Managing a Whirlwind: The Importance of a Crisis Communication Plan
No one likes to get in trouble. This is especially true for large companies with sizable followings. Being in pursuit of my Master’s degree in Public Relations, I have received previous exposure to the concept of Crisis Communication Theory. This includes having set communication frameworks, enlisting the help of social media channels to diffuse messaging that may alleviate damage. Given the multitude of digital news outlets, it is nearly impossible to avoid becoming the center of negative talks after even a minor slip-up. The best way to avoid a crisis is to consider all possible outcomes before implementing anything. However, if things end up going south, having a crisis management plan already conceived will enable organizations to best control the fallout and ultimately bring individuals back into right-standing. Crafting and training for a plan can be difficult, but the alternative is far much worse.
Creating a crisis management plan is no easy task, as this calls for a complex hierarchical structure of how to deal with particular incidences and relay them to the appropriate individuals for a proper response. A good starting place is to recruit department leaders across an organization so that every function is represented and the appropriate individuals can respond.
While social media managers serve as the gatekeeper to what gets posted on their accounts, relaying statements from internal leaders relevant to an issue may be beneficial. However, as the gatekeeper, they might also serve as the social voice of an organization. When necessary, allowing them to speak on behalf of the organization might be the best option when a crisis is developing quickly and there is little time to track down someone for a statement. Tone is an important consideration, as messages should remain brief yet honest, empathetic, sincere, and script-free. However, finding the balance to avoid being over-dramatic may help repair relationships. When considering a chain of command, a recommendation by the PRSA is to inform employees of a crisis before the media, followed by communicating with a sequence of internal stakeholders (C-Suite and Senior leadership), followed by interested parties outside the organization. Managing the whirlwind starts with informing individuals before commencing with a plan.
I believe there is no better brand to discuss first than the global fast-food chain Burger King. Their UK division has recently been getting immense pushback from a failed attempt at promoting a scholarship for women chefs. According to the plan, this announcement was to come as the result of three tweets in succession. However, the initial post pictured contains a rather misogynist and sexist remark that, regardless of it being seen out of Burger King’s intended context, ultimately fell flat with both their followers and the entire social media community. The torrential storm of negative remarks and tweets at Burger King UK was a staggering amount. As a result, they had to steer away from promoting this scholarship in order to mitigate the damages the initial tweet caused. I do believe that, despite the audacity it took to even post the tweet, Burger King UK has handled the situation to the best of their abilities.
Within 24 hours of the initial post, they have issued an apology statement explaining the intent of the tweet, as well as removed the initial post so that no one else might be hurt by it or leave hateful comments. Additionally, they issued a statement to Insider which reiterated the intended message of the tweets and reaffirmed their commitment to gender equality within the culinary industry. The tone of all these apology statements are properly void of humor and are spoken directly to their consumers. With regards to the old saying “what happens on the internet stays on the internet”, this will be an incident that haunts the fast-food chains for the foreseeable future. Despite deleting the initial tweet, screenshots and social threads pertaining to the issue will remain a point of discussion. One can only do so much to reassure their following that improvements will be made. I might not have done anything differently in regards to alleviating this crisis, but I definitely would not have allowed for that initial post, regardless of context, to be made public. Greater oversight could have avoided this problem altogether.
Another organization who has recently been brought into the news is the NCAA over a video surfacing which highlights the abhorrently unequal workout facilities created for both the men’s and women’s March Madness bubbles. While the men’s teams essentially have a full-fledged gym, the women’s teams were left with a rack of hand weights and a table. Additional discrimination and disrespect towards with women’s NCAA tournament has also become evident when observing the difference in meal quality and player gifts presented to those in their respective bubbles. Since the videos and photos highlighting these disparities have been posted, players, advocates, and fans alike have chimed in on social media to express anger and bring greater awareness to the situation.
However, the NCAA’s social media response to these photos have simply followed the pattern of “a statement issues by *insert corporate execute*”. For the most part, there seems to defer responsibility, claiming that a lack of space and resources, which have since been proven false, are to blame for these inequalities. Whereas Burger King handled their situation more directly, the NCAA has opted to take the approach of issuing statements that say “we are working on the situation.” Where one was more proactive, here we see an example of poor crisis communication, as people won’t be satisfied until they see these changes made. Additionally, this will be an incident that tarnishes their reputation. One way that I might have done differently could be to directly speak to the women within the bubble and ask what amenities they feel like they need. Additionally, I would avoid the generic “statement from” graphic and post quotes directly as opposed to making it colorful. That gives the appearance that more thought was put into the apology statement then actions for reparation.
