Recently, the communications team at Franklin Templeton in NYC woke up in the middle of a PR Crisis. One of their employees was caught on camera in the now infamous “dog owner versus bird watcher” video. They had no warning this might happen, and they only had a short time to decide how to respond.
This is just one example of how a PR crisis may happen at any moment, catching a company or brand completely off guard and throwing any current campaigns into a tailspin. It could be a public health issue like Blue Bell Ice Cream or Chipotle have faced in recent years, or an employee insulting first responders as what happened to Starbucks. It could even be a CEO getting caught in a public rant like Tesla or Uber.
Whatever the case, a professional communications team is a prepared communications team. Simply assuming that “all news is good news” is not an acceptable strategy. Especially today, when the news cycle is constant, and the ratio of “incident” to “response” is often skewed far to the side of the response. Social media makes it quick and simple to absolutely destroy a person for making a bad decision, sending an inappropriate tweet, or getting caught saying or doing something that maybe they would not have in a different set of circumstances.
Given this context, what are the basic best practices when your PR team gets hit with an unexpected crisis? Well, the first step we borrow from Douglas Adams: “Don’t Panic.” Keep your head, think through any response before saying anything about the issue. A simple “We’re looking into the issue” will often suffice in the early going, and it’s a much better answer than something off the cuff that could come back and bite you.
At the outset of a crisis, sit down with the PR team, legal team, and any relevant decision makers. Share the facts and listen to their various perspectives. Understand that, going forward, the company must work with all the facts available and as little assumption as possible. Even if you don’t have a definitive answer, prepare to take a clear stance that is both empathetic in tone and directed at the correct audience. This may mean slightly different messages for various unique audiences, but that’s a decision that will need to be made at the time.
Determine the core message of the response. Is an apology appropriate, or is this a time to take a stand, get some facts out, and grab control of the narrative? Have steps already been taken to mitigate the issue? If so, what, and what are the next steps? Be certain that the positions being taken are clear, concise, and easily transferred through the media to your audience. Message confusion here can exacerbate a situation, taking it from bad to worse.
Control the narrative coming out of your camp. Make absolutely certain no one on the team speaks out of turn or says anything that’s not strictly within the boundaries set by the official message. This is imperative, especially in the age of social media, when an errant tweet can derail a carefully crafted crisis response.
Be sure to script the response. Do not try to be extemporaneous in order to come off “real” or “authentic.” Let your spokesperson practice delivering the scripted message with authenticity. Trying to “just go with it” often doesn’t end well.
Avoid shifting blame where possible, but only assume responsibility where appropriate, with a focus on taking action when there is opportunity to create change, make something good, or do something positive.
What Happens When You Wake Up to A Crisis?
Recently, the communications team at Franklin Templeton in NYC woke up in the middle of a PR Crisis. One of their employees was caught on camera in the now infamous “dog owner versus bird watcher” video. They had no warning this might happen, and they only had a short time to decide how to respond.
This is just one example of how a PR crisis may happen at any moment, catching a company or brand completely off guard and throwing any current campaigns into a tailspin. It could be a public health issue like Blue Bell Ice Cream or Chipotle have faced in recent years, or an employee insulting first responders as what happened to Starbucks. It could even be a CEO getting caught in a public rant like Tesla or Uber.
Whatever the case, a professional communications team is a prepared communications team. Simply assuming that “all news is good news” is not an acceptable strategy. Especially today, when the news cycle is constant, and the ratio of “incident” to “response” is often skewed far to the side of the response. Social media makes it quick and simple to absolutely destroy a person for making a bad decision, sending an inappropriate tweet, or getting caught saying or doing something that maybe they would not have in a different set of circumstances.
Given this context, what are the basic best practices when your PR team gets hit with an unexpected crisis? Well, the first step we borrow from Douglas Adams: “Don’t Panic.” Keep your head, think through any response before saying anything about the issue. A simple “We’re looking into the issue” will often suffice in the early going, and it’s a much better answer than something off the cuff that could come back and bite you.
At the outset of a crisis, sit down with the PR team, legal team, and any relevant decision makers. Share the facts and listen to their various perspectives. Understand that, going forward, the company must work with all the facts available and as little assumption as possible. Even if you don’t have a definitive answer, prepare to take a clear stance that is both empathetic in tone and directed at the correct audience. This may mean slightly different messages for various unique audiences, but that’s a decision that will need to be made at the time.
Determine the core message of the response. Is an apology appropriate, or is this a time to take a stand, get some facts out, and grab control of the narrative? Have steps already been taken to mitigate the issue? If so, what, and what are the next steps? Be certain that the positions being taken are clear, concise, and easily transferred through the media to your audience. Message confusion here can exacerbate a situation, taking it from bad to worse.
Control the narrative coming out of your camp. Make absolutely certain no one on the team speaks out of turn or says anything that’s not strictly within the boundaries set by the official message. This is imperative, especially in the age of social media, when an errant tweet can derail a carefully crafted crisis response.
Be sure to script the response. Do not try to be extemporaneous in order to come off “real” or “authentic.” Let your spokesperson practice delivering the scripted message with authenticity. Trying to “just go with it” often doesn’t end well.
Avoid shifting blame where possible, but only assume responsibility where appropriate, with a focus on taking action when there is opportunity to create change, make something good, or do something positive.