If your company is experiencing a crisis,
a decisive turning point in a condition or state of affairs, and
you need assistance to rectify the situation and protect your
company’s image, Connolly & Company has the proven expertise
to assist your company.
Case Study: Yanaguana Cruises, Inc.
In 2000, Connolly & Company was retained to provide crisis
management support for Yanaguana Cruises, Inc. due to a $5.4-million
lawsuit brought on by the Mayor and City Council, which would
essentially put Yanaguana out of business. Connolly & Company
was primarily concerned with influencing public opinion to preserve
a positive image of Yanaguana and its owner, Carol O’Malley,
during and after the crisis. Connolly & Company was also charged
with ensuring that Yanaguana maintain the 10-year river barge
contract and not be required to pay the damages alleged in the
lawsuit, as well as convincing the City political body to view
the allegations as a political decision, not a legal decision,
thereby eliminating the need to take the issue to court.
Connolly & Company’s message
management strategy was to place our client’s spokesperson,
Carol O’Malley, in front of the media, allowing her to tell
her side of the story. We blanketed the print and broadcast media
with interviews from O’Malley, and provided information
to the media, such as unflattering deposition comments by City
officials, to discredit the opposition. Connolly & Company
was available 24-hours a day, seven days a week to assist the
client, who was under a constant media barrage. Moreover, Connolly
& Company - not the legal team - led strategy meetings which
included the legal team, PR team, and the client.
In November 2000, Yanaguana and the City
reached a settlement in which Yanaguana’s 10-year contract
was protected and Yanaguana only had to pay $40,000 of the $5.4
million requested. Moreover, at the height of the controversy,
Yanaguana’s revenue was down 30-50% at times, but by the
summer 2001, they were enjoying revenues that were up 25-40% -
achieving the highest summer revenue in the company’s history.
