We’ve featured a few poorly handled crisis media management incidents and media interviews in our blog lately.
So, how about something a little different?
A story that blew away the competition and created a brilliant PR success story.
Yes, we are looking at Network Rail, and the huge media coverage it gained for its specialist trains.
The organisation that runs our railway infrastructure tackles the infuriating autumnal issue of “leaves on the line” with a fleet of trains that clear the tracks with high-pressure water jets.
These specialist trains are known as Multi-Purpose Vehicle trains (MPVs) and can also lay a sticky solution laced with sand to help train wheels grip the metal track.
But Multi-Purpose Vehicle trains sound more geeky than catchy.
So, this year, the public was asked to name one of the trains.
And it did not disappoint. More than 1,300 people voted. And around half of them opted for the inspired Ctrl Alt Deleaf.
And when Ctrl Alt Deleaf was unveiled, complete with autumnal livery, the result was impressive coverage.
Not bad coverage for what is ultimately an announcement about a functional train that has been running for 25 years, and a seasonal maintenance announcement.
Additionally, there have been more than 2,000 likes on Instagram and 12,000 likes on Facebook.
Shades of Boaty McBoatface, perhaps.
Sensibly, Network Rail has learnt from that naming chaos and took the precaution of banning Leafy McLeafFace and Trainy McTrainFace from the public vote.
Ctrl Alt Deleaf also saw off competition from Buster Grimes, Britney Clears, and Itsy, Bitsy, Yellow Anti-leaf Machinery. And my favourite also ran name Leaf-Fall Weapon.
Network Rail is, of course, not the first organisation to gain huge coverage through a public naming competition.
As well as the National Environment Research Council (NERC) and the already mentioned Boaty McBoatface, Shropshire Council has gritters called Gritney Spears and David Plowie.
In Scotland, there are gritters called Chilly Connolly and Taylor Drift.
And when Greenpeace asked the public to name a group of whales it was tracking in the South Pacific in an attempt to stop them from being hunted, the winner was Mr Splashy Pants.
So, asking the public to have its say is not without risk. Some of you will remember that NERC stepped in to prevent its polar research ship from being named Boaty McBoatface, opting instead for the more mainstream RS Sir David Attenborough.
But Ctrl Alt Deleaf works perfectly. It’s fun, punny, and a bit ridiculous (in a good way). And it feels unusual.
And, as we stress during our media training courses, when we use our TRUTH (Trouble, Relevant, Unusual, Trouble and Human) model, the media loves stories that have that unique or unusual element.
But the story also includes the element of ‘trouble’ that also makes something newsworthy. Or – to be more precise – the solution to ‘trouble’.
All commuters know the pain, despair, and infuriation of arriving at a train station and experiencing delays or cancellations because of leaves on the line – a problem many feel shouldn’t cause the disruption it does.
Tom Desmond from Network Rail said in the coverage: "It has become a joke, hasn't it? Calling it "leaves on the line" and the reason we can delay trains.
"But for us, the reason it causes all these delays is because it makes the rails really slippery.
"All the leaf fall that comes down makes it a real challenge to run the railway on time."
This naming story has enabled Network Rail to highlight the lengths it goes to every autumn in order to tackle this annoying but important safety issue and reach a massive audience.
Lisa Angus, Network Rail’s industry weather response director, said: “The scale of the operation involved in keeping passengers moving through the autumn is monumental: Ctrl Alt Deleaf and our fleet of leaf-busters trains will cover over a million miles, as well as deploying fast-reaction teams and using more technology than ever before.
“Our teams will be working non-stop to try and keep the tracks leaf-free this autumn so that passenger and freight services can continue running safely and reliably.”
Sending out a plain old Multi-Purpose Vehicle would not have had anywhere near the same impact.
Next time I’m stuck on a cold platform because of leaves, I’ll Ctrl Alt Delete my complaining social media post and wait for Ctrl Alt Deleaf to save the day.
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