Everyday PR

The corporate reaction regarding last week’s gas explosion in San Bruno, CA, is the antithesis of what Americans witnessed from BP in the beginning months of the oil spill disaster.  Within hours of the pipeline explosion that killed four, injured more than 50 and destroyed dozens of homes, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) began communicating via its website its action steps, including hosting community meetings and establishing a $100 million fund to help the city and residents begin immediate recovery efforts.

A fireman at the scene of a natural gas explosion in San Bruno. Photo credit: Brant Ward /SF Gate

Comparatively, two days after the April 20 Gulf Oil Spill, BP uploaded a press release that actually used the word “initiates” as opposed to “established” or “accomplished” or some other action verb indicating a successfully completed step following the crisis.  A glaring difference in the information is the tone.  In other words, PG&E speaks to its audience like it knows them; the tone appears authentic and personal; and there’s no underlying legalese that screams “we had to run this by in-house counsel before we could officially say something.”  Conversely, BP’s tone smacks of “it’s not our fault”, “we’re going to think about doing something” and we’ll put our resources into a solution “if required”.

As with most crises, it’s no surprise that attorneys are lining up to file suit against California’s PG&E.  Also expected are independent investigations of the cause of the explosion.  And without question, the state’s Public Utitlities Commission will make immediate demands for change, solutions and new regulations.  The reality is that people died, suffered serious injuries and lost their homes.  But, at the end of the day, if and when jury pools are selected, public polls are taken, customer service is measured or pipelines are re-worked, PG&E has laid a foundation of concern, action, assistance and good will. That goes a long way in crisis management and brand recovery.

What other thoughts about this crisis management situation do you have?

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.”