Force For Good Communications

New candidates step forward ... for PR Disaster of the Year

The last few weeks have brought us a rush of new, worthy candidates—for Force for Good's annual PR Disaster of the Year award.

Herman Cain—no matter what you believe at this point, it is clear that the Cain campaign has been clueless in handling a crisis they should have seen coming. With 10 day's notice before the publication by Politico October 31 of the first allegations, how could Cain be caught flat-footed and ill-prepared? The steady drip, drip, drip of new accusations (we've seen this movie before, twice: It's Tiger Woods and Anthony Weiner, all over again) makes it clear this story isn't going away and Cain's various responses—angrily lashing out at reporters, trying desperately to change the subject, defiantly attacking one of his accusers as a "troubled woman," are all wrong, wrong, wrong.

Penn State—the sad, sordid tale of sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by longtime assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky should have ended in 1996 when Sandusky was first caught showering with a boy; police were notified but no charges filed. Or in 2002 when a graduate assistant coach walked in on Sandusky in the shower with a boy, he told head coach Joe Paterno who reported the charges up to the Administration but didn’t notify police, confront Sandusky or otherwise follow through on his obligations to the community to stop a predator. Yesterday, university officials abruptly cancelled Paterno’s weekly press conference, only adding to the uproar. Today, the 84-year-old Paterno announced he will retire at the end of the year, surprising no one. The real tragedy is that so many at the university remained silent while Sandusky continued to molest at least eight boys.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who in a quieter year might be running away with the award. With rioters in the streets of Athens a daily event protesting austerity measures that will end the gravy train for a coddled public in an IOU economy, Papandreou surprised his fellow leaders in the Eurozone by saying he would put Greek's last-chance bailout up for referendum. Hmmmm, seems like all those riots would give one pause before putting further-but-necessary austerity moves up for public referendum. Then, when Germany, France and the rest of the Eurozone made it obvious that their generous deal would be rescinded, Papandreou did an about-face and cancelled the referendum--nothing like promising a vote to a riotous public and the reneging, throwing gasoline on the fire. Papandreou was forced to resign to be replaced by ... no one yet. This being Greece, a new coalition government has yet to be formed amid more squabbling.

These newbies to PR disaster join entrenched candidates Wiener (who exposed himself as a liar), Lindsey Lohan (can’t seem to stay out of trouble), Dominiquec Strauss-Kahn and his accuser (he is at best a lech accused of much worse, but her story fell apart and he returned to France where he will apparently not be President), and the Boston Red Sox / Atlanta Braves (historic chokes by both teams--okay not so much a communications issue, but disasters nontheless).

Jon Harmon

Crisis media relations made easy: Keeping COOL on the HOT Seat

"Keep your head when others around you are losing theirs." It's sound advice for the crisis communicator, but easier said than done.

The secret is preparation. Start with a thorough crisis vulnerability audit covering your company's operations, products and people. Then develop a detailed crisis communications plan with variations included for each significantly different type of crisis envisioned by the audit.

Then remember that the actual crisis that strikes won't be at all like any of the scenarios you envisioned. A crisis creates a whole string of moments requiring on-the-spot good judgment from the person leading crisis communications. But you'll be much more ready to exercise good judgment and a steady hand if you have previously taken the time to develop your crisis plan.

If you have little media-relations experience handling combustible issues and preparing for an all-out corporate crisis seems over-whelming, you'll do well to read Judith Hoffman's concise and well-reasoned Keeping COOL on the HOT Seat: Dealing Effectively with the Media in Times of Crisis. Just released as a revised fifth edition, this handy paperback provides wise counsel to the communicator that is both up-to-date and timeless.

The beauty of this book is its simplicity. Hoffman breaks down the daunting specter of a crisis--and the role of a crisis communicator in confronting it--into a series of short, easy-to-understand mini-chapters that collectively can help a novice make sense of it all. Yet a more seasoned public relations pro will also find it to be valuable because it's all so spot-on.

Keeping Cool walks the reader through the basic elements of crisis planning, along with the basics of crisis media relations. It is full of practical advice, including these 10 C's of Good Crisis Communications:

• Be cooperative.
• Provide control.
• Demonstrate caring and concern.
• Demonstrate competence.
• Be credible.
• Be consistent.
• Be clear.
• Be concise.
• Remain current.
• Act calm (keep your cool).

She advises against trying to be "cute or clever" and to avoid the always deadly "No comment."

This is all great advice and it's a solid reminder of the basics of crisis communications. Those who read and abide by the principles in this book will better serve their organization in the sudden event of a crisis.

