Flirting With Disaster: How To Take a Public Relations Crisis by the Horns

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January 11, 2010

Plan ahead, map out responses, drill home talking points, create disaster contact sheets, etc. We all know how to prepare, yet we’re still often caught completely off balance by potential PR disasters: an extremely off-putting video on YouTube, mass consumer dissatisfaction and hysteria stemming from a contest gone wrong or even a poorly worded or thought-out tweet. In our current environment, who’s to tell where and when a crisis will erupt?

KEY TACTICS

These days, constant vigilance is warranted—but panic is not. In our experiences, we’ve found that some of the following tactics are effective when dealing with a crisis (avoidance is no longer an option):

▶ Own it. See: Letterman vs. Woods. One owned the story, the other…well, didn’t. Especially in today’s environment, there’s no hiding it—bad news is going to rear its ugly head. The options are simple: Be proactive and ensure desired messaging, or be bombarded and succumb to misinformation, innuendo and rumor mongering. Much of this is due to the fact that many of today’s information outlets are no longer waiting to print the correct story—they’re looking to hit with the first story—and once it’s out, it’s out. When bad news is inevitable, a proactive approach enables a much better position than one that is reactive.

▶ Act quickly, but tread carefully. As Domino’s learned by responding a mere two days after less-than-professional behavior by some of its employees was posted on YouTube, there’s no longer ample time for response. While they waited, prepared and remained silent for 48 hours, the video spread like wildfire and an isolated incident drove consumer consensus about what was going on in Domino’s kitchens across the nation. We’re operating at the speed of the Internet, and response needs to be as close to immediate as possible.

A positive recent example of a brand reacting quickly and effectively was Hewlett-Packard’s response to an accusation of racism in a YouTube video. The clip claimed that H-P’s face-tracking software does not recognize black people, and the company issued a timely and, maybe more importantly, honest response—a mea culpa that dampened the impending blazes and stifled the news. With nothing more to report, the story fizzled and the public moved on to the next thing.

To be clear, any information disseminated to any media outlet immediately enters the Google -sphere and is permanently documented. The last thing you want is to be responding to a misstatement made five years ago. So, while a response needs to come quickly, it shouldn’t be off-message, incomplete or easy to poke holes in. Be smart. That brings us to the next point:

▶ It’s the message. Be simple, consistent and honest. Too often, spokespeople respond one way and due to either additional information coming out, a poorly worded statement or having too many cooks in the kitchen, they come back to the media at a later time with a different message. This only serves to extend the negative story and makes the initial response look dishonest. Furthermore, it questions the general integrity of the brand and/or person. It’s better to respond once and truthfully. The public is too savvy and acutely aware of when someone is not being entirely up front. In addition, a company representative who doesn’t return calls or offers up “no comment” is basically saying we messed up and really don’t have anything good to say (and, quite frankly, isn’t doing their job). Do comment.

To this point, anything said internally about a potential crisis situation can and probably will get out there. The entire team—everyone from the key spokespeople to the receptionist—is a potential source. The flow of information needs to be tightly and firmly managed.

▶ No news is dead news. These days there’s simply no such thing as hiding behind a slow news day. Sarah Palin announced she was quitting the Friday before July 4 and Tiger Woods crashed into a tree over Thanksgiving weekend—both typical “dump bad news” days. But do you know anyone that wasn’t fully up on the story within the day—if not the hour? Again, it’s in your best interest to just get it out there.

▶ Keep your enemies closer. You shouldn’t avoid journalists who are critical of your brand. Not allowing access only allows for additional animosity and potential false reporting.

TAKE THE PAIN

The bottom line is that news today is put under a much harsher spotlight than even as recently as two years ago. While intense, news cycles tend to burn out quickly. It’s often best to take the Band-Aid removal approach—one quick rip, deal with the pain and move on. PRN

CONTACT:

This article was written by Ed James, president of Cornerstone Public Relations He can be reached at ed@cornerstonepromotion.com.

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