Crisis Communications
As Akio Ono, president of Ono Foods Co., Ltd, attended a wedding in Tokyo, his seafood plant in Kamaishi City was rocked by a devastating tsunami caused by one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit Japan – lasting more than six minutes.
Approximately sixty members of the press, journalism academia and students as well as public relation professionals crowded into SMU’s digital communications lab to learn how creative thinking combined with an entrepreneurial spirit can enhance a journalist’s career.
Seventy-two hours after initially announcing the defunding of Planned Parenthood by the Susan G Komen for the Cure, founder Nancy Briinker issued a statement of apology to the American people and Planned Parenthood Federation of America vowing that funding would not be cut.
Mike Adams was without question a productive journalist. Covering the Central Basin Municipal Water District in the southeast Los Angeles area, he wrote more than 20 stories over the course of a few months on the water wholesaler for the online news site – News Hawks Review – the bad boys and girls of internet news. Mike Adams had a real talent for covering the topic of water; the only problem was Mike Adams did not exist.
The national organization that sponsors seminars, speakers, publications and webinars on the topic of crisis communications has failed to place trust in its own “best practices.” For years PRSA has had a long running disagreement that has tested their relationship with veteran reporter Jack O’Dwyer.
In the dawn of the digital social media era, PR hacks and flacks worked with computer programmers to devise an algorithm that would drive reputation-damaging stories deep into search engine archives. Using “fake” websites equipped with often-nonsensical SEO posts, damaging articles were targeted.
The real question behind the Burson-Marsteller Facebook Fiasco, is not why they decided to violate the ethics of public relations – for money of course, but instead did they kill brand journalism as a communications tool by failing to effectively address the crisis after being exposed.
When the first news flash crossed the wires of a BP oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, Ewell Smith, director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, knew his industry had a potential problem. When the Deepwater Horizon rig sunk into the gulf waters, Smith realized he had a full-blown crisis on his hands.
On the evening of February 7, 2008, the new CEO toured the Port Wentworth, Ga refinery;b meeting with employees in the 100-year-old facility. A little after 7 p.m., a series of explosions ripped through the refinery –killing 14 employees, severely injuring others and nearly costing Sheptor his life. The tragic events of that evening set in motion two years of corporate turmoil, which came close to destroying Imperial Sugar.
Turning down the noise and changing the conversation is the key. The conversation, however, must not only change, but also be elevated to a higher level. To do this a communication counter-offensive must be launched.
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