Everyday PR

In the film “Up in the Air“, George Clooney’s character rightly explains to his boss that bad news is something to be communicated face to face.  He explains the importance of one-on-one human interaction and how the impersonality of technology negatively impacts an already negative situation.

In "Up in the Air" Clooney's character understood how to communicate bad news - in person.

Exactly.  You can’t effectively manage a crisis off site.  Case in point, the BP fiasco.  In one corner, BP’s CEO Tony Hayward immediately was on site at the areas affected, making himself available to the media and availing himself to the communities. In the other corner, the federal government dilly-dallied until the mess became a political sore spot, and President Obama finally went on site to see and touch the weeks-old problem.  Although Obama initially visited the area within days of the oil spill and sent other cabinet members to the southern coastline in the following weeks, the problem only worsened, gathering the attention of more target audiences (environmentalists, scientists, and of course, pundits) and creating the perception was that Obama was only giving lip service to residents and leadership in the southern coastline.  He didn’t want to get his hands dirty – literally. Meanwhile, Louisiana workers and officials are becoming hoarse shouting for help from the nation’s capital.

Whether it’s a man-made disaster or a case of food poisoning, the fact remains: you can’t effectively manage a crisis off site.  While Hayward’s will resonate for years to come in business and communications circles, nobody can ever say that BP publicly avoided the issue as the CEO remains on the ground for the foreseeable future.  My point is not about what’s being said (that’s for another post), who’s at fault, who’s in charge or who’s going to pay (we’re ALL eventually going to pay).  My point is that a catastrophic disaster calls for top leadership to make enough of a showing to indicate that management is listening and taking action.  If one showing doesn’t do it, go again.  If that doesn’t work, you still need to do something. I understand the legal ramifications of being on site; but I also understand that, at the end of the day, perception becomes reality.  And that reality can be felt far into the future, whether it be in a voting booth or in a jury box.

What do you think? 

Nobody plans to have a crisis – it’s like planning to have a heart attack the day after your retirement.  So with recent headlines from financial malfeasance to natural disasters, public relations professionals like me just have to ask:  What kind of crisis communications plan does your organization have?  This isn’t a “yes” or “no” question – it’s a question of preparedness and responsibility to your employees, customers and shareholders.

No doubt this crisis negatively impacted revenue for this retailer.

Following 9/11, I thought businesses would be clamoring to make sure they were covered in the event of a crisis – manmade or natural.  I was in shock and awe at how many organizations didn’t have so much as a current employee list, customer database and/or functional website.  Most executives thought a crisis only happened in big faraway places (tell that to the thousands of businesses put out of commission because of tornadoes, floods, fires, etc.); some believed planning for a crisis was a waste of money (ask Domino’s about that); and one even chose to “ride the wave” of a national tragedy as his strategy (see news clips of executive stuttering to explain how donations were really used).

Let’s be clear about one thing: NO ONE IS IMMUNE TO A CRISIS.  Who thought a 500-year flood would really happen, putting some businesses out of business?  Who thought a pilot would have to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River?   Who knew that students would actually form a plan to kill their classmates?  The rescue services, airlines and school officials likely never dreamed of such circumstances on their watch, but that doesn’t mean that a nightmare can’t happen.

So for those organizations interested in making a responsible step toward crisis planning, see the checklist below. If you can check “yes” to all of the statements, then you’re ahead of the curve. If you can’t check “yes” to all the statements, then do something about that.

*   We have an ongoing communications effort in place to maintain a foundation of goodwill in our community.

*  We have identified potential crisis situations within our organization, and we have developed a communications strategy for responding to each.

*   In the event of a crisis, we are prepared to quickly communicate with all our target audiences, including but not limited to, staff, volunteers, consumers, shareholders, elected officials, media and the general public.

*   We have established a crisis team and a formal notification plan.

*   Our management team and key board members/stakeholders have reviewed and approved the crisis communications plan.

*   At any hour of the day, our crisis team knows how to contact each other.

*   Each member of our crisis team has a copy of the crisis communications plan at home and at the office.

*   If an incident occurs, we are confident the employee or volunteer on duty will know what to do to alert the crisis team.

*   Our organization has established a formal communications policy on providing the media with full and accurate information in a timely manner.

*   The spokesperson for our organization has received professional media training and is an integral part of our operations and/or management team.

