Transcript Chap. 11

Crisis
Communications
and
Public Relations
Messages
Chapter Eleven
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives
LO11.1 Explain how crisis communications and public
relations messages impact organizational
reputation.
LO11.2 Describe the nature of crisis management in
today’s organizations.
LO11.3 Apply the AIM planning process to crisis
communications.
LO11.4 Construct effective and responsible crisis
messages.
LO11.5 Explain how to handle external complaints and
negative rumors.
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Learning Objectives
LO11.6 Review crisis communications for fairness and
effectiveness.
LO11.7 Describe the role of public relations messages in
today’s organizations.
LO11.8 Apply the AIM planning process to public relations
messages.
LO11.9 Construct effective and responsible public
relations messages.
LO11.10 Review public relations messages for fairness and
effectiveness.
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Crisis Communication Messages
Companies should operate under the
assumption that crises will occur
To minimize and correct damage to victims
and avoid excessive reputation loss,
companies should
excel at all stages of
crisis management
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The Stages of Crisis Management
11-5
Stakeholder Groups
11-6
Applying the AIM Planning Process
for Crisis Communication
Providing victims and other stakeholders with
timely and accurate information to avoid
further loss is next to impossible without a
designated communication plan as part of a
larger, regularly updated crisis response plan.
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Applying the AIM Planning Process
for Crisis Communication
Audience Analysis for Crisis
Communications
Idea Development for Crisis
Communications
Message Structure for Crisis
Communications
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Types of Crises and Levels of
Company Responsibility
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Audience Analysis for Crisis
Communications
Crisis communication teams should focus not
only on what information to provide but also
on how they can show empathy
The success of many crisis messages hinges
on the recipients’ emotional reactions to
them.
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Idea Development for Crisis
Communications
 Victim crisis
 stakeholders
generally do not hold
companies
responsible
 Accident crisis,
 stakeholders hold
companies
responsible but
understand that what
happened was not
intentional and was
difficult to foresee
11-11
Idea Development for Crisis
Communications
 Preventable crisis,
 stakeholders believe
the company is to
blame and is
completely
responsible for the
damages and losses
to stakeholders
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Message Structure for Crisis
Communications
Express concern
Explain corrective actions
Provide instructions
Give an excuse/justification
Provide compensation/apology
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Types of Responses in Crisis
Communication
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Creating Crisis Messages
Once crisis communication teams have
planned their messages, they must act under
significant time pressures to compose them.
They must also act quickly to modify them for
various media: letters, emails, web pages,
blogs, texts, radio and television broadcasts,
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Creating Crisis Messages
11-16
Creating Crisis Messages
11-17
Responding to External Complaints and
Handling Negative Rumors in the Social Age
Gather the facts
Avoid heavy-handedness (show of force)
Respond quickly
Use the appropriate channels
Rely on external advocates
Respond with credentials
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Reviewing Crisis Messages
During the crisis response stage, you will
likely be pressed for time
In these tense moments, rereading your
written crisis communications is essential
Pay special attention to accuracy
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Are Your Crisis Communications FAIR?
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The Role of Public Relations Today
In the emerging Social Age, companies are
less able to generate predictable media
exposure due to the shrinking options in mass
advertising, the increasingly fragmented
media landscape, and the growing
importance of online consumer reviews and
activist blogs
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The Role of Public Relations Today
Corporate reputation
 an intangible asset that allows the company to
better manage the expectations and needs of its
various stakeholders,
creating differentiation
and barriers vis-à-vis its
competitors
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Principles for PR Communications
 Establish and maintain credible relationships with
stakeholders.
 Build PR activities around a brand or strategic
launch.
 Complete full cycles in PR campaigns.
 Communicate the good your company does.
 Adapt your PR messages to Information Age and
Social Age communication channels.
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Gaining Credibility through PR in the
Post-Trust Era and the Social Age
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Develop Credible Relationships
 Economic
responsibility
 producing products
and services that
meet the needs of
customers and clients
 Ethical responsibility
 corporate activities
comply with high
ethical and legal
standards
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Develop Credible Relationships
 Social responsibility
 companies give back,
serve, and meet the
social interests of
their communities
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Build a Brand or
Strategic Promotion
The goal is not just to gain positive public
exposure.
Rather, it is to carve out a distinctive
corporate reputation for delivering value that
is superior to that of competitors
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Complete the Campaign Cycle
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Transition from Information Age PR
to Social Age PR
In Social Age PR, business professionals can
circumvent the traditional media and use
communication channels that more quickly
reach stakeholders
In this social media environment, PR
professionals will increasingly give
stakeholders the opportunity to talk back
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Social Media Teams
1. Develop formal social media policies
2. Monitor internal and external communities
3. Engage online communities
4. Act as first responders by acknowledging
mistakes
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Tools for PR Messages: Information Age
Audiences and Social Age Audiences
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Audience Analysis for Public
Relations Messages
As you develop PR messages, answer questions such
as the following about each stakeholder group:
How much do they know about your company? How
positively or negatively do they view it?
What is their view of your brand value? Are they
satisfied with your performance in the following
areas: economic responsibility, social responsibility,
and ethical responsibility?
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Audience Analysis for Public
Relations Messages
 From what sources do
they get information
about you and your
competitors?
 Through which
communication
channels can you best
reach them?
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Matching Influence Techniques to
Public Relations Efforts
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Message Structure for PR
Messages
 In the press release
style, which still
accounts for most
written PR messages,
the main components
include a headline,
dateline, the story, a
boilerplate, and
contact information.
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Creating PR Messages
Once you have planned your message, you
are ready to write it with a focus on achieving
excellence in tone, style, and design.
Because most stakeholders will make rapid
judgments and be skeptical of your motives
and interests, you want a friendly tone.
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Are Your Public Relations
Communications FAIR?
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