This month we look at two crises that happened despite the best laid plans of their organizations. My heart went out to the folks at the National Zoo in DC when gunshots ruined
an April family day event. The zoo's success turned into a nightmare as kids lay dead or wounded as the result of a presumed gang fight. Suddenly the police, onlookers and
victims became spokespeople. So much for all those nice "family day messages." But in fact, the zoo fared incredibly well, and the success of previous "family day" events was
consistently mentioned in the media. The challenge for the zoo, of course, will be managing the damage to its image, and mitigating the fear that will keep patrons away.
Ben and Jerry's faces a similar long-term reputational challenge. Years of defiant independence ended last month when the company was acquired by multinational giant Unilever.
The merger announcement went forward despite the preventive efforts of a group of "socially responsible" investors. Communicators at both B&J and Unilever have faced intense
scrutiny. Their challenge will be to maintain the brand's equity, despite widespread fears (generated by inordinate amounts of media attention) the company's social mission will
be subverted by Unilever. The post-sale media tour in New York put all the right messages out there. Now it will be up to both B&J and Unilever to demonstrate an ongoing
commitment to the social mission - through action.
Katharine Delahaye Paine is president of Delahaye Medialink (603/431-0111). Image Patrol is based on a subjective content analysis of major news sources covering a crisis.
Comments are not intended to criticize the work of the company in crisis, but rather to illustrate the role the media play in shaping the perceptions of various stakeholder
groups.
The National Zoo
Founded: 1889
HQ: DC
Staff: 325 full time/ 200 seasonal
Budget: $20 million
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Criteria
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Grade
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Comments
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Advice
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| Extent of coverage | F | Any time a child is shot, publicity will be huge and this was no exception. Adding to the media frenzy, presidential candidate Al Gore gave a speech on gun control the next day, using the incident as part of his case. |
"In a presidential election year, you never know when a candidate might latch on to a crisis to illustrate a point. Consider including an "election provision" in your crisis plan. |
| Effectiveness of spokespeople | B | Zoo spokespeople immediately expressed caring and concern. Unfortunately their quotes were not widely picked up. |
Victims will always yield the most sensational quotes. If possible, make sure that they at least know that you are compassionate and concerned. |
| Communication of key messages | B | "The major message that resonated in the media was that "family day" had been a major neighborhood celebration for years. With luck, that message will help restore the zoo's reputation in the future. |
Crisis communication is the consummate task of making lemonade out of lemons. Even in a tragedy of this magnitude, zoo communicators were able to position their institution in a positive light. |
| Management of negative messages | A | "The fact that the shooting occurred in a place normally deemed "safe" helped reinforce the zoo's image as a good place to visit. The "gang" element was broadly mentioned, and the zoo will need to take action to ensure that future visitors are safe from "gang" warfare. |
You may not entirely eliminate negative messages. But by expressing immediate concern, compassion and a commitment to fix a problem, you can keep them to a minimum. |
| Impact on customers | C | The long-term impact on zoo attendance has yet to be determined. If the zoo takes rapid action to protect future visitors, it shouldn't fare too badly. Reporters portrayed the zoo as a family-oriented attraction. With a little luck, this image will remain. |
Photos are worth a thousand words, and this incident was widely broadcast on TV. The zoo will need to restore public trust by illustrating its new safety measures and by drawing attention to returning visitors. |
| Impact on employees | D | Consumers can simply avoid the problem; employees have to come back to work every day. In order to retain those employees, the zoo must do all it can to ensure their safety. If they feel safe, zoo visitors are more likely to feel safe as well. |
Whenever a crisis occurs in which personal safety is jeopardized, employees will be far more affected than customers. Focus attention on reassuring employees immediately, or they'll jump ship to a safer environment. |
| Overall score | B | Under the circumstances the zoo and the DC police communicated very well. Their efforts should pay off in the long term. |
Once the crisis is over, customers - and, in this case, visitors - will be looking for reassurance. Actions should follow as soon as possible. |
Ben and Jerry's
Founded: 1978
HQ: Burlington, Vt.
Employees: 841
Sales (1999): $237 million
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Criteria
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Grade
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Comments
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Advice
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| Extent of coverage | A | The acquisition received inordinate amounts of press coverage - both in the U.S. and internationally. Unilever's position as a major multinational player contributed to the breadth of the exposure. |
Be sensitive to local media on both sides of a merger or acquisition. Local reporters have direct access to employee sources and their stories will form the basis of wire stories. |
| Effectiveness of spokespeople | A | Ben Cohen has always been a great spokesman. The surprise, in this case, was Unilever. Its spokespeople proved to be extremely effective. They not only got their messages across, but also backed up their claims with actions (i.e., a $5 million donation to the B&J foundation). |
During a merger, it's critical to ensure that spokespeople in both companies are speaking consistently and backing up their words with actions. |
| Communication of key messages | A | We all might speculate as to what Ben and Jerry were really feeling, but media messages were consistent. Every story communicated that B&J would operate independently and that Unilever would remain true to B&J's social mission. Many articles speculated that Ben and Jerry would spend the next few years evangelizing that social mission throughout Unilever. |
Good communication can cover up a host of qualms. Even employees who were interviewed seemed excited about the merger. This was a tribute to good, consistent communications throughout the company. |
| Containment of negative messages | A | "I'm sure the folks at both B&J and Unilever dreaded opening the paper and seeing the words "sell out." But few papers positioned the merger as such. |
Messaging was so consistent that it was hard for the media to find cracks in the corporate armor. |
| Impact on customers | A | This remains to be seen. So far, no one is boycotting and even the most rabid social missionaries seem to be taking a wait- and-see attitude. With a little luck, the good reputation of B&J may rub off on other Unilever brands. |
Americans love an underdog. The notion that "B&J's might just change Unilever" more than "Unilever will change B&J" is a great message. It's one that customers seem willing to buy. |
| Impact on investors | A | At $27 a share (or thereabouts) at the time of the announcement, why wouldn't they be happy? Shareholders care first and foremost about share price, and Unilever's offer was better than any others. Investors were happy. |
Remember your audience. When talking to the business press, emphasize share price the way B&J and Unilver clearly did. |
| Impact on employees | A | B&J did a great job with internal communications - many employees owned stock and were pleased by their new net worth. They also were clearly on the same page with all the "official" spokespeople. |
If you get it right internally, it will carry through the rest of your audiences. Employees will be talking, regardless of who the "official" spokespeople are. |
| Overall Score | A | We'll never know how much effort and angst went on behind the scenes, but the high level of message consistency demonstrated an excellent job in the realm of merger communications. |
Integrating merger communications plans yields the best results. Start with employees, get all "official" spokespeople on the same page, and good things are bound to happen. |