PR firm to use social media to improve image damaged by coal ash spill
May 27th, 2009 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
The public relations firm that will likely handle the three-year, $1.9 million image campaign for Kingston, Tennessee, will use social media to improve the area’s tarnished reputation, according to WATE-TV.
McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC, which submitted a proposal and budget for the campaign, would use social media techniques such as blogs, blurbs and Twitter Tweets to highlight the positive side of Kingston.
The Nashville, Tennessee, firm’s budget also includes a two-year advertising campaign; a two-year, $726,000-per-year “news bureau;” and tracking data to gauge success. TVA officials “agreed in principal” that they would pay for the campaign.
Kingston Mayor Troy Beets hopes the campaign will restore the luster of the area. “This is the most beautiful municipal lakefront in the state of Tennessee,” he said.
Last December, an impoundment pond at the TVA’s Kingston fossil plant was breached, sending 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash on to 300 acres of that pristine lakefront community. The wave of toxic material knocked houses from their foundations and destroyed property in its wake.
Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which has been associated with health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Since the spill, the TVA has been involved in a massive cleanup effort that could cost the utility as much as $975 million before it is complete.
For now, the area is overrun with cleanup crews, blocking streets and creating constant racket – a far cry from the area that once was a destination for water sports and recreation.
“This is the image that we need to project,” Mayor Beets said. “Kingston is whole. There is nothing wrong with our water supply here. There is nothing wrong with putting your boat in at Kingston.”