Lawsuit: Caterpillar

Situation: A Federal Appeals Court panel has refused to reinstate a lawsuit brought against Caterpillar inc., by the family of Rachel Corrie was crushed in 2003 by an Israeli Bulldozer. Her parents sued the Peoria, IL based company, holding the company liable for aiding in in “human rights violations.” However, A U.S district court judge in Tacoma dismissed the lawsuit in 2005, agreeing with the company’s argument that it was not responsible for how the Israeli army used its product. The family’s request to reinstate the trial drew many protesters to the courthouse.

Objectives: The objective of this campaign is to, first and foremost, prove that Caterpillar is not a hostile and uncaring company. We want our customers to know that we are a consumer-concerned company. We want the Corrie family to know that we care deeply for their misfortune, but that it essentially was not the product of Caterpillar that caused this disaster.

Audience: The target for this PR campaign would obviously be the consumer of Caterpillar products, which includes construction and mining equipment. However, the general public is concerned with issues in Israel and human rights, so this campaign should be targeted at most everyone.

Strategy: 1.) Change feelings of apprehension toward Caterpillar into trust. 2.) Make customer feel that they are sill being cared for. 3.) Create a Fund for the Corrie Family that deals with those being injured in Iraq.

Tactics: Have an event that Caterpillar sponsors in honor of the Corrie Family. We plan on having a silent auction to raise money to help others that have been injured in accidents similar to this. At this event, we will have a small section dedicated to making sure that the audience is aware that we are dedicated to the consumer. This will be done through a presentation focusing on our extreme dedication to customer service.

Timetable: This event needs to be very immediate to alleviate any apprehension toward Caterpillar. However, to get this event properly set up it may take up to 4-5 weeks.

Evaluation: According to the news clips from our campaign, the event was a great success. Caterpillar, even though previously claiming this tragedy was not their fault, still proved that they cared about their customer and the public in general. The fund for the Corrie family proved to be a great success, and the family “finally had some closure.” Through the event, the Corrie’s learned that even though Caterpillar is not responsible for what happened to their daughter, that they do care that the situation. The company regrets that their product was involved, but stands strong it was, essentially, not the company’s, or product’s, fault.