Case History - Navajo Nation

Situation
The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American tribe in the Southwest, sprawling across 17.5 million acres with a population over 250,000.The reservation in which this Nation resides are home to mines that generate the world's cleanest coal that powers 20 percent of Southern California's electricity. Failing negotiations jeopardized coal royalties the Nation uses to fund its courts, police systems, labor programs, and other civic programs that benefit its people. The Navajo Nation has been fighting a battle with several major coal companies for coal royalties since 1964. When they filed a lawsuit against the world's largest coal company, Mercury Group provided public relations support for their litigation.

Solution
We successfully marketed the story of influence peddling and illicit influence as subpoenas were being served. Within the first month, the Navajo Nation received favorable press coverage from the Denver Post to the Dallas Morning News, on network news shows and in the financial press, including a story on the front page of the Sunday New York Times. Proactive measures were taken to inform key public figures of this injustice, through press releases and direct correspondence with key journalists of influential news shows like 60 Minutes and Dateline.

Results
As a result of this campaign, Capitol Hill was apprised and a powerful energy corporation found itself besieged with questions about its business practices and ethics. Our strategic communications shaped coverage from background pieces in monthly magazines to real-time responses on fast-breaking courtroom events. Although this case is still pending, the role Mercury Group played in strengthening the Navajo Nation's position remains unquestionable.