Crisis Communication

The Crisis Management Newsletter

It Wouldn't Be A Crisis Column Without BP

• BP's name now is inextricably linked with the worst man-made environmental disaster in U.S. history. No amount of public relations razzle-dazzle can change that reality.

-- USA Today, June 14, 2010

• BP is the butt of jokes on YouTube: Crisis management at British Petroleum | apfelkraut.org http://bit.ly/cY7e0a , and has a prankster putting our bogus "releases" on Twitter: @BPGlobalPR

• BP is already fighting an oil gusher it can't contain and watching its mighty market value wither away. Its own bumbling public relations efforts are making a big mess worse.

-- Associated Press, June 12

There's a whole textbook of crisis management blunders and things that could have been done better in the case of BP's Deepwater Horizon well explosion and oil spill.

The crisis management team at BP is working overtime to get the company's information out to the media, but all that was circumvented last week when a congressman let it leak that BP was considering cutting the live video feed of the spill from a mile below the Gulf's surface while the "topkill" maneuver was attempted.

Even thinking of cutting the video feed was an instant PR blunder. It didn’t matter whether it happened or not, it was being considered.

Rules of the Road #15: Don’t close the curtain. You can't shut off information once you've started giving it.

For the same reason that TV viewers watch car chases, the video feed was drawing viewers anxious to see what is happening -- in real time. Through the feed they hope to see something happing that will change the circumstances. Once you suggest turning off their "eyes" to the situation you are seen as censoring the information and there must be something to hide. The scene may be unpleasant, but it's better than the imagination of those who would believe you have something to hide.

According to a recent Gallup Poll, some 60 percent of the public believes that the federal government is doing a "poor" or "very poor" job in handling the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. BP probably takes some solace in the fact that there is someone in the sinking boat with them.

I won't pretend to tell BP what needs to be done on the PR side of this environmental disaster. There's not enough bandwidth on the Internet, or else it is an impossibility to recover the company's former reputation.

The best advice in any crisis is to keep the public informed of the facts and what you are doing about the situation. Facts can overrule the rumor and innuendo that comes from the imagination of a darker purpose.

Dust Off That Plan And Use It

Does your company/city/county have a crisis response plan. Sure, it's on that bottom shelf along with the other two dozen reports that you've paid to have done and are required to keep up with.

Dust it off and take a look. If it's not already outdated, it is probably useless because it has not been practiced in years. Like a pair of new shoes in the box at the back of the closet, they won't be comfortable the next time you wear them because they haven’t been broken in.

Now imagine putting on those shoes as an alarm is wailing and you are trying to escape from a fire.

Makes it even harder to do, right?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a nuclear regulatory division that is charged with planning for and dealing with problems that may arise at the nation's 104 nuclear power plants. Each year the plant, along with state, city and county emergency responders and medical facilities, runs a crisis scenario covering every aspect of emergency response. Inspectors watch the action in the plant, in the hospital, in the 911 center and even in the back of the ambulance as "victims" are transported to the ER.

This kind of crisis rehearsal keeps the numerous departments involved ready to take action, knowing in advance who is in charge of the situation.

Contrast that with another area of FEMA -- natural disaster response -- and you will find that there are plans written and approved all the way to the top of the political food chain, but there is no requirement to practice them on any regular basis. That's why you saw unused buses underwater during Hurricane Katrina, while the dozens of local, state and federal agencies involved spent their time finger pointing because no one knew who was in charge and what needed to be done.

May 16, 2010

The Swine Flu Crisis Is Real

You hear an "ah-choo" from across the depths of office cubicles. Do you think "Gesundheit" or "Oh no, we have a crisis?"

According to CBS, children in a New York school are being stigmatized if they show symptoms of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the Swine Flu.

"People are being treated differently by everyone else because one person is sick and the other one is just normal. And because that person is sick they make fun of them," a student said.

Parents involved with Little League teams have tried to postpone games or even tell kids "not to touch the ball after the other team had touched it ... and at the end of the game not to shake hands with the opposing team," said Steven Crimando, a Crisis Management Specialist.

In the workplace, swine flu is also a new and scary face on a familiar problem.

Businesses and school have dealt with flu season for decades; wash hands, drink plenty of liquids, and ask the sick person to stay home until it passes.

The family of the assistant principal who was New York City's first swine flu victim filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit, claiming the city failed to quickly report the outbreak and to warn him that he'd been exposed to the virus. It also claims the city didn't do its best to control the outbreak.

