Posted:

10 Mar 2022

Creating a splash amid the echo chamber with Resilient Cities Network during COP26

The client

Resilient Cities Network is a leading international non-Governmental Organisation that works with cities throughout the world to build resilient solutions to the causes and effects of societal shocks and stresses. It brings together a network of cities focused on advancing knowledge, practice, partnerships, and funding to ensure safe, equitable, and resilient urban spaces.

With funding from entities such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Singapore Economic Development Board, Citi Foundation, among others, the organization effectively delivers for its nearly 100 member cities.

The challenge

Resilient Cities Network joined as a three month project – with the aim of securing media coverage of their existing and future work, as well as their programmed speaking events and partnership opportunities in the COP26 conference.

COP26 provided a unique opportunity and challenge. Although everyone’s focus was on the environment, and publications were hungry to cover the stories coming from Glasgow, this came with a downside: how could we ensure that R-Cities’ important message and key solutions were heard above the noise, and how could we capture the attention of journalists and reporters enough to convince them to come to R-Cities’ hosted events.

Another challenge was content, or lack thereof. Resilient Cities Network had little bandwidth to develop press material, so we had to be resourceful with what we could distribute to the press.

The solution

In the end, it came down to timing and relentless preparation. The Spreckley team built a database of those covering or attending COP26 from key publications, and ensured they knew of the work R-Cities, and therefore highlighted the value of the events in Glasgow as worth attending. The Resilient Cities Network have a deep bench of experts on which to draw from who could consistently and rightfully be positioned as such on all things urban resilience, urban planning, and sustainability, and therefore were seen as a valuable asset to anyone writing about the topics.

We also created intrigue through mass communications to journalists covering or attending COP26. With the limited resources given to us, we had to be creative; and found huge success – with reporters and journalists queuing to speak to Lauren Sorkin, Executive Director of the Network.

 

The client's response

“The team at Spreckley was able to support our organization’s communications and public relations objectives in a valiant way. When we initially contacted the Spreckley team, it was the eleventh hour for our communications deliverables. Our team was operating at full capacity, working around the clock with fast approaching deadlines. Spreckley jumped in as a willing and able, enthusiastic partner. They were positive and able to understand what success would look like for our team within the first hour of speaking. The Spreckley team put forward some incredible ideas to meet our goals, and were good at listening and being sensitive to the nuances of our approach. They were committed and confident, as well as, perhaps most importantly, able to tell us ‘no’ when certain ideas we had did not seem as worthwhile of our time in their expert opinion.

I would recommend the team at Spreckley to anyone seeking a highly effective, creative, positive, enthusiastic, enjoyable group of professionals able to deliver, as well as push you in the best direction for success in raising public awareness. The team was, in this case, able to jump in and understand an area of work outside their typically area of expertise. They did it with skill, depth and relevance.”

Nikki Rudnick
Global Communications Lead

The achievements