The one where they learn to navigate a crisis

Inevitably, every brand faces a crisis at some point. It is, as the Lion King movie would put it, “the circle of life”. As such, preparedness is essential for companies to be able to respond at a moment’s notice if an urgent situation comes into play.

In a time when information is at our fingertips and news spreads like wildfire, burying your head in the sand is not an option anymore — this will only affect your credibility with your stakeholders and potential customers. In our line of work, we find that a thought-out and effective PR strategy is, oftentimes, the key to avoiding the long-lasting damage that poorly managed crises can cause.

Let’s look at two examples in crisis PR management from roughly the same time period:

• Facebook and Cambridge Analytica (2018) — when the mishandling of the data of more than 87 million users first came to light, the company went radio silent for five days. This lack of response snowballed with users leaving or threatening to delete their accounts on the social network. The impact followed soon thereafter: on the next day of trading after the report’s release, the tech giant’s share price fell by 7%; representing a loss of market value of more than $36 billion.
• KFC chicken shortage (2018) — “a chicken restaurant without any chicken”. Definitely not ideal. When faced with supply difficulties that led to the temporary shutdown of 75% of their UK locations, the world-famous fast food restaurant decided to respond to negative social media feedback in a humorous, light-hearted manner by taking out a full-page ad in a number of English newspapers. It did not stop a short-term consumer perception drop of about 20%, but at that moment it was considered to have neutralised any long-term effects for the brand.

Do you see the difference? How do you feel, today, about Facebook (now Meta)? And what about KFC? We will leave that to your personal reflection.

We do not want you to leave this blog post without some useful knowledge, though. There is no way to sugarcoat that crisis management is always a thorn in every PR professional’s side; however, it is also, without fail, a challenge that will deepen your knowledge of how to navigate tempestuous waters in an ever-dynamic area such as our own. Here are a few easy steps on how best to prepare your clients for the storms ahead (and please bear with our use of a nautical theme throughout the rest of this article):

1. Make sure you have your life vests before setting sail — perhaps the most important of all. You have surely heard that before now, as in everything, preparation is key. Crisis management is no different: spot your client’s weaknesses, assess risks and brainstorm all potential troubles that can come your way. In doing so, you can start forecasting best- and worst-case scenarios, drawing out a plan and working on potential responses to be deployed should the need arise;
2. Are your ship’s captains up to the task? Your plan should identify the first responders to any crisis. Ideally, your client’s CEO or country manager should be at the top of this list, followed by their closest-ranked colleagues, for example. Part of your job as a PR professional also encompasses preparing them for such a scenario and, as such, they should be equipped with media training and thoroughly briefed on how to respond;
3. Monitor the turning tides and the weather — nowadays, technology is as much our foe as it is our most valuable ally. Work with your client to establish a monitoring system, preferably including more than one means of communication, so that you can take the pulse, at any moment, of what the world is saying about your client;
4. Keep your eyes on the port you want to reach — shareholders, stakeholders, customers. All should be equally important in the grand scheme of crisis management. Never lose sight of who you are talking to and adapt your key messages accordingly, so that they are easily retained and transmittable to others. The internet is the new word-of-mouth, so finding your targets and talking to them first and foremost should always take centre stage in your communications plan;
5. Drop anchor and make for land! What has your client learned from this experience? You should lead a post-crisis assessment with them to evaluate what they took from the situation: what was done right, what was done wrong, and what could be improved or done better. P.S.: remind them to keep their guard up at all times.

There ya go, sailor! This was only a snippet of what awaits you in the wondrous world of crisis management in PR. As we wrap up, the time is ripe for a quote, from a certain infamous captain, that sums up what you have read in a simple way: “If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it.”