Solution

O’Neill and Associates helped the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico build support for the project through a carefully crafted and executed combination of government, community and public relations.  Given that the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico does not pay any federal gasoline tax into the U.S. Highway Trust Fund, and that it does not possess voting representation in the U.S. Congress, O’Neill and Associates had to develop an extraordinarily unique approach to gaining federal funding so that the project could go forward.

The challenge lay in molding public perception—showing public transportation as a modern, reliable and economically sensible way to travel.  The public and community relations efforts consisted of education processes involving public meetings, one-on-one sessions with decision makers, media relations to ensure a constant stream of positive press and production of collateral materials including videos, print advertisements and presentations.

The island government had not previously developed a community affairs strategy to develop support for a transit project. O’Neill and Associates developed key messages that included the centrality of the project to a modern rapid transit system and positioning the project as an asset that would make Puerto Rico a “leading light” in the region, possessing the engineering and transportation envy of the other Caribbean island economies. Additional messages promoted the projected enhancement of the local economy and increased employment. O’Neill and Associates provided extensive outreach to the private sector, including Banco Popular, the largest financial institution based in the Caribbean.