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The Challenge
A high-profile retail company became locked into a legal dispute with another well-known company in the community. Though the retail company had worked hard to resolve the dispute, there had been no resolution and court filings were due to begin. Due to the visibility of both parties, it was clear that the dispute would receive significant local news coverage. The retail company wanted assistance in understanding what to expect in the media coverage and how to effectively manage the communications around the case.
Our Action
We worked with the company to focus on the true underlying causes of the dispute and the company’s position on them. The team developed a communications strategy that supported the retailer’s legal strategy. With the positioning well thought out and the communications and legal strategies completely aligned, the retailer was able to initiate media coverage of the case with a strong, clear message about the dispute.
The Results
The adverse party in the dispute was not prepared and could not clearly articulate a reasonable position. After sustaining an embarrassing and unfavorable first round of publicity on the dispute, the other party asked quickly for another means of resolving the disagreement. With the stalemate broken, the two parties went into private alternative dispute resolution and quickly achieved a fair outcome.
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