What's missing is exactly where I began this post--the crisis audit. Hoffman skips over the need to dissect the organization for vulnerability on various fronts. Often, the crisis audit will detect deficiencies that, once addressed, may help an organization avoid a crisis in the first place. And different types of vulnerabilities may require somewhat different crisis plans (for example, an explosion in a plant will require a different response plan than would a string of complaints of sexual harassment).

Hoffman's book alone won't prepare a novice communicator for any emergency, but Keeping Cool readers will be far better off in an emergency for having read her book.

- Jon Harmon

Disclosure: Judy Hoffman includes a nice reference to my book, Feeding Frenzy, in her book which I'm happy to quote here:

"To get a true sense of what it is like to be on the "hot seat" in the midst of a raging crisis with national and international attention, read this book. Mr. Harmon was the head of Pubic Relations for Ford Truck in 1999 when this high-profile case broke. If there is even a possibility that your organization could be in such a high visibility position with your products deemed a safety threat to a large population, you owe it your self to know how these things work."

Real lessons in crisis management: Olive Garden recovers nicely from anti-flag flap

After an initial misstep, Olive Garden corporate has recovered well and looks to be putting an unwelcome controversy behind it.

Yesterday, news broke that an Olive Garden restaurant in Oxford, Alabama, had refused to allow a Kiwanis Club to include their American flag at a banquet there. Eighty-year-old Kiwanis Club member Marti Warren was outraged, “This is not my country. This is not my country I grew up with,” she said. “I was so angry. I felt like I had been slapped in the face.”

Unfortunately, Olive Garden's first response to the flag flap was weak and only made matters worse. The restaurant chain released a statement aiming to explain away the controversy. After noting that "like all Americans we have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for the American flag and everything it symbolizes," the company then offered this ham-handed explanation that, predictably enough, only fanned the flames: "To be fair to everyone and avoid disrupting the dining experience for all other guests, [the Oxford restaurant is] unable to accommodate flags or banners of any type in the dining room."

Remember that crisis management is not about winning an argument debate-style. It's about winning over hearts and minds. Cold, hard facts often don't effectively counter emotional complaints. And how is this for emotional imagery on the side of the aggrieved Kiwanis: Without a flag at the Kiwanis banquet, Warren said she asked club members to close their eyes and picture the flag waving in the wind as they said the pledge of allegiance.

Soon the internet was abuzz with boycott threats. Conservative-leaning bloggers were quick to impugn the restaurant's motives in excluding the Star and Stripes. "Far-left Olive Garden," began one report.

But today is a new day and more seasoned PR pros evidently won out at Olive Garden corporate.

Olive Garden SVP Bill Holmes called Warren yesterday to personally apologize and promised to fly down to Alabama first thing Monday to personally apologize to the Kiwanis Club. Olive garden also revised its statement, with an apology (and not just the "we're sorry if anyone was offended by our innocent action..." apology all too common these days; see my earlier posts here and here. And he agreed to return to Oxford Nov. 4 to speak at the next Kiwanis Club meeting.

Much better, Olive Garden. Marti Warren, for one, is satisfied. "I feel grateful of all the people who stood with me and that changes were made," she said.

- Jon Harmon

Rocket scientists provide sweet vindication for Toyota

Sweet vindication. That's what Toyota is feeling today, but they're smart enough not to gloat.

A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the space agency NASA released today finds no electronic defect in more than 3,000 complaints against Toyota alleging sudden acceleration.

Toyota recalled more 8 million vehicles worldwide in 2009 and 2010 to fix two mechanical defects--sticky accelerator pedal assemblies and floor mats that could trap the accelerator pedal in the down position. But critics continued to call for further investigation into possible glitches in the electronic throttle control that could cause the cars to unexpectedly speed up. 

Toyota certainly dragged its corporate feet and stonewalled at the early stages of what became a full-blown crisis. Customer complaints were ignored. Not surprisingly, Toyota's intransigence deepened the crisis. 

But sometime last  February, the company astutely changed its crisis management strategy to go to extraordinary lengths to demonstrate a renewed commitment to customer satisfaction and safety. At the same time, Toyota went "all in" in taking a hard-line fiercely denying that there could be an electronic defect at the center of the storm.

It was a monumental gamble. What if NHTSA and NASA today issued a report finding an electronic bug? The company would be excoriated for failing to fix the problem 12 months ago, and would face enormous liability for any accidents that had occurred during those 12 months.

