Everyday PR

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.”