Managing PR in a Crisis

The emergence of instant online news and the broad adoption of social media among the always-connected masses has brought swift and sometimes severe consequences to corporate and individual blunders. Recent PR missteps by Netflix, Bank of America, Penn State, and Presidential candidates underscores the critical need of being able to properly respond to a PR meltdown.

Mistakes, failings, allegations of scandals, and the occasional Oops now spread like wildfire across the internet and are further amplified by the connected nature of communications. Less than 12 hours after it happened, more than 1 million people viewed Rick Perry’s moment of forgetfulness. If not managed properly, the responses of those involved only adds momentum to the carnage.

The fundamental issue in a PR crisis is trust. It is the essential element in every relationship and transaction. News that trust had been violated draws attention; the bigger the violation, the bigger the news and the faster it spreads. When this bond with customers, public, shareholders, etc. is broken, the top priority must be to minimize the extent of the damage and lay the foundation to rebuild trust.

There are seven simple rules to managing communications in a crisis:

1)      Think before you act – This means planning your response with a broad team of internal and external experts (when appropriate) to go through all the scenarios and issues to avoid doing additional damage.

2)      Tell the story yourself first – This will allow you to tell the story the way you want to and the news loses its “hidden secrets” appeal. David Letterman used this approach masterfully when he addressed his audience and revealed his soon-to-be-made-public indiscretions.

3)      Come completely clean – The truth will set you free, or at least get you on the path to healing. Feigning amnesia and denials may work in the short term, but do greater damage in the long run. Tell only as much of the story as is needed to get all the facts out. Hiding material details that will later emerge diminishes credibility and raises the question of what else you may be hiding.

4)      Don’t blame others – Deflecting responsibility undermines trust and looks childish, even if someone else is partially to blame. Everyone makes mistakes. Own up to it and you will rebuild respect and trust faster.

5)      Be remorseful – In personal matters and business, a sincere “I’m sorry” can go along way. Even Michael Vick seems to have been forgiven.

6)      Have a recovery plan for those impacted – You have to make good on what you did bad or the apology means nothing. Everyone has an internal yardstick for measuring justice.

7)      Return focus to the positive future – Even bad media coverage can be a good thing. It give you an audience you might otherwise never reach. Craft a message to deal with the crisis, but also use the opportunity to expand the reach of your core message.

That’s it. Having a crisis plan, including assigned responsibilities for key marketing personnel and executives, is every bit as necessary as a disaster recovery plan or business insurance. For additional reading, see this post from GigaOm How to Productively Handle a PR Crisis, and for the ultimate, incredibly great book about managing PR check out: The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott.

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