Several months ago, I attended a meeting about crisis preparedness with some of the top loss prevention executives in the country. At the meeting, a number of case studies were presented where executives discussed how to handle mock scenarios including suspicious packages, erratic employees and terrorism threats.
The executives brainstormed complex and intricate action plans which varied greatly depending upon perceived risk. I’ve always known LP executives to be a thorough, careful, and understandably paranoid bunch, so getting an insider’s view about what goes into crisis planning was fascinating.
But as I sat through several hours of this meeting, I was struck by what was missing: there wasn’t a single discussion in any of these conversations about how communications plays a role. No one even mentioned it.
In my opinion–and, yes, I’m biased–communications always needs a seat at the table in these discussions. They should be considered a necessary ally for any LP executive planning for and wading through a crisis situation. Communications experts can help formulate messaging, address reporter inquiries, and–if possible–be a point-person for the media onsite. (They can also do a good job keeping you out of the press; don’t think that your PR folks only exist to get you into stories!)
Some retailers don’t give store managers the authority to speak to the media, but that’s not going to keep them from coming in throngs, especially during a crisis. Understanding how to handle the media, what to say to customers and employees who may have questions, and plugging in the people who both speak with reporters and know how they tick should be an integral component of any crisis plan.
And, in this age of social media, reporters can easily find people to talk with: customers, employees and onlookers will be more than happy to put in their two cents. The conversation is happening, with or without you. You should be a part of it.
After the meeting I attended in February, Joe LaRocca and I started talking about how crucial it is that retailers involve their communications executives in preparedness discussions. And that’s how the session: The Do’s and Don’ts of Communicating in Crisis was born.
When looking for a speaker to join us at the Conference, I immediately thought of Gene Grabowski, an SVP at Levick Strategic Communications whom I met several years ago when he was awarded the Crisis Manager of the Year award from PR News magazine. In addition to his crisis experience, Gene has a great retail background: he used to head communications for the Grocery Manufacturers Association and has worked with several high-profile retail clients both before and during crises. He understands the intricacies of our industry but also has a deep understanding of the best ways to handle situations that seem out of your control.
In advance of our session, I wanted to pick Gene’s brain about the importance of including communications in any crisis plan, how to prepare, and the role of social media. Here’s what he had to say:
What do retailers stand to lose if public communication is only an afterthought in their crisis response? What do they stand to gain if public communication takes on a more significant role?
The short answer to both is everything. Retail establishments trade on their good name and their good name alone – meaning that when crisis strikes, there is nothing more important to maintaining a healthy bottom line than an effective response that communicates concern for, commitment to, and action on behalf of the most important stakeholders you have – your customers.
I often counsel retailers that they have to think like their consumers in times of crisis. That means assuaging fears by disseminating pertinent information as quickly as possible to all affected audiences. It means taking decisive action to contain the problem and articulating what you’ve done in as many venues as possible. And it means identifying the “teachable moment” – the point at which the crisis starts to diminish – and using that period of relative calm to communicate what you’re doing to prevent a similar crisis in the future.
If communication isn’t a primary concern, none of those goals can be met – and you’re likely to pay a hefty price.
What can retailers do to anticipate and prepare for the public communications challenges inherent in any crisis?
The key to an effective crisis response is being ready to put it in motion at a moment’s notice. The first step is to put all of the landmines on the table upfront, so that a clear picture of your reputational liabilities and a plan for responding to them can be developed.
Then you should assemble your crisis team – usually consisting of professionals from the legal, government relations, investor relations, and human resources departments – before you need it, so that the trust needed to make fast go/no-go decisions can be established.
And finally – because practice makes perfect – run your crisis team through a few practice scenarios to iron out any kinks in the plan. That way, you won’t be caught flat-footed at the moment of truth.
What do retailers need to know about dealing with emerging digital and social media during a crisis?
I often hear people refer to digital and social media as “new media.” The first thing that retailers need to understand is that these aren’t new media anymore – they’re simply the media. When your customers are looking for information related to your crisis, they aren’t waiting around for the morning paper or even a nightly newscast; they’re turning to the blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.
Moreover, because more than three-quarters of traditional journalists now say that they look to the blogs for story ideas, monitoring what’s being said about your brand online provides two competitive advantages. First, it offers intelligence about crises that may be lurking around the corner at the earliest possible point. And second, because digital and social media allow for two-way communication, careful monitoring enables a company to shape online commentary before it ever reaches the mainstream press.
Today, any crisis communications plan that doesn’t account for digital and social media monitoring and engagement is a recipe for disaster.