In Their Own Words: Nuclear PR Case Study

Legislative Demographic Services, based in Fairfax, Virginia, "is a government affairs consulting and technology company that provides communications services, technology and applied data products." The company was established in 1982 and is a subsidiary of Identix, Inc., which is a biometrics company "offering finger print and facial [identification] technologies and products." Illustrating its public affairs capacity, LDS features on its website twelve "case studies" that broadly discuss work on behalf of their various clients. The case study below describes their work to counter a citizen's movement to shut down an unnamed nuclear power plant.

A partial screen shot of LDS's web page that features a case study of work done for an unnamed nuclear power plant.

Saving a Billion-Dollar Investment

Security concerns in the post-9/11 world have rekindled debate in many parts of the U.S. about the safety of nuclear power plants. One pointed campaign by well-organized anti-nuclear activists was directed at a major energy provider's highly profitable and efficient $1 billion facility. While the plant had an outstanding safety record and was being further secured against acts of terrorism, the persistent negative publicity worried state and local legislators even though a shutdown would seriously compromise the region's long-term economic stability and possibly increase energy costs to consumers.

With the assistance of LDS's consulting and communications experts, the energy provider successfully countered the negative publicity through a well-planned and implemented third-party grassroots strategy. Drawing on focus groups and other information sources, LDS identified motivational messages and respected advocates who could effectively mobilize individuals and organizations to support the plant's continued operation. The firm also organized rallies to recruit volunteers, and provided training for advocacy coordinators and speakers.

To help manage the campaign, LDS's enhanced mapping and tracking reports helped organizers monitor progress on volunteer recruitment by districts, and illustrate district-specific effects of a plant shutdown. These tools provided up-to-the-minute assessments of the campaign's success, and prioritized areas for resources and attention.

LDS-developed communications tools included legislative action guides, newsletters, campaign materials (lawn signs, bumper stickers, and buttons), volunteer sign-up cards, talking points and issue briefs, and sample letters to legislators and elected officials. LDS's District Match Data Set made it easy to match volunteers with their political districts, enabling the campaign to tailor efforts to specific officials and ancillary issues.

Although the campaign is considered ongoing, the intensity of the plant shutdown campaign has waned substantially. In addition to having the grassroots infrastructure in place to act in the event of subsequent anti-nuclear publicity, the energy provider is now better able to convey its messages on other key issues to state and local officials.

From http://www.lds-inc.com/about/case_cc.cfm, visited March 14, 2005.