Public Information Center Experts will be in charge of answering inquiries and controlling
rumors, as well as preparing materials such as fact sheets, biographies of the president and senior
management and releasing an emergency statement in a timely manner. The Family Notification
Taskforce will work closely with the client and emergency responders to discover the names of
the missing passengers as well as the names of the survivors. This taskforce will work around the
clock until all persons are accounted for, so that correct information will be distributed in a
timely manner. Lastly, the Briefing Agents will be coordinating with the Media Information
Center and working with the client's employees as well as the community leaders to organize
simple key messages, so that all information is accurate, up-to-date and consistent with other
messages released. The communication principle in this tactic is salient information.

Media Information Center:
The Media Information Center will be in charge of controlling media personnel and attempting
to control messages the media broadcasts. This means escorting the media or directing their
attention to people of importance to interview, such as emergency response personnel in addition
to the spokesperson of the company. The president of the company, Alan Reiderer, will be
designated as the spokesperson. If, for some reason, the president is not available, Anna Dileen,
head of customer service, will be spokesperson. The Media Information Center will be
responsible for creating a statement for the spokesperson and broadcasting it on the news as well
as YouTube. The Media Information Center will also be responsible for activating and answering
the emergency hotline and website. The information to access these emergency features will be
given to the local media to broadcast to the Baltimore DMA region, which includes Saint
Michael and Annapolis. The emergency hotline number will be 1-NFS-FERRY. Once this
number is dialed, there will be an option to hear the directory for the names confirmed with the
family of those missing, the names of those passengers who are safe, an option to talk with an
actual representative to suggest measures the caller believes the client should take and lastly to
talk to grief counselors who will remain on standby. The website will contain known and
confirmed facts about the situation such as names of the survivors and passengers missing, will
feature a monitored forum for suggestions, a live on the news page, where the news can be
streamed from the site, as well as an ask page. Lastly, there will be a list of grief counselors in
the area to contact, for those who lost friends or family during the crisis. The number for the
hotline as well as the URL for the emergency website will be broadcasted on the news and radio
in addition to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. This strategy contains the communication
principles of salient information and two-way communication.

Operation Float On:
The final prong of the crisis response is Operation Float On, which will primarily focus on
reparations to the community. The client will offer free grief counseling for affected families,
community members and classmates of the students who perished. There will also be a donation
hotline. Members of the community will be able to text 1-NFS-FERRY and donate $10 per text
message sent. Using these donations, the client will be able to cover the cost of funeral
arrangements for all the passengers who perished in the accident. The Nanticoke Ferry Service
will also host a service for all those passengers who were not recovered. The Nanticoke Ferry
Service will charge the same amount for the Ferry Service, but will set aside two dollars from
every ticket sold and put it in the Float On Foundation. Every year, four students from
Alberdeens High School will win a scholarship from the Float On Foundation, to honor the
memory of the four students who perished from Alberdeen, Maryland. Lastly, The Nanticoke
Ferry Service will salvage the sunken ferry, permanently anchor it, and conduct weekly
evacuation procedures to train not only the crew and staff, but the community as well. An
evacuation safety procedure schedule will be posted on Nanticokes website, allowing those
citizens who are still concerned about safety on the ferry to participate in the emergency
evacuation as well. This strategy contains the communication principle of audience participation.

Evaluation:
Months after this reactive campaign is executed, Edelman will evaluate the outcome of
the campaign in a multitude of ways. Because this is a reactive campaign, objectives will be
general and therefore, the evaluation will be less precise than a typical proactive campaign. The
first method of evaluation will analyze media impressions, examining the quality and content of
each impression. Another method that will be utilized to measure success is to monitor
complaints from consumers, the community and employees about The Nanticoke Ferry Service.
Additionally, surveys will be distributed in both Saint Michaels and Annapolis to measure and
assess the damage to Nanticoke Ferry Services image and receive feedback on how the
community thought the crisis was handled. Lastly, Edelman will examine change in sales from
before the crisis to 6 months after the crisis.



Appendix:
Emergency Contact List
Fact Sheet
Emergency Press Release
Website
Statement Issued by president or spokesperson
Evaluative Survey
























EMERGENCY CONTACT LIST:
Responders:
Coast Guard
EMTs
Fire Department

Employees:
Employee email
Text Message Alert System

Media:
Radio:
95.1 Shine FM
100.7 The Bay
101.9 Lite FM
102.7 Jack FM
105.7 The Fan
Television:
WJZ-TV channel 13
ABC 2
WNUV-TV
WMAR-TV

Community Leaders
Mike Pantelides, Mayor, Annapolis
Master Chief Russell Smith of United States Naval Academy
Jeff Richardson, Director of Public Works, Saint Michaels
Anthony Smith, Chief of Police, Saint Michaels.



The Nanticoke Ferry
Service

Fact Sheet:
Who is the Nanticoke Ferry Service?
Established in 1984, The Nanticoke Ferry Service is a private corporation that uses high-powered
hydroplanes to transport cars and small trucks from Saint Michaels to Annapolis, Maryland,
allowing residents of Marylands Eastern Shore to commute to Washington in less than half of
the time it takes to drive the whole way, about 90 minutes).

What Makes The NFS unique?
The ferry service has become increasingly popular, thanks to relatively low fares and the ability
to circumvent the traffic-clogged Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There are no seats or services on the
ferry boats. Passengers simply drive onto the deck and sit in their cars as the ferry makes its
voyage.

