“Be Prepared” In a Crisis

By Sarah Hoffman, Senior Account Executive, Consumer

The Boy Scout mantra “Be Prepared” rings true not only for Scouting, but also crisis situations. (Disclosure: The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is an Edelman client.) Preparing for issues and potential crises surrounding a company or its products is critical to reputation management. Unfortunately, not every crisis can be anticipated. Nor is it possible to control all the factors that affect the severity of an issue.

When it comes to communicating in a crisis, the rules have changed radically over the years. Organizations under fire must contend with the issue at hand and the backlash that will occur if that problem is not properly addressed. It’s critical for organizations to have a comprehensive crisis communications plan in place and ready for implementation on a moment’s notice. A crisis communications strategy often includes a combination of the following tactics:

• Message Development: In today’s world of 24-hour news cycles and citizen journalists, it has never been more important for a company to communicate openly and transparently with ALL corporate stakeholders. More than simple talking points, messaging is the basis for telling your story; it captures what you are doing affirmatively, the steps you have already taken to resolve any issues, what you value, and why it informs and guides all future communications.
  
  
• Development of a “Tool Kit”: It’s important to have a tool kit of communications materials prepared to assist in the response, such as key messages, holding statements, Q&A, fact sheets and media lists. This will ensure consistency in message across the company.
  
  
• Primary Media Spokesperson: While multiple people within the company will need to be deployed to assist with various audiences, one person will need to be the “public face” - the person speaking to the media when you decide to engage publicly. Additionally, depending on previous experience of primary spokesperson, it may be necessary for the spokesperson to undergo risk communication training. Contrary to most media training models, risk communication training should concentrate on the personality type and specific nature of the individual. Risk communication training is an exercise in teaching persuasion, not confrontation.
  
  
• Third-Party Support: If possible, it would be greatly beneficial to leverage your organization’s affiliation with credible third-party organizations - both within your company’s industry and with external consumer safety groups - to build support and secure potential participation in media materials.
  
  
• Scenario Escalation Plan: In the stress of a crisis with multiple moving parts, it’s key to have pre-identified the types of anticipated issues, how impactful an issue can or will be (severity) and a tentative response plan (sample scenarios). Categories, severities and scenarios must be simple but also thoughtful and allow for flexibility. Frequently, the most impactful issues are those that can’t be anticipated.
  
  
• Media Monitoring: During and after a crisis occurs, it’s important to monitor and analyze all relevant media coverage in key markets and, depending on the nature of the coverage/crisis, provide detailed recommendations on response strategy.
  
  

Crisis and issues management can be defining moments for brands and industries. Left unmanaged or improperly managed, brand and market value suffers. Managed properly, however, crises become opportunities to demonstrate industry leadership, core values and to influence key stakeholders. Crisis situations can sometimes even have a happy ending.

A few weeks ago, I got a call from our BSA client. A Boy Scout troop in Louisiana went missing while hiking in Arkansas, and the story was quickly making national headlines. Edelman immediately drafted a statement, talking points and Q&A to help prepare local scout executives for media interviews. Fortunately, the troop was found unharmed nearly 36 hours after they went missing – they had been stranded by high water caused by heavy rains in the area. Afterwards, troop leaders conducted interviews with various media outlets, providing a great opportunity to discuss how BSA training prepared them for this type of trip.

Edelman was able to use existing health and safety messaging to develop a customized tool kit of materials that communicated the BSA’s health and safety policies, mission and training procedures. As a result, coverage of the BSA in this situation was mostly positive. Click here to read more about this story.

For more information about Edelman’s crisis and issues management capabilities, please visit http://www.edelman.com/expertise/practices/crisis/.

To Gain Public Trust, CEOs Must Dare To Engage Risk

By Tony Shelton, Executive Vice President, Crisis and Training

In the wake of the BP spill, automotive recalls and banking fiascos, the public is even less interested in giving the benefit of the doubt to companies that seem more interested in positioning for a legal defense than in making things right.

In fact, Edelman’s 2011 Global Trust Barometer shows unmistakably that today’s CEOs have to be able to demonstrate accountability and action in a crisis. Trust must be earned, and companies today must work even harder to earn it.

Recently, Edelman’s U.S. Crisis Leadership Team -- including Edelman Southwest’s Allen Caudle and Tony Shelton -- met in San Francisco to examine how best to prepare and support executives in successfully engaging new levels of reputational risks in this age of heightened expectations.

The Edelman crisis network is uniquely qualified and experienced to prepare executives for increased scrutiny and responsibility.

For example, Edelman is the company that:

• First used the Internet as a crisis response tool

• Counseled U.S. Airways following the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River

• Headed up communications for Air France following the disappearance of its flight off the coast of Brazil

• Counseled Imperial Sugar following a deadly explosion at its plant in Georgia.

With this experience as a foundation, Edelman’s crisis practice leaders are preparing executives to engage reputational threats of a ferocity that could hardly have been imagined even five years ago.

