Using Public Relations to Handle Crisis Situations

The U.S. Army has had many issues to address in the post 9-11 world. In looking at some of the more well known crises they’ve faced, we can see how the effective use of public relations can make a major impact on public perception. There was no shortage of poor public relations practices during the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu-Ghraib prison in Iraq.

By mishandling this crisis the Army demonstrated exactly what not to do, especially when the stakes are so high. They set themselves up for failure from day one by having no crisis management plan. The underlying theme in their problem was a lack of accountability and truthfulness with the American public. Inability to address the problem in a timely manner as well as a shoddy information flow has caused the Army its largest black eye since the war on terror began.

Though the Army is still far from scandal free, it has learned from its past mistakes. Through the use of public relations they have been able to turn a potential matching black eye into an opportunity for improvement. Stories about substandard living conditions at the Army’s Walter Reed Veteran’s Hospital have flooded the news in recent weeks. Instead of pointing fingers and trying to place blame elsewhere, the Army was quick to take responsibility for the problem. By recognizing that a problem exists and explaining why, they can request additional resources to solve the problem.

This approach facilitates the need for a new proactive public relation campaign that can be used to document the Army’s willingness to care for its veterans. Keeping the flow of information open and accurate will go a long way in serving the American public’s demands for up to the minute information.

Public relations practices can’t always put an immediate end to negative publicity, but it can reduce the chances of a bad situation snowballing into a worse situation.

If it bleeds, it leads

What happened to the local news media? I know that they are on my side, first, fast, and accurate and that I can trust them because they tell me so. Is the obsession for super local reporting the product of cable news or the proliferation of the Internet?

Also, they can pinpoint a gnat on an elephant’s backside with their Doppler 20 Million XR accu-weather tracker, but still can’t resist continually breaking into regular programming or overlaying their graphics over programming anytime a storm reaches East Egypt.

Photo courtesy of here.

Sports coverage is shoddy at best and more often incomplete. It’s often been said that Cincinnati is a baseball town, but given the coverage outside of the Reds, you wouldn’t know that other teams play in MLB.

If it bleeds, it leads. While there are plenty of tragic events in the tri-state region, if there is a “slow news day” they often reach for a relevant tie to someone’s brother, whose uncle saw Ferris Bueller at the local Sip n’ Gulp and report this to us.

What is often missing is the news. Numerous local corporations, non-profit organizations and individuals inundate the newsrooms with media advisories, press releases and general news tips, but more often than not, they go uncovered.

Newspapers have a great capability to address more “newsworthy” content, but often take a pass as well. The vast majority of coverage is allotted to high profile companies and individuals. But, the vast majority of our region’s economy is grown by small businesses.

Again with the sports thing, I just can’t understand how baseball games played in the Central or even Eastern time zones get listed as night games when the results of Monday Night Football gets reported the next day.

I’ve found that reruns of The Simpsons and blogs are more informative and entertaining than the local “news” and unless something changes, I think more people will feel the way I do.

Buzzword Bingo

This isn’t exactly new, but it did strike the funny bone and a nerve. As communicators, it is absolutely critical that we clearly and concisely convey our messages to the intended audiences. Sometimes, it is our use of “buzzwords” that most effectively gets the point across.

That being said, (check another box) we too often adopt these words into our everyday vernacular, which only dilutes their effectiveness and ultimately, weakens our ability to reach our objective.

Here is Wikipedia’s entry that gives more information on the origins and derivations of the game.

Also, here is a site that gives different cards based on the content and links to Tom’s original code.

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Do you keep falling asleep in meetings and seminars? What about those long and boring conference calls? Here's a way to change all of that.

1. Before (or during) your next meeting, seminar, or conference call, prepare yourself by drawing a square. I find that 5" x 5" is a good size. Divide the card into columns--five across and five down. That will give you 25 one-inch blocks.

2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block:
* Synergy
* Strategic fit
* Core competencies
* Best practice
* Bottom line
* Revisit
* Procedural analysis
* To tell you the truth (or "the truth is")
* 24/7
* Out of the loop
* Benchmark
* Value-added
* Proactive
* Win-win (net-net could be substituted)
* Think outside the box
* Fast track
* Result(s)-driven
* Empower (or empowerment)
* Knowledge base
* At the end of the day
* Touch base
* Engagement
* Client/customer focus(ed)
* Paradigm
* Game plan
* Leverage

3. Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases.

4. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and shout "Buzzword."