As it is, Toyota has been vindicated. Sure, the plaintiff lawyer shills will continue to cry foul and call for further investigation. But really, after people who literally are rocket scientists have painstakingly reviewed case after case, interviewed thousands of drivers and examined thousands of vehicles, plus conducted numerous experiments--can anyone really doubt their verdict?

- Jon Harmon

What's the new gold standard in crisis PR?

For decades, conventional wisdom too often has judged an organization's response to a crisis by comparing it to two archetypes of crisis communication response: Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol crisis of 1982 and the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989.

As I wrote in the preface to FEEDING FRENZY: 

In the case of the Tylenol poisonings, the company is said to have acted swiftly and courageously in recalling its product, communicating effectively, then reintroducing Tylenol in tamper-resistant packaging, leading ultimately to an increase in its market share. And in the case of the Valdez oil spill, Exxon is depicted as being slow to act, indecisive and callous, stonewalling and recalcitrant, only stepping up to its full responsibility to the Alaskan environment after being skewered in the court of public opinion and seeing its corporate reputation suffer.

Like all archetypes, each of these benchmarks are more purely black or white as case studies than they ever were in real life. For example, in oft-repeated mythology, upon learning of the poisonings in Chicago, J&J's CEO acted "immediately" to order a complete recall, thereby creating the "24-hour standard" for action in a crisis. In actuality, J&J CEO James Burke learned of the deaths on Wed. Sept. 30, 1982 and did not convene a meeting on the problem until the following Monday. Since all of the initial poisonings had taken place in Chicago, J&J made the logical decision to ask stores in the Chicago area to remove the capusules from their shelves. But the following week brought news of a poisoning in California, prompting the company to voluntarily recall Tylenol nationwide. James Lukaszewski calls the Tylenol legend a "fairytale." Jack O'Dwyer and Tony Jaques also cite numerous faults in J&J's response in the 1982 crisis. But they are decidedly in the minority--the web is full of positive references to the "Tylenol crisis case study" (Google brings up 53,800 references, nearly all gushingly positive). 

Also to be noted are other hazards in lookng to J&J for inspiration on how to quickly rebuild a brand after a crisis. J&J's fabled 1982 recall was in response to the despicable actions of an unknown assailant--not mistakes the company had made. So it wasn't too difficult to win over public sympathy. As Eric Dezenhall wrote:  "A company attacked by a criminal will be forgiven more quickly than one accused of being the criminal."

 

Perhaps a more useful case study would be to examine how J&J succeeded in creating the powerful and enduring consensus of the "Tylenol gold standard of crisis management."

J&J itself has failed to live up to its own myth. J&J was recently accused of having hired contractors to pose as shoppers and quietly buy up medicines suspected of being dangerously defective rather than undertake the expense of a recall. In testimony to Congress last month, J&J CEO William Weldon denied the "phantom recall,' but did concede that "We let the public down."

Likewise, Exxon undoubtedly did many things right after the Valdez spill that were long ago dismissed as irrelvent to the enduring lesson of the myth.

Now that we are three decades removed from the Tylenol and Valdez crises, it's clearly time to look to more recent cases to guide contemporary crisis work, if for no other reason than because the communication environment has changed so radically since the 1980s. The crisis managers at J&J and Exxon did not have to deal with 24-7 news cycles, let alone pervasive and uncontrollable social media. J&J's response time in 1982 would be seen as far too slow today--and the company would not have been able to perpetuate a myth after the fact that it acted "immediately." The Internet today records real-time events for scrutiny forever more.

It's not hard to find contemporary examples of crisis communication failures--BP and Toyota come quickly to mind. Indeed, we see the Valdez disaster slowly passing from popular memory. But J&J's lock on the "gold standard" continues to endure. That's because the response to a complex crisis is rarely, if ever, so perfect. Communications professionals and crisis managers are better served by case studies that examine the good and the bad, the correct and the errant, in a multi-dimensional and lengthy crisis.

- Jon Harmon 

Short takes: Crisis lessons. current events

Why won't he go away? BP lately has been doing many of the right things to restore its reputation in the wake of the oil leak from hell: quietly participating in Gulf restoration projects, maintaining admirable transparency with effective use of social media, and largely refraining from feeling sorry for itself in public. It will be a long, long road back. But at some point, maybe as soon as next year, BP may be able to turn the corner where there is more attention on what it is doing right then all the harm the company has caused. In the mean time, BP just has to do what's right and continue taking its lumps without complaint.