A major concept is that the expression of the risk -- whether it is a company whistleblower on 60 Minutes, a Congressional investigation or a sudden crisis event -- must be seen as basic subject matter. The higher level of reasoning that will guide the executive in communication in such situations crosses boundaries of skill sets, media and stakeholder groups.

Successful risk engagement goes beyond protection of the corporate reputation. Its goal must be nothing less than advancement of the reputation.

Whenever the next major oil spill or high-profile recall comes, Edelman’s crisis and risk experts across the country and around the world will be ready to support, advise and guide their clients in this critical pursuit.

Lambert, the Sanfords and Tiger, Tiger, Tiger: Our List of the 10 Top PR Nightmares of 2009

by Tony Shelton, Shelton and Caudle Communication Training and Crisis Counsel, a division of Vollmer Public Relations

Politicians and performers, wannabees and wackos made the news again in 2009.  There were even some strong and effective responses to communication crises this year.  Of course, that was before the news became “All Tiger, All the Time.”

Here are our picks for the Top 10 PR Nightmares of 2009 – from bad to worst:

• United Airlines breaks guitars: Wronged customer strikes back. Especially effective approach if you happen to be a talented guy with a following on YouTube.
  
  
• Adam Lambert on the AMAs: Not that we really care who kisses whom, but Lambert’s antics at the American Music Awards should have been preceded by a warning to send the kids off to bed before he started. Still, shocking performances (see Madonna and Britney, for example) have been known to help careers, as this one seems to have boosted Lambert’s.
  
  
• Gross-out Domino’s employees:  Props to Domino’s for jumping in and quickly jumping on this one with both feet.  As good a corporate response as we saw this year to a crisis that struck directly at essence of their business – the implied promise of wholesomeness of their product.
  
  
• Governor Sanford:  No one will ever think of “hiking in the Appalachians” the same way again.  On a positive note, Jenny Sanford, who allowed she was “apparently not” the Governor’s soul mate, showed some class.  At least until she announced her book deal.
  
  
• Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift:   Who knows if it was really staged?  It was an early Christmas to young Ms. Swift. Kanye, on the other hand, was even rebuked by the President. And, he didn’t help himself with his dippy, weepy interview with Jay Leno either.
  
  
• David Letterman’s affairs:  By telling his story in his own loopy way, he reeled us in and kept us from recoiling completely from the “creepy things” he said he was accused of doing with female members of his staff.   The few cries of outrage at the sexual harassment aspect of the story were soon forgotten. Good for Dave, bad for employee relations.
  
  
• Mammograms at 40, 50, when?   Did anybody get a clear recommendation anywhere in this mess?  The Today Show’s Ann Curry should have been ashamed of herself for letting Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius get away with her patronizing and content-free “clarification” on NBC.
  
  
• Secret Service and White House party crashers:   Not funny. If these airheads can get that close to the President, so could somebody whose goal was a little more sinister than getting on reality TV.  Secret Service heads should have rolled immediately.
  
  
• Michael Jackson's doctor:  Took control of his story by telling it on YouTube. We may not all be convinced of his innocence, but he told his story and told it his way.  However, the King of Pop is dead and Dr. Conrad Murray will forever be associated with it whether responsible or not.
  
  
• Tiger’s Tale of Woe:  Hiding never works. Whining either. He could have learned from Letterman about taking control of the story.  To Tiger’s minor credit: At least, his women friends were not subordinates at his workplace.

There was no shortage of choices for our list this year.  You likely have your own favorites. Let us hear from you - give us your favorite PR Nightmare of 2009 below!

One last note:  For the effective crisis communication response, a few basics remain true: We understand that “stuff happens” but, when it does, we want to see somebody step in and do what needs to be done to make it right.  Plus, if you’re famous and you get caught doing something you shouldn’t, you’d better take responsibility and apologize – and you’d better be quick about it.  

Reputation CPR

by Tony Shelton, Shelton & Caudle, the Communication Training &  Crisis Counsel Division of Vollmer Public Relations


CPR and crisis communication have the same goal – survival.

A while back, the American Heart Association updated its guidelines for CPR.   The old guidelines were good, but the new ones emphasize the need for harder and faster chest compression to increase victims’ chances of survival.

A crisis planning and training program can be thought of as the CPR of company survival.  An important part of that program has to do with communication. Companies that want to increase the chances their reputations will survive when the worst happens must know how to communicate even quicker than before.  Also,  they have to know how people are communicating today.

Here are four steps you can take now to make sure you’re not still looking for email addresses when the world is tweeting about the downfall of your organization:

• Do a Vulnerability Analysis - Where are your weaknesses, not just in the operation, but in your reputation?   What have your customers complained about?  What are the near-misses you’ve experienced lately?  Have your competitors faced any crises?  It’s great to learn from your own experience, but it’s smart to learn from the experiences of your peers, so you don’t have to experience them firsthand.
  
  
• Test Your Internal Communication - Have you smoothed out the communication between management, operations, legal and PR?  The need for speed has always been great, but these days you have minutes, not hours, before your story is being told by others. Make sure your communication won’t come to a halt because a member of the team retired three years ago and hasn’t been replaced on the contact list.
  
