Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras  

Managing reputational risk 

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) engaged Ogilvy PR to manage a major reputational risk after thousands of ticketholders were forced to miss the headline acts at the official afterparty due to the venue reaching capacity. The situation boiled over after party goers expressed extreme frustration and anger on social media and in the media in the days after the event.

Ogilvy worked with SGLMG to develop a comprehensive crisis plan to respond to media and social media, relevant Ministers and Members of Parliament, regulators, department officials, ticketholders, SGLMG members and the wider community. The tailored actions and responses to the various audiences helped to quell the anger and restore SGLMG's reputation in time.    

We then began working on longer-term activities to help engage and strengthen SGLMG relations with the LGBTQIA+ community. We supported SGLMG to shape the most comprehensive survey of its members and community on their needs and expectations and helped it host several virtual community town halls during the pandemic. 

We increased the corporate profile of the SGLMG CEO to raise issues about diversity and giving a stronger voice to minority groups within the community, provided corporate communications support for 2021 Mardi Gras parade at the Sydney Cricket Ground and offered support around contentious issues including corporate sponsorship matters and directional challenges within the organisation. Finally, we developed a crisis communication plan containing a range of potential risk scenarios and responses.