How many can you positively answer?

Recent brand attacks via social media reiterate what many organizations are lacking - little to no understanding, much less preparedness, on how to deal with an Internet-driven crisis.  But there’s no need to panic if your brand is authentic and if you’ve planned ahead just as you would with any other type of crisis communications process.

Southwest pounced to reduce its exposure in a social media crisis.

Look at Southwest Airlines and how they handled a recent disgruntled passenger who had more followers on Twitter than the airline did.  He’s told to get off the aircraft due to his large size, he fires off his displeasure via Twitter, yet Southwest responded in less than 20 minutes to his complaint, offering apologies and travel vouchers.  The airline could immediately respond only because they had planned ahead with steps like these:

1)   Anticipate Operational Issues - Brainstorm about operational issues that could go wrong from senior executive mismanagement and questionable finances to poor customer service and natural disasters.  You should have a detailed game plan on how to best address various issues and differing audiences with specific communications avenues. Now think about how and/or if to include social media in your plan. But the main reason the Southwest story had a short shelf life was two-fold: quick response, backed by its solid and reputable brand that began years ago.

2)    Social Media – Your overall communications strategy should contain various tools like media relations, stakeholder notifications, databases, etc. Adding social media tools is as simple as setting up accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, SEO, and establishing static web pages and other tools to strategically use in the event of a crisis.  Going back to Southwest, when those tools are incorporated as part of your regular communications plans, consumers won’t see these tactics as just “they’re in trouble” tools as they will already be familiar with your brand.  Global brand Heinz did not anticipate a hacker claiming to represent the company to set up a pretty believable Twitter account with lots of followers.  Why?  They didn’t do the simplest of things like setting up an account, which takes less money than time. 

DISCLAIMER:  If your organization doesn’t understand how social works in its most basic purpose of forming communities and two-way relationships, and/or if your organization is unwilling to take its lumps and address its naysayers, you may be fighting an uphill battle (again, that’s for another post). Just keep in mind that it’s difficult to address a crisis initiated on and perpetuated by social media.  Ask Domino’s.

3)  Ninja Response – Social media communications works in real time. If you have any reason to believe something’s about to break, closely monitor activity; if your suspicion holds true, pounce on the situation like a Ninja.  Because you’ve already anticipated sensitive operational issues, you will have a clearer idea of what tactic to use with what audience (see Step 1).

Here’s the bottom line:  No organization is immune to a crisis. A respected brand, that’s often years in the making, can be undone in a matter of minutes. If you don’t have a crisis communications plan, get one.  If you have one that’s outdated, blow off the dust and rething your tactics in light of today’s social media.  

What are other ways to plan for a social media crisis?

Okay, who is advising Tiger Woods on his public statements?  Seriously, his handlers can’t be professionally trained in best practices of public relations.  If they were, they would have insisted on knowing the truth and the facts - without the prejudice of emotions or pride. Then they would have made the  decision of what, if anything, to say as the argument for “this is a private matter” has merit.  Any public statement would answer questions before they’re asked to significantly cut off the legs on this story.  They also would have a plan to address lies and speculation, which is pretty much all the quasi media need considering the vagueness of Tiger’s statement and his cancellation of all golf tournaments for the rest of the year.  As avid golf fans know, Tiger rarely plays  in tournaments in December and January.

What began as a car wreck has become a global inquisition regarding what led up to Tiger’s accident.  This slow-removal-of-a-band-aid approach is painful to watch, especially for experienced crisis managers.  And herein may lie the problem.  Until now, Tiger Woods has enjoyed a stellar reputation.  He’s the highest paid professional athlete in the world.  He’s an active supporter of several charities, including his own nonprofit foundation.  He really hasn’t experienced an actual crisis until now.  Considering his cadre of agents, publicists and managers, I seriously doubt there’s a professional public relations practitioner among his peeps.

While I don’t know the details, I do know that people can handle the truth and are gracious with their forgiveness.  But  you have to be willing to speak the truth, and make an informed decision that involves experienced public relations counsel and legal minds.  Thoughts?

President Obama recently declared the country to be in a national State of Emergency, a move typically reserved for natural disasters. New York Governor Patterson and New York City Mayor Bloomberg made similar declarations.  Both decisions had to do with expanding available health care sites and professionals to deal with patient care and vaccinations.  But how many people heard, much less understood, that part?

