Damage Control - Crisis Communication Practices
- Jessica Yeh
- May 9, 2018
- 3 min read
Not all press is good press. If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having a brand crisis or in the midst of a large controversy, here are some tips to follow to ensure that your crisis communication plan is the most effective and humane.
Always Comment
In most situations, there were red flags that may have been internal and dismissed, resulting in a more severe crisis. Damage control occurs when that internal knowledge can no longer be hidden and action must be taken.
In the midst of the event, information will begin to trickle into the press and out to the public. At this point, you will be asked the inevitable question - “would you care to comment?” Saying that you have “no comment” is, in fact, giving a comment - and a bad one at that. First, it could insinuate that you’re hiding something. Secondly, never let the press have the last word. If you leave the conversation with “no comment” you not only come across as insensitive, but you also allow the media to frame you in any way they see fit. The public could then regard you even more negatively. It’s better to risk having a statement that is taken out of context than provide no statement at all.
Act Fast, Act Smart
Address and summarize the issue immediately. Be straightforward with the facts surrounding the event. Know the key players internally and externally. Who will handle press conferences? Who will update the website? Who will send out the email informing the public of the situation? Make sure those key players are trained to be sensitive to the victim and professional when acknowledging the fault/error.
Take responsibility for the situation. Notify government and local officials as well as families and those who may be personally involved. If the situation could affect public safety or health, give contact information for hotlines, emergency staff, helplines, customer service, etc. Depending on the severity, personally reach out via home visitation, pay for compensation, host a fundraising event, have the CEO visit victims at the hospital, etc. The instinct is to stay away and prevent causing any more damage, but you must face the situation head on.
Express sympathy and regret. Then give a strong, attainable solution to remedy the situation as well as steps moving forward to prevent a repeat situation. Provide as many dates as possible so the public can follow the plan. Once the plan begins implementation, provide constant updates through publicly accessible platforms following the situation - email, social media, news, official website, blog, etc.
Behind the Scenes
Even though you can’t stop the world, your company still needs to be able to continue functioning, you cannot appear as though it is business as usual. Make it seem like this is your top priority, even if you need to be profitable. Your intuition may lead you to believe that you should counter a bad event by promoting something better as an improvement. This isn’t the case though. You should actually address the issue then slow and hold promotional material. Your goal is to be sensitive. Don’t push humor or cheesy marketing messages in the time of crisis.
Stay Alert
Of course, the best way is to already have practices/plans in place and actively be monitoring your brand image based on public opinions to be able to anticipate any potential issues. Address them before they snowball into a full blown crisis.
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