Ensuring Your Preparedness for a PR Crisis
One of my very favorite quotes is from Warren Buffett: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” He said this in Corporate Survival: The Critical Importance of Sustainability Risk Management (2005) by Dan Robert Anderson. Just think, this was before the rise of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Let’s face it, nobody wants a crisis to happen – but they happen every day, and many times these events are beyond the brand’s control and often occur suddenly and without warning. Other times, the issue percolates for a time and then explodes.
Issue vs. Crisis
At TrizCom PR, we deal with sensitive topics daily. We monitor what is being said about our partners and follow trends closely. In crisis PR we have two different buckets – Issues Management and Crisis. What’s the difference?
Issues management is a threat to a company that could escalate to a full fledge crisis that could significantly impact the brand. With issues management, we have time to evaluate the choices, research facts and analyze stakeholders. The urgency of issues management is typically day-to-day operations.
Conversely, a crisis is immediate. The situation has occurred, and the brand’s reputation is at stake. Immediate decisions are needed. Normal operating activities typically stop.
The RMS Titanic
I heard a great analogy the other day when deciding if the situation is an issue or a crisis: You are on the deck of the RMS Titanic. You see/hear that there are large icebergs miles out. This is an issue. You have time, albeit not a lot, to make decisions, evaluate your choices and have discussions with stakeholders. Whereas, after the Titanic has struck an iceberg and is sinking, that is a crisis.
It’s not unusual for brands to have difficulty defining a crisis or an issue, which is precisely why brands need public relations counsel. When we are brought in early, as in before an issue even arises, firms like TrizCom PR can create strategies to mitigate potential issues from rising to crisis levels.
One of my favorite expressions is: “It’s not a matter of if – rather than when will a crisis occur and what will be your cost?” At some point, all businesses and organizations —no matter how big or small—will face a crisis. A brand’s response to a crisis event will determine if the brand/organization is able to overcome the situation, and if their brand will incur significant damage and credibility along the way. We call this planning for the unthinkable.
Organizations can find themselves facing a wide range of crisis situations from natural disasters to the technological, financial, personnel-based or organizational in nature.
Type of Crisis Events
In the past 11 and a half years, TrizCom PR has handled a wide range of crisis situations:
Executive/management misconduct
Contagious diseases
Sexual abuse allegations
Product tampering
Data breach
Misrepresentation
Workplace violence
Murder
Hurricanes
Arrests
Earthquakes
Aviation accidents
Tornadoes
Faulty products
Droughts
Rumors
Unions
Car accidents
Skewed management values
Social media incidents
Terminations
Software failures
Industrial accidents
Environmental damage
Slip and falls
Criminal activities
Fraud
Food poisoning
Race relations/discrimination
Deception
Spokesperson misconduct
Regulatory issues
Litigation
Accidents
System failures
Infringements
Accusations
Accounting errors
Security gaps
Cybercrimes
Illegal activities
Leadership issues
Bankruptcy
Terrorist attacks
Drug/alcohol issues
Bank regulatory shutdowns
Health and welfare
Corruption
Crisis PR Services
TrizCom PR helps organizations do one of two things:
Proactive Crisis Management: Development of a crisis management plan in advance of any particular situation
Reactive Crisis Management: After the crisis has happened, we jump in and help control the messages and communication
Unfortunately, about 90% of TrizCom PR’s crisis communication clients have not planned for a crisis and therefore do not have a crisis management plan and do not know what to do when one occurs.
Is Your Brand Prepared For A Crisis? Answer These Questions:
Want to know if your company is prepared for a potential crisis? If you answer “I’m not sure” or “no” to any one (or more) of the eight following questions, then it may be time to hire TrizCom PR.
Have you identified your organization’s potential risk areas?
Do you know who would be on your crisis team?
Have you ever sat down and thought about crisis worst-case scenarios?
Does your company have a prepared crisis communications plan?
Have you identified your internal and external stakeholder groups (such as investors, employees, vendors, customers, government regulatory agencies, suppliers, volunteers, board of directors, suppliers, service providers, local government, media)?
Have you performed effective crisis management simulation exercises?
Do you have identified potential spokespeople in the event of a crisis?
Do you know who to call when a crisis occurs?
While there are many more questions that we could have added to the list, our aim is not to scare you but instead, help inspire thoughts and actions toward taking the necessary measures to protect you and your brand. You wouldn’t own a house without homeowner’s insurance.
When looking at public relations firms, you need a firm that has extensive experience in crisis management, leading national and international high-profile, high-stakes campaigns.
TrizCom PR has a wealth of experience in crisis communications. We help companies and individuals control their message with a structured plan and response strategy that establishes accountability. We work hand in hand with legal counsel managing your message and responses.
Call us today for a free consultation.
TrizCom Public Relations
972-247-1369
jo@trizcom.com
www.TrizCom.com