Is there a corporate side to NFS?
The Nanticoke Ferry Service employs more than 1,000 workers. The clients current president is
Alan Reiderer. Senior management consists of Thomas Desago, head of sales; Milton Cleavy,
chief of technology and maintenance; and Anna Dileen, head of customer service.

Does NFS use Social Media?
Yes! You can like us on Facebook, follow pictures people post on Instagram or follow us on
Twitter @NFS. If you want more information, you can go to NFS website: www.nfs.com


Emergency Webpage


On this website, there will be a home page with information about the Naticoke Ferry Service.
There will be a page for the updated names of passengers who have been accounted for, which
will be updated every time there has been newly discovered survivor. There will be a page for
unaccounted for passengers, or those who have been confirmed deceased. This too will be
updated, but only after the family has to personally been contacted. The Stream The News tab
plays new of the crisis real time, while also recording these news so the segments can be viewed
at a later time. The last tab is called Ask NFS. this is where community members can submit
questions and have them answered in a timely fashion.

The Nanticoke Ferry Service
Contact:
Megan Carey
Senior Crisis Manager, Edelman
Phone: 973-564-4655
mcarey@edelman.com
For Immediate Release

The Nanticoke Ferry Services Boat Sinks, Emergency Response Teams Engaged

ANNAPOLIS, Md. May 08, 2014 At 8:07 p.m., one of The Nanticoke Ferry
Services ferries sunk in the Chesapeake Bay during a violent thunderstorm. About 52
passengers were aboard this ferry. Currently, The Nanticoke Ferry Service is gathering
information about missing passengers.
An Public Information Center has been established in addition to a Media Information
Center on Chesapeake Bay Harbor. These two programs have activated an emergency hotline.
Anyone may call the hotline at 1-NFS- FERRY to inquire names of missing passengers as well
as passengers who have been accounted for. An emergency website, nfsemergency.com, has
been activated and supplied with the most recent information.
The president of The Nanticoke Ferry Service, Alan Reiderer, will release a statement
within the next hour. Those who wish to contribute to the affected families may text the
emergency hotline to donate $10 per text. Families of those missing will be contacted within the
next 24 hours.
The Nanticoke Ferry Service is a private corporation that uses high-powered hydroplanes
to transport cars and small trucks from Saint Michaels to Annapolis, Maryland, allowing
residents of Marylands Eastern Shore to commute to Washington in less than half of the time it
takes to drive, about 90 minutes.
###
Issued Statement from of The Nanticoke Ferry Services president, Alan Reiderer:
Hello all,
It is with a grim heart, I tell you that a devastating event has occurred a little over an
hour or ago. One of The Nanticoke Ferry Services ferries sank in the Chesapeake Bay during
the storm we are currently experiencing. All vehicles on board have sunk. An investigation on
the matter is pending, however our primary concern at the moment is recovering all passengers.
We have called all available emergency response teams in the area and we are working
around the clock to get you the most up-to date information that we can. For those of you
listening who believe to have family member or friend aboard the boat, I strongly urge you to
call our hotline at 1-NFS-FERRY or visit nfsemergency.com. Both of these are resources to
check on the status of your loved ones.
For those of you who have been following this tragedy, I urge you to text 1-NFS-FERRY
to donate $10 to the victims of the families of the victims. I will personally be here every step of
the way, until the last passenger has been accounted for. If you have any questions, again please
contact our hotline at 1-NFS-FERRY.
Lastly, ladies and gentlemen, I would just like to express my sorrow about the losses
experienced tonight. There were not just strangers on this boat; there were dear friends and
employees I have known for years. We will suffer together, we will mourn together and we will
be by your side, updating information as fast as possible; so that when we known what happened,
youll know what happens.


The Nanticoke Ferry Service
EVALUATIVE SURVEY
1) Please check the box which applies to you
Male
Female
Other
2) Please check the box which applies to your age
0-10
11-16
17-25
26-40
41-64
65+
3) On average, how often do you travel by ferry?
Never Sometimes Often Most of the time Always
4) Do you currently utilize The Nanticoke Ferry Service?
YES NO
5) If yes, how often do you use The Nanticoke Ferry Service?
Never Sometimes Often Most of the time Always
6) Have you traveled with the Nanticoke Ferry Service prior to the accident?
YES NO
7) If yes, how often did you utilize this service?
Never Sometimes Often Most of the time Always
8) Have you attended any of The Nanticoke Ferry Services safety evacuation drills?
YES NO
9) If yes, how would you rate the drill on the following?
Not Educational Educational
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Not Helpful Helpful
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Not A Positive Experience A Positive Experience
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10) If you have attended The Nanticoke Ferry Services safety evacuation drills, did
you feel that you were safer after participation? Please explain:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
11) Please rate The Nanticoke Ferry Service on the following parameters:
Not Community Oriented Community Oriented
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Not Safe Safe
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Not Efficient Efficient
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Not A Positive Experience Positive Experience
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Not Trustworthy Trustworthy
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
12) Are you aware of the Float On Foundation?
YES NO
13) If you have utilized The Nanticoke Ferry Service, please list five positive aspects of
the service:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
14) If you have utilized The Nanticoke Ferry Service, please list any concerns you have
about the companys safety policies, procedures or any other items of concern.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
15) What services do you believe The Nanticoke Ferry Service should offer in the
future?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
16) What impression do you have of The Nanticoke Ferry Service?
Extremely Negative Neutral Extremely Positive
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10