Manage Crisis Before It Strikes
What happens when a popular over-the-counter medicine brand is held responsible for the deaths of innocent people? Or when an accident at work kills almost all those involved—but the evening news or daily paper reports that everyone is alive and safe?
If an organization wants to survive a crisis, it is not enough to simply have a crisis action plan. Effective crisis communications is an extension of good, ongoing communications. Many organizations neglect to regularly cultivate relationships with the media, allowing disaster to strike tenfold.
Take for example the recent communication disaster after an explosion at International Coal Group’s Sago mine in West Virginia. The rumor that miners were safe was generated by people at the site hoping for a positive outcome. This “news flame” was fanned heavily by the media. Exacerbating the situation further, ICG took more than two hours to correct the miscommunication. When the governor was asked why he did not question the source of this information, he responded, “I wanted to believe in a miracle.”
Although disseminating information at the onset of a disaster might seem like a race against the clock, it is important to be straightforward and address issues head-on, rather than speculate. As soon as the crisis began, ICG should have gathered its crisis team together, discussed a clear and smart course of action, and deployed pre-appointed spokespeople to communicate information to family members and the media as soon as it became available. Instead, ICG allowed speculation to dribble into public knowledge. As we know, this speculation was consumed by the media.
In contrast to ICG’s poor communication with the media, Johnson & Johnson’s response to their 80s Tylenol scare is the eminent example of how corporate responsibility and effective crisis management can save a company from a potentially catastrophic and fatal disaster. When seven people from Chicago’s West Side died inexplicably, J&J found that many of their pills had been laced with lethal cyanide. The company took personal responsibility for the incident and immediately recalled 31 million bottles of the product, equaling more than 100 million dollars in retail value. The company cooperated with the press and proactively warned the general public from using their product until they knew it was safe again. By placing public interest before their own, J&J received positive news coverage and was even commended by the media for their honesty.
On the other hand, ICG’s public relations, even after correcting their miscommunication, placed the company under severe public scrutiny, which deeply impacted their public image as well as the mining industry at large. Even though the ICG explosion is an isolated incident as far as fatal mine disasters go (collapsing tunnels and electrocution are more common in mines), ICG is now a key reference point for the media.
It is not enough for an organization to simply respond during a time of crisis. To manage the media and public perception effectively, relationships with members of the press must be continually cultivated well in advance of crisis. Since it is nearly impossible to predict when a crisis will occur, effective corporate communications and outreach strategies should be established sooner than later. Proactive and ongoing media relations act as “padding” during a time of crisis. Taking such action before disaster strikes—and in J&J’s case, cooperating with the media—is vital to having more control as the debacle unfolds.