  
• Get to Know Social Media -  Whether or not your company “allows” employees to engage in social media, you need to know what’s being said about you. At least start monitoring a few sites, including Twitter, YouTube, Technorati and Facebook, and set up free Google Alerts to come to your inbox.   Use the search features.  You might even discover a small complaint and be able to address it before it becomes a crisis. (Note:  Even email is going out of style.)
  
  
• Update Your Communication Training – Make sure that your crisis-communication training includes a company-specific scenario with a social media component.    You can be sure that the next real-life crisis will.   After the training, use the outcome of the practice to find any holes in the communication chain.

The basics of crisis communication remain the same:  You need to get out there fast and show the world somebody in the organization is paying attention and doing something useful to address the crisis.

What’s new is that you no longer can control the news about your company.  The best you can do is be part of the conversation.  But that’s hugely important.

It can mean the difference between surviving and not surviving when your company’s reputation starts to “flatline” in the digital world.

Great Ditching, but What's with the CEO?

by Tony Shelton, President, Shelton & Caudle Communication Training & Crisis Counsel

In the days since the remarkable ditching of the US Airways jet in the Hudson River, some have looked at how CEO Doug Parker delivered the company's initial statement and found him lacking. Where was the emotion?, they say.

Let's just agree right now that the incredible outcome speaks louder than any words.

But still. How did Parker really do? Well, let's consider what the needs are for an executive at such a moment. There are just two. One, as soon as possible, a spokesperson of a level commensurate with what's happening must deliver whatever information is known, to show the company is on top of the situation. Two, the executive should also show the company is run by actual human beings with a pulse and appropriate concern. On the first requirement, the statement was just fine. It said "initial reports" indicated everyone had survived the accident, told us what the company was doing to assist the passengers and their families and gave a phone number for further contact.

So far, so good.

Now to Parker's delivery. He seemed rushed, almost out of breath, like he had someplace he needed to go in a hurry - and he did. How could he have done better? He couldn't be all blubbery about how amazing the landing had been. We might have thought he was too surprised, as if he would have expected something less. He couldn't even be too lavish in praising the crew, because the facts weren't in yet.

So what could he have done? Maybe just two things. First, he could have read the statement in advance, so it didn't just sound like he was reading. He could have done this, even though he had to dash for a plane himself to get to the scene ASAP. Second, he could have been "in the moment." Right then, the most important thing he had to do was deliver that statement. Had he just taken the time to think about what he was reading, his delivery would have become more natural automatically.

If Parker had just taken the time to think about what he was reading, his delivery would have become more natural automatically. His words would have complemented the operational excellence. We would have seen that somebody at the top cares personally about his airline's ability to perform such a stunning feat. And that would have made it all the more amazing.

Allen's Landing

by Allen Caudle, Shelton & Caudle
VOLLMER Crisis Communication & Training Division

As a Crisis Communications Counselor, when business is good, everything that flows into my office is gloom and doom. Recently, I found myself simultaneously working on clients facing protests in front of their property, embezzlement of millions of dollars by a trusted employee, reports of product tampering in a food product and a drug deal gone bad in a room of one of our hotel clients. And all the while, the national news was reporting that the economy is in a death spiral and we will all lose our homes and savings due to bank failures. I almost was afraid to answer the phone.

Then, I received divine guidance from an unexpected source; a flight attendant who was merely repeating words she chants at least four times a day, “Place the oxygen mask on yourself and then help a passenger who may need assistance.” So, I took a deep breath and reminded myself that business was great, no matter where the national economy may or may not be. And doing that, I began writing emails to all my clients facing crisis situations. I reminded them their business was good and reviewed with each the steps we would take to work through their current crisis issues and return their business to normal.

Take time today to remind yourself of the good things you’ve contributed to your organization and then do a little public relations for yourself, share that thought with a co-worker. The good news just might spread all the way to the doom and gloom reporters of the economy.

Crisis Publicity Goes Hollywood

by Tony Shelton, Shelton & Caudle

Crisis communication is not just for big companies anymore. More than ever, it seems, there is such a thing as bad publicity for the famous.

So what’s a publicist to do? According to a recent report in Newsweek, get into “crisis publicity.” Think Britney Spears, Michael Richards, Don Imus and Isaiah Washington.
And they may soon have company.

On the same page as the interview with a celebrity publicist, there is a larger story about Raffaello Follieri, the now-former boyfriend of movie star Anne Hathaway. It seems he’s been arrested following some questionable real estate deals.

Hathaway reportedly dumped Follieri in June, after several negative media stories about him. Was it soon enough to keep from tarnishing her image? Maybe.

Newsweek quotes a spokesperson for Hathaway as saying, “’It’s unlikely we will ever comment.”

If Follieri goes to trial and it appears Hathaway either lost money in his schemes or introduced him to people who were later duped, the spotlight may return to the relationship between the two.

Hathaway may have to rethink the “no comment” from her publicist. If she doesn’t tell her side of the story, it’s likely somebody else will.

Tony Shelton is the President of Shelton & Caudle Communication Training & Crisis Counsel, a division of Vollmer Public Relations.