Testimonials from satisfied "Buzzword Bingo" players:

"I had been in the meeting for only five minutes when I won."
- Adam W., Atlanta

"My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically."
- David T., Orlando

"What a gas! Meetings were never the same for me after my first win."
- Donna J., New York City

"The atmosphere was tense in the last process meeting as 14 of us waited for the fifth box."
- Ben G., Houston

"The speaker was stunned as eight of us screamed ‘Buzzword' for the third time in two hours. The Buzzword Bingo Championship will be played at the upcoming annual strategy meeting."
- Jim O., Portland

Separation of Church and State

There is editorial content (earned media) and there is advertising (paid media) and there is something in between that goes by many names such as, advertorial, special advertising section, news supplement, etc. But, is there really a separation of church and state?

In 2005, Starcom, a media communications agency, published a study that shows that the 65% of magazine readers in the U.S. think that advertisers pay for the products that are featured in editorial content.

But, according to the American Society of Business Publication Editors, as well as numerous other journalist and editorial groups, there is a “clear separation of news from analysis, news and analysis from opinion, and of editorial from advertising content.”

With the proliferation of web news sites, there has been an ever-increasing call for editorial policies to be put into place and to not allow product placement or advertising of a particular company on the same page that contains editorial content mentioning the company.

But, is the separation of church and state as strong as purported by those who generate the news or is the public correct that advertisers can control editorial content?

Almost all credible news agencies will strongly profess that there has been no erosion of the wall that separates editorial from advertising, but upon closer inspection, it seems as though the walls are crumbling.

Recently, two heavy hitters, BP and Morgan Stanley, gave marching orders to publications with specific instructions that include:

Morgan Stanley informed print publications that its ads must be automatically pulled from any edition containing "objectionable editorial coverage".

A memo on BP letterhead citing a new policy demands that ad-accepting publications inform BP in advance of any news text or visuals they plan to publish that directly mention the company, a competitor or the oil-and-energy industry.

General Motors even pulled all its corporate ads from the Los Angeles Times to protest a column by the Time’s Pulitzer Prize winning auto writer Dan Neil in which Neil blamed GM’s troubles on its management and called for them to be fired. GM was reportedly spending $10 million a year to promote its cars in the Times.

While these attempts to preemptively and reactively change the way news agencies report the news, there are other ways to skin the cat.

Many corporations will host events, fundraisers, etc. as part of their community outreach. Often times, there will be at least one new agency as a participating sponsor. As part of these agreements, the news agency will go out of its way to cast the corporation in a positive light and sometimes exchange their sponsorship for editorial coverage in the agreement.

The most important thing is that news agencies clearly state and make available their policies on editorial and advertising placements and that each of us, public relations practitioners, advertisers and those seeking publicity work to keep the wall separating editorial and advertising from crumbling.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. Cliché, but true . . . Especially in the PR World

Photography can have either a positive or a negative value in the media. We have all seen the photo of Michael Jackson dangling his baby over the railing at the complete dismay of his admiring public or Britney Spears driving with her baby in her lap. Both images quickly spread like a raging fire through newspapers, magazines weeklies and – without a single printed word – the reputations of both Michael and Brittany were permanently lowered a notch or two. Britney immediately became seen as a bad, unsafe mother who was not capable of caring for her child. Not only was Michael Jackson’s parenting called into question, but his sanity as well.

We have looked at the negative side of photography in media, but there is also a positive side. If a corporate CEO or the President of the United States wants to improve their public opinion, they will often stage “photo ops” of positive things. The CEO of Habitat for Humanity might be photographed while starting a new project or breaking ground. President Bush might be pictured doing regular every day things such as fishing, golfing, or throwing the first pitch at a baseball game. A carefully staged shot can redirect the public’s interest. In the world of PR it is essential that photography be a large part of any PR program or campaign.

When the public sees pictures of well-known icons, it makes more of a lasting impression on us than words. In many cases, photography speaks entirely for itself. No caption, no matter how well written, could change the image of Michael Jackson dangling his baby. It absolutely speaks for itself. As well, the image of Nelson Mandela and de Klerk shaking hands as they received the Nobel Peace prize in 1993 requires no words.

As we have seen, pictures can be used to create positive images for icons or companies but at the same time, they can also produce negative images. Part of the goal of PR is to help maintain companies’ reputation. Pictures are another great way to get a positive message about your company out to public.

Time and Timing in Public Relations

Much can be said about timing and how much time it takes to get timing right. But, the bottom line is - it is often the difference between success and failure. This begs the question, "Can media placements be planned or are they just the luck of the draw?"

Whether it’s landing that great feature article that explains your business to the world, the new product review or a broadcast interview, many things have to occur well in advance, whether it be research or having cultivated a relationship with the media, and much of it has to do with time and timing.

Time

Any successful public relations campaign requires extensive planning and knowing exactly where the best opportunities exist. When it comes to media relations, it is imperative that anyone wanting to secure positive coverage for their company knows who the appropriate contact is, how they prefer to be communicated with and the best way to get their attention.

