PR Watch, vol. I've worked with him a number of times, and his greatest impact isn't with the catchy concepts that are the hallmark of most high-profile consultants. It's his ability to reduce the outrage that corporate leadership feel when attacked by those they believe use bad science to justify their own righteous outcomes. For issue advocates, the exquisite weakness of most large corporations is their tendency to dumb down to an angry or fearful response when faced by a strong high-profile attack by groups prepared to play hard and dirty with media and public sentiment. They then play them like a fiddle.
Sandman sells a powerful alternative, but one that comes at a price.
He provokes corporations to reassess the issue and listen to communities. No group wants to talk for the sake of it. The magic is that the corporate culture has to change, and industrial czars have to share control over outcomes with outsiders who have a stake in the consequences. If you've been used to calling the shots in a major company, that is no fun at all. However, Sandman often persuades these reluctant maidens that the alternative is worse.