City council to overhaul media and PR strategy
The Adelaide City Council will consider a plan to totally overhaul its communications strategy after a series of surveys found city users and residents had a “low overall satisfaction” with the council.
Under a new ‘communications roadmap’, the council would divert thousands of dollars towards media training for senior spokespeople, positive sponsored public relations content in local media, newsletters, upgrading the council’s website, developing video content and more, to try to improve the reputation of the council, and that of the city itself.
The document includes an infographic suggesting city residents, students, businesses, entrepreneurs, investors and visitors currently “don’t trust the council with the city’s future”.
Within the document, under the heading ‘current position’ a thought bubble emanating from a cartoon city user reads: “City is held back by a council who is difficult to deal with and doesn’t work well with business” and “I don’t trust the council with the city’s future”.
The sentiments come from an audit of 20 surveys of city residents and users, taken early this year and involving more than 1000 respondents, which showed that “perceptions of [the] city council are less favourable than of the city, with low overall satisfaction”.
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“The research found that overall there is a fondness of, and pride in, the city however people think that it lacks economic opportunities.
“People not already in Adelaide do not recognise what the city has to offer them.”
In an effort to turn this around, the council would spend $25,000 on media training sessions, $55,000 on positive PR content in local media and $20,000 on “a new hero city video and series of supporting videos” – if it endorses the plan.
Another $150,000 would be spent implementing an “international city brand”.
The initiatives would be funded from savings within the council’s Marketing and Communications budget.
The new strategy would see the council attempt to “close any gap between what council delivers and what the community and ratepayers ‘think’ council delivers”.
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Area councillor Anne Moran, who has been an outspoken critic of the council from within, told InDaily the council had been too “risk averse” and “defensive” when engaging with the media.
She said she bore no responsibility for the council’s poor media engagement.
“It’s always been a defensive ‘don’t say anything, don’t do anything’ [approach],” she said.
“We’re so risk-averse and just terrified of the media.
“I’m highly critical of the media response – I can’t be more critical.”
She claimed problems with public communications not caused by elected members, but by the council’s communications staff.
“I’m not an apologist for the council,” she said, adding: “I don’t think I should be criticised for speaking with media with an honest-held opinion”.
The plan will be considered at a council committee meeting tomorrow.
InDaily contacted Lord Mayor Martin Haese this morning, but he was unavailable. Council CEO Mark Goldstone is currently on leave.
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