Situation
The public relations team at a Fortune 100 company was tasked with sourcing media training for two senior executives who were to be interviewed by the Los Angeles Times. The executives were in California and needed immediate training due to the tight deadline. Given Franchetti Communications’ long-time relationship and familiarity with this company, the public relations team preferred that we conduct the training. Yet there was not enough time for FC to travel to the West Coast for an in-person session.

Solutions

• Franchetti Communications conducted our executive media training session using a state-of-the-art videoconference portal

• Simulated media interviews were recorded and critiqued, allowing the executives to improve quickly

• Franchetti conducted a rigorous session equivalent to the training they would have received in person

• In-depth message strategy was a key part of the media training, which focused on clarifying their core messages, designing media-friendly sound bites, and preparing for difficult questions

Results

• The Los Angeles Times ran a positive article that accurately quoted the executives

• The two executives cited how simple it was to connect to our videoconference portal and stated that the just-in-time virtual training was the key to the interview’s successful outcome

• Virtual media training is now a mainstay of this client’s overall training and public relations program; this multinational company regularly boasts the time and cost savings associated with virtual training when additional needs arise in the US and globally

• By being able to utilize Franchetti as their preferred media training provider and increase the total number of people trained under our process, the company’s public relations team finds it easier to prepare spokespeople for other day-to-day media events