 

But that's exactly what BP's former CEO is NOT doing. Disgraced CEO Tony Hayward is back in the news in way of a BBC interview widely picked up in the states, wistfully remembering incredible moments of feeling sorry for himself, including when he was quoted wishing he could "have my life back." Note to Tony: you aren't helping! You were fortunate to be demoted to a meaningless job rather than being booted all together. Your main responsibility now is to stay quiet! (and, no, I'm not just upset because Hayward described the media onslaught during BP's crisis as a "feeding frenzy.")

 

Why won't he go away II: Promoting a book of his memoirs, President George W. Bush has reappeared in the news for the first time since the iinauguration of Barack Obama. The unpopular former President has every right, of course, to emerge to tell his side of things, but don't you think the Republican party is just glad he waited until after the elections to launch the book tour?

 

How to get some good news stories out during a crisis (continued from two previous posts): The continuing plight of the Carnival cruise ship adrift off the Pacific coast of Mexico showcases mostly effective crisis management.  The blizzard of coverage is a cruise company's worst nightmare, but Carnival is doing the right things to contain the damage: Steps taken right away to rescue the ship and ensure passengers are not in any danger; passengers immediately promised a full refund plus free cruise in the future; passengers kept as comfortable as possible; the CEO takes responsibility and is accessible to media.

 

As the ship is brought close enough to shore for passengers to use their cell phones, media inevitably feature harrowing tales of discomfort. Plenty of play especially to the tons of Spam inexplicably helicoptered in, along with Poptarts and other non-perishables. (Spam? Really?) But there has also been plenty of coverage on favorable comments passengers are making about the accommodating crew doing all they can and passengers intent of making the best of the situation.

- Jon Harmon

Lessons from the feel-good story of the year (part 2)

So if you're BP or Toyota, or some other company with a more run-of-the-mill crisis, you wonder how you can learn from the dramatic rescue story of the Chilean miners. The enduring memory is the sight of the plucky miners being hauled to safety, one-by-one in dramatic fashion--not the cause of the mine collapse, failures by the mining company or lack of proper oversight by the Chilean Ministry of Mining.

Meanwhile, you're sitting in the war room of your corporate offices on Day 72 of your Unending Crisis, flooded with media inquiries generated by the latest accusation of your toughest critic, the plaintiff attorney sharks working for the oh-so-benevolent-sounding "Center for Motherhood and Apple Pie." Why do the media continue to dredge the allegedly dark side of your corporation's past and ignore your latest new release highlighting your company's corp of volunteers or about the millions of customers who have used your product as intended (and without inflicting body harm on themselves or others)?

Simply put, how do you get media to emphasize the feel-good angles to the crisis response, and move past a fixation with the crisis itself or the blunders that led up to it?

Simple answer: You can't.

If people have died or been seriously injured in a crisis involving your product or company, that's the center of the story. Inevitable follow-up angles include: Where will it happen next? What short-cuts did the company take that led to the problem? And, of course: What did company officials know of the problems and when did they know it?

Think of BP's oil spill and the daily drone of stories showing the live-cam feed of the deep-sea well spewing oil into the gulf, while the company made one failed attempt after another to try to seal the well. DId coverage emphasize the heroic attempts to miraculously stop the high-pressure gusher on the ocean floor, or did the company come off as bumbling, inept and uncaring?

Companies in the grip of crisis must demonstrate sincere resolve to make things right as quickly as possible. As obvious as it may sound, making it right begins with ending the threat at the center of the crisis. As long as the well is spewing oil, or the gunman is still at large, media will focus on the continuing threat. In crises that involve product defects, companies often face continued criticism even after they've acted to fix the problem. Critics will insist that more products need to be recalled, or that the prescribed fix is not adequate (e.g., Toyota's continuing struggles with the allegations of unwanted sudden acceleration.) 

Only after the threat clearly has been extinguished might media begin to pay attention to the positive actions your company is taking to foster good will, and only after you've clearly gone above and beyond the expected remedies for your particular crisis. It sure helps to have a compelling human interest story, but it has to be authentic, not created in a ham-handed reach for sympathy. Media who have spent innumerable news cycles raking your company over the coals will be happy to expose actions taken purely for their "PR" value. Often it is best to step aside and let others talk about the unsung heroes in your crisis response.

-- Jon Harmon

Lessons from the feel-good story of the year (part 1)

 
Luis Urzua, the shift foreman, was the last man out of the collapsed San Jose mine. Photo: Reuters.

The dramatic rescue of 33 Chilean miners is the feel-good story of the year, no question. Media attention will now turn to the many "untold stories" of their time underground, particularly the 17 days  following the mines collapse before they were discovered alive by the world a mile and a half above them. There already are reports of unspoken worries of cannibalism that finally surfaced as morbid jokes as their rescuers drew near.

