Global Media and International Public Relations

Case Study » 2nd, 3rd and 4th World Water Forums

The World Water Forum is a triennial meeting that draws policy and decision makers from national governments, international, United Nations and non-governmental organizations, public and private sectors and scientists with interest in water issues. Among the main objectives of the Forum are to:
  • Raise awareness among the decision-makers, the media and the public at large of world water issues of critical concern.
  • Provide a platform to exchange views, information and knowledge on current issues and information related to global water.
  • Present the knowledge on global water assessment, challenges and potential solutions.

The World Water Council (WWC) launched the First World Water Forum at Marrakech in 1997. The Second World Water Forum was held in 2000 in The Hague followed by the Third World Water Forum in 2003 in Kyoto, Japan. The Fourth World Water Forum is scheduled to take place in Mexico City in 2006.

Objective:
H&H started working with the 2nd WWF committee when the organizers realized the need to attract maximum number of participants and press members to the event. While the issue of global water is one of the most pressing, global press coverage was lacking and media was not trained on how to cover such an issue on a global scale. H&H was hired to increase global media awareness of water problems, which in turn will lead to increased awareness by the public. The 3rd WWF approached H&H with the goal to establish itself as the driving force behind putting water issues on the global agenda. The goal was to create name and logo recognition, involve the public worldwide to share solutions on how to solve the global water crisis and create a solid base for extensive media coverage of the event. The 4thWWF approached H&H with similar objectives to the 2nd and 3rd WWF.

Strategy:

  • Since the 2nd WWF contracted H&H only one year before the actual event, there was a pressing need to develop a working strategy that will yield substantial media results fast and reach the maximum audience. H&H produced a series of global Public Service Announcements that announced the Forum as well the World Water Council and called for action to help solve global water crises. H&H produced a series of deeply researched press releases carrying newsworthy material. The press releases and continuously broadcast PSAs kept the media focused on the issue of water and led to a successful media event in The Hague.
  • Organizers of the 3rd World Water Forum and H&H started working together two years in advance of the event. This advance collaboration yielded results that exceeded all expectations. The 3rd WWF asked H&H to help get participation in a worldwide logo contest in order to select the best design for the Forum. The winner was awarded the trip to the Forum and an opportunity to present and explain his/her design idea. H&H also developed more than 20 carefully researched press releases for the Forum, each accompanied by the interviews with Forum and WWC officials. Press releases were strategically distributed to key international media specializing in environmental and health issues. H&H professionals worked with representatives of the Forum at three different global water conferences prior to the Forum itself – advancing Forum’s issues with the public and the press. H&H produced and placed for broadcast six global public service announcements – before and after the Forum. H&H invited, registered and coordinated global media leading up to and during the Forum, yielding dozens of quality media interviews and press conferences with key Forum participants and water experts. To keep the issue of water on global agenda and the name of the 3rdWWF as one of the main players behind the issue, H&H produced a detailed statistical analysis of the results of the Forum and released a report summarizing the data.
  • The 4thWWF organizers requested H&H services based on the superb media results accomplished by the company for the 2nd and 3rdWWFs. H&H assisted in Mexican President Vicente Fox getting involved in the issue of water and announcing the Forum. The strategy was to add urgency and weight to the problem and to attract great number of people to participate in the next Forum in Mexico City. H&H also placed specific emphasis on the issue of water in Latin America in order to make local Spanish media more involved and better versed in the issue. H&H recommended and organized continuous collaboration between the 3rd and the 4th WWFs in order to build on success in Kyoto.

Results:
Both 2nd and 3rd WWFs were widely covered by international media. Almost all of the key international television networks covered the event. While 2nd WWF attracted close to 500 media participants, 3rdWWF brought in as many as 1,200 – the result of successful preliminary work by H&H and recommendations to the 3rd WWF organizers. The logo contest conducted by H&H, expected to bring in around 140 entries, yielded more than 2,000 design submissions – far surpassing organizers’ expectations. H&H secured more than $6 million of donated airtime for the 3rdWWF by successfully placing PSAs on CNN International and other TV networks for extended periods of time. The Forum itself produced more 10,000 documented media hits. The 4thWWF started off with a PSA announcement of the upcoming event. By then, the issue of global water became pressing enough for the Mexican President Vicente Fox to get involved. The Spanish language PSA produced by H&H features President Fox calling for action to find solutions to end water crisis and announcing Mexico as the next host of the Forum. H&H organized media events for the Forum in conjunction with the World Water Day 2004, which produced hundreds of international press hits. H&H continues to work with the 4thWWF and World Water Council.