Just like the business adage, "It takes months to find a customer and only seconds to lose one," the same holds true for the media. Reporters, editors, and publishers demand that anyone requesting a story know the outlet's target audience, how the story would be beneficial to their audience, when the story would be most appropriately told, and if a similar story has already been covered by their outlet or by the competition. If someone pitches a story without having done their homework, the outlet generally won't cover the story and will be less likely to hear any future pitches.

This research is time intensive and needs to be performed continuously due to the ever-changing nature of media outlets. It is estimated that there are more than 400,000 journalists reporting for nearly 80,000 media outlets in the United States alone. For example, Wall Street Journal lists 493 contacts for their paper and The New York Times has 795 contacts.

To stay abreast of this dynamic field, Freedman, Gibson & White has numerous resources to identify media contacts and outlets appropriate for each story that needs to be told. Ultimately, by performing this due diligence, we are better able to become a trusted advisor and someone the media looks to for stories.

Working Months in Advance

Working with Cinergy Solutions, we identified an "A" list of publications that would reach decision makers and had capability of delivering the message that Cinergy Solutions is an innovative thought leader.

One such publication was The Manufacturer, which boasts a circulation of more than 31,000 and 78% of its readers being the most appropriate contact for new business partnerships.

In March, a proposal was sent directly to the Editor-in-Chief for a story slated to run in July on Combined Heat & Power. The proposal outlined exactly which industries would benefit from reading the story and their percentage of The Manufacturer's readership, a recap of all previous coverage of the subject, and recommended a direction that would build on the existing articles and take the readers to a new level of understanding on how they could benefit from the services provided by Cinergy Solutions and their expertise in the field of Combined Heat & Power.

The result? Cinergy Solutions was co-featured in an article focusing on how manufacturers could increase their energy efficiency and to leverage these savings to help grow the company.

Not only did the issue hit the newsstands during the traditional seasonal adjustment for fuel prices, but also it coincided with a commodities market that saw natural gas, coal and crude oil all increase their prices.

Working With A Tight Deadline

Having worked with numerous reporters and editors, sometimes their need is more immediate; this is especially true in broadcast media. When Northwestern University's national champion women's lacrosse team, toes exposed in flat flip-flops, posed with President Bush for a photo, it turned into a fast and furious news cycle due to the ensuing debate about the appropriateness of wearing such “casual” attire to the White House.

"I'm looking for someone who can provide a fresh prospective or to make sense of this flip-flop thing at the White House," asked the producer. After explaining that much of the reaction is directly attributable to the generation that the respondent is from, we were able to connect NBC with Chuck Underwood, a generational expert and president of The Generational Imperative.

Within two hours a film crew was at the offices of The Generational Imperative conducting an interview with our client and in four short hours, the entire country was watching the result.

Having someone available to answer the call, coordinating the details of the interview, and ensuring the interviewee is fully prepared to address the media, which is time consuming, had to be done is very short order in this instance.

Time Well Spent

As you can see there is a lot of work involved in securing positive media coverage and the question is, “Is this something best left to the professionals?” Just as we don’t manufacture goods, sell financial services, or operate multi-unit stores because they aren’t our core competency, these types or organizations should leave public relations to those are equipped to meet these challenges.

Client-Side or Agency-Side, Which Side is Best?

Client side versus agency side - what are the differences, what are the similarities, which side is best? I’ve now done both and from my perspective, they aren’t as different as we like to think. So, what does it take for a former client like me to survive and really like the agency environment?

It’s really simpler than I could have imagined. I’ve discovered the agency and the corporation are looking for many of the same things. They want a healthy business, innovative and loyal business partners, and, last, but certainly not least, they both want to be in control.

It’s like a marriage. Both parties want to “think” they are in control when really it’s all about communication and sometimes compromise. If you’ve never been in a client position, how do you really know exactly what they want and what’s fair and reasonable? Same thing if you’ve only experienced the client side. That’s where I come in.

When I started at the agency, I heard a lot of brainstorming begin with using press releases and sponsorships to promote a client’s business. While it’s true those things have their place in a PR plan, we needed to think bigger and more creatively. I wasn’t sure exactly how to do that, but what I did know was that as a client, I didn’t want to hear much about releases and any agency that keyed in on that, wasn’t going to have my business for long. Clients are asking agencies to come up with the “big” ideas and they aren’t even sure what they mean. I’m learning that, for the agency, this isn’t an easy place to be, but it is what is expected. Once pushed, my team is coming up with some really great stuff and it looks like they’re having fun doing it. But in the spirit of compromise and communication, they are definitely teaching me what it looks like from this side and how to handle this environment and those darn clients.

I can say that because I’ve been one.