My problem is semantics.  The President uses the “E” word (emergency) while Secretary of Health and Human Services Sebelius simultaneously says the swine flu continues to be “very mild” for most people.  What’s a parent to do?  They have to decide whether or not their child should be vaccinated because the government sends out an emergency message, their family doctor advises the opposite, and their pediatrician says something altogether different.  It’s like asking people if they believe in UFOs – everybody agrees UFOs are a definite maybe.

Make no mistake, I am not downplaying the fatal impact of the swine flu at all.  But I am suggesting to be careful about the choice of words. Instead of declaring emergencies, in which this country just seems to be in one perpetual state, how about announcing an Advisory of Temporary Health Care Waivers or an Alert for Additional Vaccine Resources?  Wouldn’t that better identify the purpose of the declarations?   

What do you think?

One football weekend, business is going great with the usual 200 to 300 cases of chicken sold.  Within days, barely 80 cases are used.  What gives?  A false rumor via the Internet - the kind of virus that attacks the 20-year upstanding reputation and cash flow of a small eatery renowned for its fried chicken wings and Chinese food.

Owner Tommy Nguyen fights the Internet. Photo courtesy of the Times-Picayune.

In this modern day David vs. Goliath scenario, Manchu restaurant owner Tommy Nguyen took several crisis management tactics that have helped turn around the inaccurate rumors of unsafe food.  Among the steps taken include:

*    Hung a large banner saying “Rumors Are Not True”

*    Asked the Health Department and the Police Department’s Public Integrity Bureau for an investigation

*    Requested an immediate inspection by the Health Department that resulted in an overall good report

*    Bought broadcast and print ads to get out the facts, which led to a comprehensive media story

Nguyen’s experience with viral media illustrates the power of the Internet, an unmonitored medium that doesn’t involve fact checking.  The situation also reinforces the need for all organizations to have a crisis management plan.  In addition to the steps Nguyen took, what other crisis management tactics could help?   And what are we, as public relations professionals, doing to ensure that our clients and organizations are prepared in today’s Internet world?

UPDATE:  Sept. 27, 2009 – Billboard magazine reports Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” album moved up two slots this week to No. 8 with 46,000 (up 37%). Per Billboard, Swift’s gain was likely the result of both her performance on the MTV Video Music Awards and the buzz regarding Kanye West’s antics on the same show.

ORIGINAL POST:  Sept. 15, 2009 – Taylor Swift’s response following Kanye West’s interruption of her VMA acceptance speech was nothing short of brilliant.  The silence by the Best Female Video recipient was deafening, yet perfect for the situation.

Taylor Swift's silence spoke volumes at the MTV Awards.

In the words of Katy Perry, it’s like “….West stepped on a kitten.”  President Obama even weighed in on the situation.  Nobody likes animal abusers, spotlight grabbers or plain old rudeness.  But Taylor Swift clearly proved that she can maintain her poise under some serious circumstances and kept her composure as she had to perform live within minutes of the kitten stomping.  Her family, record label, managers and handlers should be extraordinarily proud. Th 19-year-old demonstrated a level of maturity not often found with her age group – and with no girlie tears either.  By the way, West is 32.

As a writer and public relations professional, I can’t think of any words that would have been more effective than Taylor’s choice of no words at all.  Her silence spoke volumes.  And it’s highly likely that an entirely new base of fans developed overnight for her, including yours truly.  Music sales will speak for that.

After a week of talk about whether or not Late Show Host David Letterman is outrageously funny or painfully out-of-touch, he finally apologized to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, her daughters and family.  The original “joke” on June 8 opining that Palin’s daughter was “being knocked up by Alex Rodriguez” during a Yankees game was followed two days later by a half-hearted attempt at an apology, which was more like a defensive play with a few self-deprecating audibles.  While better late than never, Monday’s apology was as heartfelt as Letterman can get, and maybe that was the plan.

Like the recent Domino’s video fiasco, Letterman’s apology was over-the-top late. By any public relations or crisis management standards, the timing was nearly unrecognizable to the original transgression.  As professionals, we counsel our clients and employers to genuinely and effectively begin the healing process of a crisis as soon as harm or even the perception of harm is realized.  Customer (and fan) relationships involve trust, authenticity and appropriate timing.

