Brands and businesses make mistakes all the time. It’s perfectly normal. But what happens when these mistakes take place in the public eye? A public crises has the potential to not only embarrass stakeholders but it can destroy a brand’s reputation altogether.
Take Marie
Claire’s recent In Her Shoes
campaign or BIC’s
Women’s Day message, for example. In these cases, the brands were met with
massive public disapproval. This is where public relations plays a powerful role. Effective
communication during a crises can not only save reputations, but it can turn a
bad situation into an opportunity for positive publicity.
Facing the media
During a crisis, your chosen PR firm has a number of responsibilities. But one
of the most important functions they fulfil in this instance is communicating with the
media. Public relations professionals know more about communicating with the media than most brands do.
media. Public relations professionals know more about communicating with the media than most brands do.
“The PR practitioner or agency should be the
main interface with the media,” says Alison Bull, owner and founder of Alison
Bull Communications. “A reputable PR practitioner will understand how to deal
with the media, respect deadlines and know the importance of damage control.”
Managing director of Reputation Matters, Regine
le Roux, says, “One needs to be mindful of the instantaneous power of online
news platforms.” Which is why your brands’ reaction to negative publicity needs
to be just as instant.
Good PR firms have strong relationships with the media and, as a result, they can get your message out there faster than you would be able to.
Advising a way forward
While you go about rectifying your mistakes, your communications agency’s job
is to advise you along the way.
One of the first things your chosen PR firm will
do is inform relevant stakeholders within the business, says Le Roux. This is
to prevent anyone from jumping to conclusions and spreading incorrect
information.
Lunice Johnston, business director of Vuma Reputation
Management, says, “[Our] role is to advise the client honestly on the impact
and potential damage that this crisis has on the brand and the way forward.”
She explains that the role of the PR practitioner is to break down all the
possible scenarios and their implications and then recommend the best approach.
Having a public relations company at your side during a crises also means that you have someone to
help you to “put steps and plans in place to assist the consumers affected”,
says Bull.
Cleaning up afterwards
Hiring a PR agency to manage your communications means that you don’t have to
deal with the crisis alone. It also means that, once the crisis is over, you
won’t be stuck trying to rebuild your reputation without knowing how to. Hindi Magazine, Sanjh Sanjoli
Le Roux explains that once the dust has settled,
your PR agency will work with your brand and its employees to figure out
exactly what went wrong, what didn’t work and how to do things differently in
the future.
Have you ever worked with a PR agency during a
crisis? How did they help you to manage your reputation when things went wrong?
Let us know in the comments below.
With Thanks to:
By Cassy van Eeden
(http://www.mediaupdate.co.za/publicity/80379/why-you-need-pr-during-a-crisis)
(http://www.mediaupdate.co.za/publicity/80379/why-you-need-pr-during-a-crisis)