Case study - Foreign PR
1.
challenge: introducing a Polish NGO to the British media
2.
insight: the nomination for a prestigious award was a brief “window of opportunity,” but it was not enough on its own; a narrative was needed that linked the Polish smog problem with the British perspective on public health
3.
PR activities: media relations, international coordination (Poland + UK)
4.
results: Arranging interviews and articles in leading British media outlets such as The Evening Standard and podcasts
How did we get a Polish NGO into the British media in 30 days?
How to make a locally known organization a credible voice in the international debate in just one month? Utilizing a brief “window of opportunity,” we built a narrative that linked the smog problem in Poland with the British perspective on public health. The result: presence in leading UK media and a real entry into the English-language debate.
Challenge: introducing a Polish NGO into the British media debate
Polski Alarm Smogowy (PAS) is an organization working to improve air quality in Poland—well-recognized locally, but with limited visibility in English-language media. The goal of the short PR campaign was to reach top UK editorial offices in a very short amount of time.
Insight: utilizing a communication "window of opportunity"
The turning point was PAS’s nomination for the prestigious Earthshot Prize established by Prince William. The communication window was very short—we had literally a few weeks to seize the moment and interest top British media in the story of a Polish organization. At the same time, the information about the nomination itself would not have been enough to break through to media outlets like BBC News or The Times (and we were aiming high). Therefore, we built a narrative that showed the scale of the smog problem in Poland and contrasted it with British challenges regarding air quality. This was not a “pitch about a Polish NGO.” This was a topic about public health that also concerns the British people.
PR Activities: international coordination and media relations
To pitch to journalists, we involved our friendly British PR agency – with whom we have been operating for years within the global PR coalition, Enterie, which we created.
Together with them, we prepared the appropriate narrative and materials in English, organized media and podcast interviews, and coordinated communication across three time zones (the Earthshot Prize competition was held in Singapore) and in two languages.
Results: top UK media within a month
A month-long media relations campaign led to direct conversations with top British editorial offices (such as The Guardian, BBC, The Times, or The Evening Standard) and publications in media outlets such as:
We also managed to arrange podcast recordings with representatives of the Polish organization:
Polski Alarm Smogowy was presented to the British public as an example of an effective, grassroots struggle for clean air.
Read the full case study in English, as well as our other projects realized for Polish NGOs in 5 European countries.
