McCanns

The challenge…
Having just been named as "arguidos", or official suspects, Gerry and Kate McCann were being overwhelmed with media interest on their return to England. With their PR manager departing, hanover agreed to provide interim support until a replacement was appointed.

 

What we did…
We decided to proactively manage the media by putting out a new story angle each day. We were clear from the outset that stories would be given on a pooled basis and that no media outlet would receive special treatment. To  manage journalists tracking the family, we sent a consultant to the Leicestershire village where the McCanns live.

In London, as no collateral existed, we created a comprehensive media handling package within six hours that included a dedicated media hotline, media monitoring, a system for logging calls, the creation of background briefing notes and a Q & A to handle enquiries. We put in place a 24 hour on-call rota of volunteers across the agency and established close links with the family lawyers.

The results…
We established professional structures which enabled us to handle 850 media calls in the first week. After being given positive stories to report, the media stopped unsubstantiated rumours and harrassment of the family and friends. Coverage turned from hostility to the McCanns to sympathy about their ordeal.

Appointed with two hours notice and no plan, hanover helped control and positively shape media coverage around what Kelvin MacKenzie, former editor of the Sun, described as "the most significant story of my lifetime."

 

Clarence Mitchell, the McCann family spokesman, said, "Amidst the sheer chaos of media demands, hanover brought us order, clarity of thought and a professional calm. Without this team, it would not have been possible to handle the print and broadcast media."