We love working with clients to plan public responses to issues that never gain any publicity! We can spend several hours on strategies that are never used.
In fact, these clients are our smartest and best prepared, because they know the value of being in front of an issue that may generate negative publicity, compared to the true cost of waiting for “it to hit the fan” before reacting. They make PR part of their initial issues management strategy, not an add-on. They understand that they may need to communicate to their stakeholders – or publics – at a moment’s notice.
The money spent on preparation is minuscule compared to the cost in reputation and revenue should an issue grow into a crisis. The time to plan a public response strategy is the moment you become aware of the potential issue. The goal however, is not to use it.