The original 47-second Letterman clip caused much discussion about boundaries, genders, ages and laws.  Debate is a good thing.  And although belated, Letterman’s apology should be accepted. 

Yet who’s to say what roles, if any, web sites like Fire David Letterman, organized boycotts of CBS advertisers, anti-Letterman events outside  studios and/or the current multi-million-dollar contract talks between the late night host and CBS played in all of this?  Timing is everything.

The $3 trillion TARP bailout funds for the banking, auto and mortgage industries come with this neat little twist – no accountability.  Apparently the Treasury believes that would be “impractical, impossible or a waste of time.” How cool is that?

Riding the wave isn't recommended as a crisis strategy.

It reminds me of Sept. 11, 2001.  Within days of the terrorist attack on this country, I met with the head of the local American Red Cross to discuss how the tragedy was affecting the charity (in the interest of disclosure, I worked as the agency’s Public Information Officer in the early 1990s).  Due to the generosity of countless individuals, groups and celebrities, the nation’s largest disaster relief agency was being inundated with phone calls, food, clothes and monetary donations. 

Because of my background, I thought I could professionally advise to what, in my mind, was an issue yet to raise its ugly little head.  At some point, somebody (code for the media) was going to ask for details regarding where all those Red Cross contributions were going.  I suggested the chapter begin coordinating with National Headquarters to issue a regular update and personal testimonies of where donations were being dispersed and to whom.  Also talk about disaster relief is allocated through clean-up supplies and food stations for workers at ground zero to provide the giving public an accounting of the millions being contributed.

Professing no need for any public relations assistance (voluntary or otherwise), the executive director explained his strategy by saying, “We’re just going to ride the wave for as long as we can.”  Within two weeks, I saw the same guy, with visible sweat bullets and a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face, trying to defend serious public and Congressional questions regarding contributions to a television reporter. Needless to say, a member of the media had asked for accountability. 

Why do senior managers continually believe they are immune to crises, brand damage and assaults on their organization’s reputation?  Do these same leaders not take their children in for wellness check-ups? How do they feel about mammograms?  Do they wear seatbelts at all?  

Seriously, help me understand why preventive measures regarding safety and protection (personal and professional) aren’t a good thing.

While Domino’s Pizza continues to recover from a tasteless YouTube video, companies should take a clue and think about how to preserve their brand in today’s cyberspace world.  Domino’s learned the hard way – its failure to anticipate the negative ramifications of social media caused much reactive, costly and time-consuming activities.

Fortunately, there are ways to avoid or at least minimize cyber victimization before it turns into a verb as in “Hey, man, don’t Dominos my food.”   While large, longtime companies are likely to survive brand damage, small and mid-size organizations are much more vulnerable to the power of social media. Marketing experts believe some businesses are only a click away from a crisis premiering in the public domain.  Even bleaker is this reality: the absolute worst time to try to build relationships or to start establishing effective communications tools is during the crisis.

Wayne Hill, president of Ohio-based Edward Howard, says the most important first step is a change of mindset.  “Many companies suffer from ‘magical thinking’.  They simply believe they are immune to a crisis,” said Hill.  “If businesspeople took the time to really think about everything that could possibly go wrong – not so much operationally, but more technologically – then their mindset couldn’t help but change.” 

Once that shift in thinking occurs, other steps that a company can do to protect its reputation include:

• Know what’s being said – good and bad – about your organization. Surround yourself with people (in-house or outsourced) who have a working knowledge and application of all forms of social media to monitor your organization and to immediately activate communications, including live, as needed.
• Take small steps, such as Internet news alerts, establishing social media accounts or developing a dark web page.
• Ensure that your organization has most, if not all, of the basics of a crisis communications plan, no matter how remedial.
• Develop a crisis communications plan that includes social media elements, media training and messaging. If in-house resources aren’t available, look for a reputable service provider with both crisis management and social media experience.

“People may think they can’t afford to do something about their branding in today’s warp speed travel of cyber news and viral media,” said Hill.  “The reality is that people can’t afford not to be prepared, and the basic steps are more affordable than they realize.  With today’s 24/7 news coverage, combined with online avenues, information is continuously recycled.  Technology lasts forever (see www.digg.com), but every day, companies may see their reputations damaged in minutes.”