According to federal experts the H1N1 flu virus could cause as many as 30,000 to 90,000 deaths in the U.S., and "poses a serious health threat." The deaths would mainly be concentrated among children and young adults. In contrast, the regular seasonal flu kills some 36,000 each year, mostly among those over 65.

Most people sickened from the swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, have complained of mild, seasonal flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and fatigue. Does this sound different from the flu that comes around every winter with various mutations? Is it now an employer's job to protect employees (and customers) from the flu?

It's the ignorance and fear that is creating the crisis. Just the name has caused cringing in the pork industry. Also the fact that younger people are being affected, a more noticeable population than the elderly.

What should business and government do to protect itself from the fallout of swine flu?

The first step in any crisis situation is to review your crisis plan and make it specific to swine flu. (If you don't have a plan, now is the time to start one.)

Your crisis plan should include:

Planning - Gather your management team with the mandate that there must be a coordinated response to this real threat to productivity, employee morale and reputation. Set specific sick leave policy, travel policy and closure guidelines.

Keep working - Develop teleworking policies and alternate ways for employees to keep in touch with the office even if they are recovering.

Communicate - Let your employees and stakeholders know that you are concerned and taking action. Provide training in prevention and put tips and information on your company website.

Develop a sick leave policy with specific emphasis on H1N1 - It may be indistinguishable to other influenza and colds, but the fear factor makes it more threatening. Your staff will not be as productive while worrying about this new threat.
Take it seriously - Despite deadlines, reports and quotas managers must take action to send an employee home if they are sick. Allowing a sick person to infect an entire office is an opening to civil liability.

Educate the leadership -- Learn more about swine flu at the CDC website www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ or Flu.gov www.pandemicflu.gov/. Offer wellness workshops and staff immunizations.

Whether it's the regular annual flu or H1N1, take the disease seriously in your crisis communication strategy.

Timing Is Everything

In the political world Friday is known as "Take Out The Trash Day" because most politicos know better than to say or do anything important just prior to the weekend.

(SC Gov. Mark Sanford might have fared better if he waited until Friday to come back from his "hiking trip" and bare his infidelity. He would have done a whole lot better if he had just waited a day and had been overshadowed by Michael Jackson's demise.)
 
News coverage is a 24-hour continuous cycle and in politics you learn to "feed the beast" with information that you want showcased and learn to hide the tidbits you'd rather not see on page one.

In Episode 13 of "The West Wing" we learn about "Take Out The Trash Day." The title refers to the Friday press briefing wherein the White House releases information about several sensitive stories, thereby preventing discussion and reducing any probable impact in the media.

Donna: What's take out the trash day?
Josh: Friday.
Donna: I mean, what is it?
Josh: Any stories we have to give the press that we're not wild about, we give all in a lump on Friday.
Donna: Why do you do it in a lump?
Josh: Instead of one at a time?
Donna: I'd think you'd want to spread them out.
Josh: They've got X column inches to fill, right? They're going to fill them no matter what.
Donna: Yes.
Josh: So if we give them one story, that story's X column inches.
Donna: And if we give them five stories ...
Josh: They're a fifth the size.
Donna: Why do you do it on Friday?
Josh: Because no one reads the paper on Saturday.
Donna: You guys are real populists, aren't you?

There are exceptions to the rule.

It irked the press no end when Sarah Palin, presumptive presidential candidate announced - on a Friday - that she would step down as Governor of Alaska. The talking heads questioned her motives and reran her press conference throughout the weekend while providing background that you never make such an announcement on Friday because it would not be noticed. They were even saying this on Tuesday of the next week as they continued to ponder the motives of Gov. Palin.
 
You can't predict the time of your crisis, but you can adjust and refine your message depending on what part of the news cycle you are in:

· Morning - What is said at a morning press briefing will be reported all day long.

· Noon - If the story is big enough or ongoing, a press availability during the lunch hour might be aired live.

· 4 p.m. - The deadest time of day for a news story. Print reporters are writing their main story and TV reporters have footage packaged for the evening broadcast.

· 6 p.m. - This is the time that journalism does rewrites. New information and comments get added to the story either in print or on-air by the TV anchor.
 
Nothing in here suggests that there is a best time of day for a crisis to happen. As  Murphy's Law states -- if anything can go wrong, it will -- a crisis will occur at the worst possible time.  Be prepared and have a plan.

Don't Step On Your Story

Timing also means that you learn not to step on your own stories. Like cycles in nature, news coverage sometimes needs a chance to ripen and bloom before harvest.
 
If you are making a major announcement, keep it to one a day and try to stay away from muddying you own waters.
 
