As a PR agency in Morocco with crisis communication expertise, BOXCOM Africa helps brands respond when a story turns against them, because we see it early, understand how far it is travelling and know who to call.
Most crises we handle are already in the media, or about to be. We watch for them around the clock, and we decide with you how to contain them or respond.
Our media monitoring runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When an alert comes in, we put the story under watch and start reading it right away. For our clients, monitoring starts as soon as an alert comes in, before any discussion of strategy. We then recommend how to respond.
A story in a small outlet is not the same crisis as a story in a national title. We look at where it appeared, whether larger media are picking it up, and which ones. That tells us whether this is a story to contain or a story to answer.
If the story stays in small, mostly digital outlets and larger media show no interest, we contact the outlets to ask for a correction or, where the content is inaccurate, its removal. If it gains momentum in major media, we activate a contingency plan: a statement from the brand, a follow-up plan and further public statements as questions and criticism arrive. We also call our contacts in newsrooms to answer their questions directly.
When it is in the brand’s interest to speak to the press, we prepare the spokesperson through media training. We obtain the journalists’ questions in advance, validate them with the brand and draft the answers that need to be given.
The press corps covering a sector in Morocco, Tunisia or Senegal is small enough that people know each other, and they remember who picked up the phone on a difficult story. A journalist who knows us calls before publishing to check a fact and reports a statement accurately instead of cutting it to one sentence. Those relationships cannot be built during the crisis, which is why they come from our day-to-day media relations work. Read more in what makes a journalist take your call.
A factual error in an article. A viral post or complaint. A rumour about the company. An incident involving customers, partners or staff. A negative narrative picked up by several outlets.
We do not publish our crisis work. What we have done for clients stays with them, and we are glad to discuss our experience with you directly.
Our monitoring runs 24/7, so a story is spotted as soon as it is published. From there we assess how it is spreading and recommend whether to contain it or respond.
Sometimes. For inaccurate content in smaller outlets, we can contact the publication to request a correction or removal. We do not promise it. When a story is taken up by major media, the answer is a response, not a removal.
No. We advise on whether speaking is in the brand’s interest. When it is, we prepare the spokesperson and the answers. When it is not, we prepare a statement and monitor.
Yes. We can take an urgent request from a brand that is not yet a client.
Yes. We work in French, Arabic, English and Portuguese, and in Tamazight where the audience calls for it.
If a sensitive story broke tomorrow, who in the press would take your call?
3 Rue El Jihani, Quartier Racine, Casablanca, Morocco 20250
