Earlier this year, tragedy struck close to our home office. The BP refinery in Texas City, Texas, suffered an explosion that resulted in the loss of 15 lives. From all appearances, BP handled the event in textbook fashion: they responded with a spokesperson; they declared their overriding interest in safety; and, when their CEO arrived from the UK, he reiterated their position. Unfortunately, their textbook was outdated. Their response was too slow for today’s media environment, and BP took a beating from the press. It didn’t take long for the
Houston Chronicle to offer this headline: “On Safety, BP Only Talks a Good Game.” And BP’s subsequent full-page newspaper ads, intended to enhance company image, were met with extreme ridicule by many. That extended the life of the story even more.
Setting aside issues of blame or negligence (for that is not our area of expertise), we observed the media during and after the event, viewing it as another example of how the classic approach is in need of an extreme makeover.
In a catastrophic event, with instantaneous, wall-to-wall coverage, it is easy to lose control of the information flow. Reporters scramble to scoop their rivals and passers-by with cell phones, and handi-cams become part of the story. Indeed, it has never been easier for erroneous information to get on the air. A woman claiming to be the wife of a BP Plant Safety Manager called a Houston TV station to give her husband’s view of why it happened. They put her on the air! Hearsay presented as news.
So what must you do?
You must always be prepared to mobilize for the purpose of framing the response and setting priorities. Understand that fast means FAST. Assume that your first reporter contact will come in less than 10 minutes. The two big failures in this area are personnel related: too few and unprepared. Most sites have a designated spokesperson, but given the amount of time people are out of the office, most need a number of designated spokespeople on-site, and corporate must be prepared to back them up immediately.
1. Have a communications response team on-site and at corporate and execute practice drills at least yearly and whenever there have been substantial personnel changes. Have plenty of backup people. Every member and backup person needs crisis communications training. Pick spokespeople by their ability to perform, not by their titles.
Initial statements to the press will likely be light on facts, and that is fine. What this quick response does is set a context and let reporters know that you are accessible. It may also fill up time that might otherwise be used to put some uninformed cell-phoner on the air! But platitudes and message points are no longer enough. We live in an era where audiences understand talking points and spin. Many are hip to how the PR/media machine works; clichés will not cut it.
2. Sincerity works. If the incident is tragic, shocking and devastating, say it, show it. Express grief or shock - this is not an admission of guilt or a placing of blame, but a very human reaction to a tragedy. The cold reading of a statement about safety being a priority and prayers being with families is no longer enough.
As the event progresses, responses to the media must have more depth. Topic and technical experts will be asked to respond. In our consulting, we are often asked whether the head people should even be seen anywhere near a bad news event. The answer is yes, almost always.
3. Tragedies require the person at the top. A loss of life is always tragic.
Research shows that people believe that anyone who won’t speak must have something to hide, that stonewalling is an admission of guilt. Having the CEO express the company position, which must first address the human losses in human fashion, is very important, for it says something about company values. Can your head person express compassion, care and concern with the cameras rolling? Is training needed?
The following story is told among the Detroit media about Ford Motor Company. After an explosion at the Ford Rouge Plant that resulted in lost lives, then CEO Jacque Nassar was out of town. Heir and future CEO Bill Ford wanted to drive to the plant immediately and see for himself what was happening. The PR staff at Ford was against it, believing it was potentially damaging for Bill Ford to be so closely associated with a tragedy. Ford went anyway. What TV viewers saw was a man who was clearly shaken and covered with a dusting of snow, approaching reporters on the street to ask what they knew and expressing his horror at the
loss of life.
We use the tape in our training as an example of someone who did it right.
We have only skimmed the surface of 21st-century crisis media management,
but remember this: while the old rules still generally apply, much more is needed to effectively work in the instant, multi-outlet media environment that caters to savvy viewers and potential plaintiffs.
