The PBN Company was awarded the Silver Anvil, the Public Relations Society of America's highest honor, for its work on the Komi Oil Spill.

Client:

Komi Oil Spil Communications Response
 

The Assignment:

In 1994, a major oil spill occurred in the Arctic region of the Komi Republic in Russia. The 200,000-ton spill covered 25 miles of streams and was eight times larger than the Exxon Valdez. The spill became a focus of world attention and compelled the West to take action. Under a contract with the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, The PBN Company was retained to manage all communications activities, including international news media outreach, government affairs and community relations.
 

PBN’s Strategy:

Prior to this oil spill, the concept of open, transparent and timely information about large-scale environmental accidents was unheard of in Russia. But PBN's experience with communications successes with similar environment disasters in the West told us that this strategy was the only and most effective approach for the Komi Oil Spill.
 

Results:

For six months, The PBN Company told Russia and the world the details — both good and bad — about the Komi oil spill. News media and key government officials came to depend on The PBN Company for accurate, timely and honest information. News coverage, skeptical early on, turned positive. The Russian Ministry of Fuel & Energy, once a program adversary, gave the project glowing reviews at a concluding news conference. And, local villagers — for the first time ever involved in a process that affected their lives — praised the effort to visiting journalists and government dignitaries alike.
 

The PBN Company provided comprehensive communications support for the cleanup effort conducted by AES/Hartek Company. Our specific assignments included handling day to day contacts with international, Russian and local media, managing media tours and press conferences, writing all press and public materials, assisting in community events and personnel relations programs, maintaining per need contacts with Russian and international stakeholders — World Bank and EBRD, ministries and regulatory agencies, as well as managing communication with local and international public and environmental associations. PBN staff members were active participants in organizing and managing the visit of then Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin on the site.