Asitis

Former Irish News editor Nick Garbutt, and former SDLP Director of Communications and BBC journalist Barry Turley bring huge experience in newspaper and broadcast media to your organisation.

ASITIS has clients in London, Dublin, Glasgow and Belfast in the voluntary and community sector, as well as in business, agriculture, finance, retail and education.

Media Relations

At ASITIS we have unrivalled experience of the press and media in Britain and in Ireland, north and south. We can ensure that you maximise your opportunities to gain profile, ensuring that the key journalists covering your sector know who you are, and understand what you are trying to achieve.

Campaigns are also a speciality - identifying a single issue to campaign on, developing a strategy, timetable, key messages etc and rolling it out in the press.

Public Affairs

Public policy affects all of us, every business, and every enterprise. Do policy makers understand your needs and that of your industry or sector?

We can show you how to engage with decision makers to get your points across to ensure that their policy-making is informed, and takes into account your views.

During direct rule we lead a number of high profile, very successful campaigns including the Northern Ireland Manufacturing Focus Group's drive to halt the imposition of 100% rates, securing a freeze at 30%.

Now, with devolution approaching, we have unrivalled contacts and relationships with all of the political parties. Our lobbying on behalf of the Ulster Farmers' Union and the Association of Northern Ireland Colleges (ANIC) has secured huge political support.

Crisis Communications Management

Coping with crises is a part of life. Every organisation, no matter how well run makes mistakes, or comes under attack. How well prepared is your organisation for this?

When was the last time you carried out a risk management audit, and what measures have you put in place to guard against reputational risk?

We will help you, not only in dealing with issues when they arise, but also to plan properly for them, and where possible to anticipate and eliminate reputational risk.

Internal communications and stakeholder management

Your most important stakeholders are your own people. How do you communicate with them? Are they fully engaged? Do they understand your aims and objectives? Are they ambassadors for your business? What do they tell customers, friends and family about you? Are they happy with you or are they planning to leave?
Do you listen to your staff? What mechanisms have you put in place to achieve this?

And what about the people you report to, your board of directors, and if you run a subsidiary or a regional operation, your executive management team? How do you communicate with them?

We can show you how to audit your internal communications and put in place robust mechanisms to improve engagement at every level of your business.