But the enduring images will be of the miners, one by one, emerging from the tiny rescue basket, falling to their knees, thanking God to be alive and back with their families. Their collective faith and optimism resonates with a world perhaps tired of cynicsm.

 
Mario Gomez, the ninth minet to be rescued, falls to his knees in prayer. Photograph: Hugo Infante/AP

For the Chilean government, investigations will begin in earnest into the what went wrong at the mine. The Miami Herald reports that Chilean President Sebastián Piñera has already begun a thorough review of his country's mining industry. 

Pinera is drawing international praise for the bold and decisive way he has handled the mine disaster. That his concern for the individual miners is genuine seems beyond doubt, lending heartfelt legitimacy to his commanding presence at the center of the spotlight.

"'It was an amazing communications effort,'" the Herald quotes Eduard Garnarra, a political science professor at Florida intenational University. "'Every crisis is an opportunity when you are president of a country.'"  Somehow that sounds different from when Rahm Emmanuel said nearly the same thing, speaking of a U.S. president and an econimic crisis. Pinera's empathy overwelms any accusations of opportunism by cynical critics.

Question for the next post: how can you hope to keep media attention on the feel-good aspects of your crisis?

- Jon Harmon

Oily BP CEO wraps up FFG "PR Disaster of the Year"

Might as well declare a winner right now for the 2010 Force for Good's PR Disaster of the Year: no matter what crazy things happen the rest of the year, I can't see anyone or anything topping BP and its erstwhile leader, CEO Tony "Ironhead" Hayward.

Here's  a quick recap on how Hayward clinched the award (never before declared before December):

• Just three weeks into the debacle (more than a month ago), whined about wanting to get "his life back." Note to CEOs going through a crisis of historic proportions: This is your life. Get used to it!
• In an botched attempt at showing empathy, expressed his deep feelings for the "small people" affected by his gigantic oil spill. That gaffe led to Hayward's being relieved of his managerial duties.
• Came across as clueless, defensive and not at all transparent in Congressional hearings. Tony, that was just the warm-up act. Now that they see that you make good theater, you're sure to be "invited" back for follow up hearings (and don't expect any more apologies from friendly Congressman).
• With the well still spewing tons of oil into the Gulf, Congress feeling unsatisfied with his testimony and Gulf state citizens in a rage, Hayward took time off to jet back to participate in a yacht race in the U.K. Bad form, Tony.

I don't see how any chief executive can ride out such a devastating string of incredibly stupid moves. Oh, and BTW, BP stock has lost half its value since the crisis began, costing pensioners and other investors tens of billions of dollars.

Do us all a favour, Tony; it's high time to resign.

- Jon Harmon

Oil spill provides welcome cover - but Toyota, J&J and McDonald's must clean up their own messes

The ugly saga of BP's Gulf oil spill (which President Obama is comparing to the 9-11 terrorist attacks) has provided considerable cover for just about every other corporate crisis. Perhaps the most grateful people have to be fromToyota as they have happily moved from day-to-day crisis management to full-on brand-rebuilding.  

But the crisis managers at Johnson & Johnson and McDonald's should be thanking BP daily. In case you missed it, here is a quick look at two crisis events that each have plenty of potential for major negative consequences:

• Johnson & Johnson has for decades been held up as the paragon for virtuous crisis management for its Tylenol recall in 1982. But the company has stumbled in how it has handled its most recent Tylenol troubles. J&J has taken a less than "the-buck-stops-here" stance, blaming its suppliers of pallets for the mysterious odors in the Tylenol packaging and capsules (okay, but from their customers' viewpoint, if Tylenol capsules smell bad, isn't that J&J's problem?). J&J also has been accused of being uncooperative with Congressional investigators and the FDA. The company has been happy to ride its laurels for nearly 40 years, but it has to show it can still "walk the talk" today.
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• McDonald's acted quickly in recalling Shrek glass tainted with toxic chemicals --but has not been forthcoming in disclosing how the carcinogenic metal found its way into the coating of the glasses. Nothing shatters customer trust like the thought of cancerous toxins around food or drinking glasses. McDonald's needs to fully understand what happens and be able to explain how it won't let it happen again.

The oil spill seems to be a never-ending disaster completely consuming news media attention, but Toyota, J&J and McDonald's cannot let up in relentlessly doing the right things to fix broken processes, communicate with transparency and make things right with their customers.

- Jon Harmon