Part 2 of 2
SAN FRANCISCO - A long time ago, in Internet years (say, three years ago), knowing the ways of the World Wide Web was a unique skill set - the employee in your department who could decipher the virtual alphabet soup (http, html, AOL, URL) was sui generis.
As we all know, nearly all PR efforts now include the Web. If you're facing a crisis and don't have a Web presence, well, your company's name will still make it to the Web - via listservs, chat rooms, renegade Web sites. The Web is not unique, and your ability to maximize PR online now is expected.
One of the good things about the Web is it's open 24 hours a day and there's a lot in store for you, if you're looking to gauge your company's reputation. "The one report card you have is the Web," says Matt Harrington, executive VP and GM at Edelman PR, who addressed attendees at the PR NEWS Advanced Crisis Management & Media Relations Workshop held here Sept. 14-15.
In part one of this report (see PRN, 9/21/98), we looked at how crises of all degrees affect companies' reputations and how planning, foresight and oversight play key roles in stemming a crisis. In this article, we look at the Internet's role in crisis management; the second part of this report shares insight from reporters speaking during the workshop's media panel.
Forget Deadlines
"We're dealing with a press cycle that's like no other - there are no deadlines," says Sean Garrett, senior manager of public affairs at Alexander Communications.
While all reporters do indeed have deadlines, the new reality - thanks to the Internet - is that you have very little time to regroup with your crisis management team (assuming you have one in place) once a crisis hits.
You need to respond right away, because some reporter somewhere in America is posting the story about your company's crisis on his newspaper's Web site. And other reporters are reading it.
Several speakers mentioned Matt Drudge, who delivers gossip by the boatload on his Web site, some of it substantiated, some of it rather questionable. "People take Matt Grudge with a grain of salt, but they read what he says anyway," said Garrett.
The Web allows you to respond at rapid speed to crises with your side of the story. Swissair serves as a prime example, launching a site within 90 minutes of its recent fatal plane crash. And it was prudent enough to alert its ISP about all the hits and traffic its site would receive over the next week.
Why Are They Flaming My Company?
James Alexander, president of eWatch, an online monitoring firm, offered these reasons for why someone (or some groups) might be posting negative messages online about your organization:
- They have a legitimate problem they can't get solved;
- They want the target organization to cease a certain behavior;
- They want to decrease or increase market capitalization;
- They want revenge; and
- They want publicity for their cause.
But how seriously should you take these flames? Alexander recommends asking the following questions to determine the gravity of the online onslaught:
- How many people/sites/newsgroups are talking about your company?
- How credible are the main contributors to the flaming?
- How popular are the sites?
- How old is the complaint?
- How does it affect business?
Fortunately, you have the ability to stop erroneous claims. For example, you can demand that usenet groups remove inflammatory postings from their groups. Check out Web sites such as dejanews.com, which tracks what newsgroups are saying - good and bad - about companies.
The Media Speaks Out
All of the reporters speaking on the media panel at the PR NEWS conference stressed the importance of a spokesperson's honesty when responding to a reporter's query about a crisis. And accessibility to key spokespeople is crucial.
"We want to know how to reach you after-hours," says Evelyn Cassidy, former Associated Press reporter and now a VP at Fleishman-Hillard. And Cassidy reminded attendees that reporters do indeed want to get the story right, not just get the story right away. "We'd rather be slow and accurate; corrections erode trust."
Benet Wilson, assistant managing editor with the Aviation Group of newsletters at Phillips Business Information (parent of PR NEWS), offered a list of strategies for working with the media. Among them:
- Start developing a relationship with the media before a crisis;
- Write short press releases - no more than one page;
- If you can't answer a question, find someone who can, on a timely basis; and
- Offer access to your executives before a crisis erupts, to build relationships.
And Tom York, a freelance writer and 20-year journalism veteran (U.S. News & World Report, San Francisco Business Times, Investors Business Daily), dished out a set of rules for PR when a reporter calls:
- Take charge of the interview ("When a reporter comes calling, try to get control.");
- Always be polite, but always be direct;
- Ask what other sources the reporter has spoken to;
- Include background information about your company, including such basics as the name of your CEO;
- Make sure the receptionist or colleagues answering the phones know to give high priority to reporters; and
- Learn how to use metaphors, short sentences, quotables - before your interview with a reporter.
An unprecedented percentage of journalists - more than 50% - go online every day to get news, do research and scan newsgroups.
Journalists know more about your company than you'd ever imagine they would three years ago. The question is: are you and your PR department the ones delivering this information to them? (Matthew Harrington, 415/433-5381; Sean Garrett, 415/923-1660; James Alexander, 914/288-0000; Evelyn Cassidy, 415/356-1000; Tom York, 408/364-1121; Benet Wilson, 301/340-1520)