As Mike Memoli in Real Clear Politics Blog writes on July 15:

Hillary Clinton's foreign policy speech today is being seen as an attempt by the Secretary of State to reassert herself, "to retake center stage as the administration's top foreign policy voice," as the AP described it.

If that's the case, the White House isn't doing her any favors by scheduling President Obama's remarks on health care in the Rose Garden at the same time as her speech. Both are set for 1 pm.

Make your announcement, take questions, and let it ripen and bloom, then wait for the coverage. In the cycle of news there's the news coverage and the next day there is the follow-up and the commentary.

Be patient and let it happen. Don't step on the toes of your own story.

# # #

Make sure you are ready to respond. Call Lipsett & Associates, Inc. at 770-426-9388.

July 21, 2009

Watch What You Say

Anyone who has watched television cop shows knows - and can probably repeat - the Miranda Warning which has been in effect since a 1966 Supreme Court ruling.
 
Police officers "Mirandize" a suspect during questioning, meaning "to read to a suspect his or her Miranda rights" (when the suspect is arrested).
 
When speaking to the press, a business spokesperson should remember that they too have rights. Despite the Supreme Court's ruling, the interview rights of PR spokesperson and the press are often diametrically opposed.
 
Let's compare the Miranda Rights and the Public Relations rights:
 
"You have the right to remain silent" - but remain silent in a crisis you run the risk of appearing uncaring about your clients and employees and you tacitly confirm attacks against you by not responding.
 
"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law" - And remember that everything you say will be used in the court of public opinion over and over again in sound bites on the 24-hour news channels.

"You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning" - Remember though that an attorney is concerned about your legal rights not about whether you and your company will survive the public opinion, news coverage and residual dame to your reputation and public image.

"If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you" - You wish! In the PR arena, you pay your own way.

Saying what benefits your company while protecting it from legal action is often unfairly called "spin." In fact it simply manages the flow of information between an organization and its various audiences while putting the company's best face forward.

The paramount practice is to tell the truth about the situation. You might mold that truth to bring out points that are being ignored or unreported in a crisis situation. Your comments and responses are a necessary part of the process to mitigate and repair the damage done in a crisis.
 
Remember, "Sticks and stones may break your bones," but names, and your words will be there in black and white in the press and repeated ad nausium on the Internet. So remember to make them palatable in case you have to eat them. 

June 2, 2009

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

Your mother told you "Don't cry over spilled milk." It's over, it's gone, there's no reason to keep complaining about it.

True; but in today's business world it's more complicated. You realize that you need to move on and begin the clean up, file the EPA reports about pollution, inform the stockholders about the loss and seek out new production and quality control methods to ensure that it won't happen again and to reassure your customers that your product is safe and secure.

Clichés aside, a business owner can find themselves wishing that some crisis hadn't happened, but having to take immediate steps to recover from that crisis.

Tylenol, Bridgestone Firestone, Columbine High School, Exxon, McDonald's, United Airlines, American Airlines - all of these organizations have been hit by a major crisis. Each of them survived the aftermath in part because they had a strong public relations crisis response and followed their crisis plan.

The plan is simple:

Be prepared -- expect the unexpected and know what needs to be done and who should do it in an emergency, whether it is a fire, explosion, death of an employee or customer or labor strife.

Take ownership of the problem -- Back to the spilled milk; don't cry over it, do something about it. Your company takes responsibility and pledges to make it right.

Match your comments and your response -- What you say you are going to do and ultimately what you do must match. If you say you care about your employees and customers, your response must be just as caring and compassionate.

Think that the plan is just for big business? Wrong. Every small business must also follow some form of this plan whether it affects one customer or dozens. It only takes one upset client making a call to the local newspaper or television station to put your business in a bad light and turn public opinion against you.

May 27, 2009

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Case Studies

Home Depot

A prompt response is key in crisis communication and an innovative response can work in your favor.

Home Depot showed it was adept at responding to a potential crisis situation following a protester interrupting its annual meeting in Atlanta last week. International Rivers promised a "highly visible action" to protest of a dam being built in Chile.
 
Instead of the story being reported of the big corporations' environmental actions, the company posted a video on YouTube explaining that while companies with an interest in the dam project have a distant relationship with Home Depot, the company does not buy any wood from the proposed dam's site.
 
According to Ken Bernhardt, a Georgia State University Marketing Professor, social media can work for corporations as well as activists.

"Putting a response on YouTube is a very smart thing for Home Depot to do," Bernhard said in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "When people bring it to their attention, they can refer people to YouTube. And they've controlled the message to a greater degree than they can with traditional media."