Get Ahead of a Crisis: Leveraging Social Media to Defuse Damaging Situations

Get Ahead of a Crisis: Leveraging Social Media to

Diffuse Damaging Situations

Sandra Fathi

President, Affect

Email: [email protected]

tweet: @sandrafathi

web: affect.com

blog: techaffect.com

PRSA Digital Impact Conference June 28, 2013

New York, NY

@PRSADIconf

#PRSADIconf

PRESENTER BIO

SANDRA FATHI

•  Founder and president of Affect, a public relations and social media firm specializing in technology, healthcare and professional services

•  Career Highlights:

o  Technology Journalist

o  Marketer – VCON, Nokia, Radvision

o  Agency Experience – Edelman

•  Organizations:

o  Board Member/Past President PRSA-NY Chapter

o  Past President PRSA Technology Section

o  WOMMA

•  Clients: Caron Treatment Centers, Con Edison, IDT911, INTTRA, Navis, Radware, Regus etc.

[email protected] @sandrafathi

June 28, 2013 PRSA Digital Impact Conference © Affect

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

CORE CONCEPTS

4 Phases of Crisis Communications

•  Readiness

•  Response

•  Reassurance

•  Recovery

Readiness

Response

Reassurance

Recovery



RECOGNIZING CRISES

Internal

•  Employees

•  Facilities

•  Vendors/Suppliers

•  Distributors/Resellers

•  Product

External

•  Acts of Nature

•  Market

•  Legal Restrictions/Law

•  Customers

•  Advocacy Groups

Anticipating & Understanding Threats to a Business

People, Products, Facilities, Environment



CRISIS SCENARIOS IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

1.  Senior manager accused of inappropriate conduct including lewd

photos with employee – Now on Instagram

2.  Employee arrested for hit and run accident – Now Appearing in Google

Search

3.  Employee caught abusing drugs – Now Posted on his Facebook Profile

4.  Customer credit card details leaked – Now On Twier

5.  Employee posts rant on company and exposes confidential

information – Now on YouTube

6.  Company accused of making children’s toys with poisonous lead paint

– Now on a Mommy Blog



READINESS

Anticipating a Crisis

1.  Crisis Mapping (SWOT Analysis)

2.  Policies and Procedures (Prevention)

3.  Crisis Monitoring

4.  Crisis Communications Plan

5.  Crisis Action Plan

6.  Crisis Standard Communications Template

Readiness

Response

Reassurance

Recovery



RESPONSE TIMES

How long before the $@!& hits the fan?


1. Develop materials:

•  Messages/FAQ

•  Prepared statements

•  Press release template

•  Customer leers

2.  Train employees

•  Awareness

•  Anticipation

•  Organizational Preparation

3. Prepare channels:

•  Hotline

•  Dark site

•  Social Media


RESPONSE

What’s in the Toolkit?



RESPONSE

Preparing a Response

1.  Don’t delay

2.  Acknowledge situation

3.  Acknowledge impact and ‘victims’

4.  Commit to investigate

5.  Commit to sharing information and

cooperation with relevant parties

6.  Share corrective action plan if

available

7.  Respond in the format in which the

crisis was received**

Readiness

Response

Reassurance

Recovery



REASSURANCE

Who to Reassure? How to Reassure?

1.  Develop full response plan

2.  Put plan into action: Immediate

remedy

3.  Communicate results of plan and

impact

4.  Reaffirm commitment to correction

5.  Demonstrate results of program

Readiness

Response

Reassurance

Recovery



RECOVERY

Preparing a Long-term Recovery Plan

1.  Review need for operational,

regulatory, environmental and

employee changes

2.  Develop long-term plan including

policies and prevention tactics

3.  Reassess crisis plan

4.  Regain customer/public trust

Readiness

Response

Reassurance

Recovery



EXAMPLE: TACO BELL

“We have strict food handling procedures and zero tolerance for any violations. We believe this is a prank and the food was not served to customers. We are conducting an investigation and will be taking swi action against those involved.”


Employees Gone Wild!



EXAMPLE: TACO BELL


EXAMPLE: NUTELLA


From Brand Fan to Hater in 60 Seconds


EXAMPLE: NUTELLA



EXAMPLE: PAULA DEEN

"Food Network will not renew Paula Deen's contract when it expires at the end of this month.”


Executive Blunders: Open Mouth, Insert Foot


EXAMPLE: PAULA DEEN

VS.


LOVE HATE


EXAMPLE: PAULA DEEN

“Aer spending all day soul searching and trying to figure out how to deal with what I did, I recorded a video trying to do the right thing. In the end, I felt that I needed to just be myself, say I am sorry and beg for forgiveness. What I said was wrong and hurtful. I know that and will do everything that I can do make it right. I am not about hate, and I will devote myself to showing my family, friends and fans how to live a life helping others, liing us all up, and spreading love.”

3,782,839 views



EXAMPLE: Con Edison & MTA





Hurricane Sandy Social Media Facts: Con Edison

•  6,500 Twier Followers to 23,000 within 2 Weeks

•  25 videos posted on pre-Sandy preparation

•  100,000+ views and multiple broadcast airings of videos

•  2500 Press Release RTs

•  140,000 Flickr restoration image views




Hurricane Sandy Social Media Facts: MTA

•  Empower street crews

•  Empower consumers

•  Update MTA.info, YouTube, Flickr, Twier, FaceBook

•  Utilize Urban Digital Panels

•  Email/Text Alerts

MTA’s 4 Categories of Media Shared:

•  Before: Preparation

•  During: Storm Hits

•  Aermath 1: Damage

•  Aermath 2: Restoration


CORE CONCEPTS REVIEW

4 Phases of Crisis Communications

•  Readiness

•  Response

•  Reassurance

•  Recovery

Readiness

Response

Reassurance

Recovery


Get Ahead of a Crisis: Leveraging Social Media to

Diffuse Damaging Situations

Sandra Fathi

President, Affect

Email: [email protected]

tweet: @sandrafathi

web: affect.com

blog: techaffect.com

Available on Slideshare.net/sfathi

@PRSADIconf

#PRSADIconf

Get Ahead of a Crisis: Leveraging Social Media to Defuse Damaging Situations

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