Crisis Management - PR key to surviving the tsunami

"Yes" - bad publicity, negative news, anti-sentiments, consumer grief, brand woes, competitor gimmicks can often prove to be a tsunami which can wipe your brand off the grid in a matter of days. The task is much harder and greater ordeal for Public Relations Specialists. There is no swimming around it, you can't out run it, and defending your turf - head on is only done as a last resort.

The idea is to not let your composure break down and run around stark naked in the realm of your home like a crazy yelling my brand is surely doomed. Fear is always at its best when you let it.

Quoting Sun Tzu - "A wise general is the one who is always observing", I am certain when Sun Tzu wrote "Art of War" he had no clue that his words will be applicable in modern PR warfare. The key to successful turn around in a crisis management situation lies not in haste but in intelligent maneuvering. In order to break down the "guide to surviving crisis time tsunami" we must follow the logical steps of basic human psychology.

1. Wait & Observe - Once, the possible threat is identified the key to float a top is to keep the mouth shut, be patient and observe the turn of the wave, one should silently observe the tides, calculate its strength, analyze possible ramifications for damage and use the time to devise a escape hatch.

2. Deployment of Preemptive Measures - Placement of neutralizing measures is advised to stop letting the killer wave hit unchecked. These measures once deployed at the right intervals have the ability to diffuse the devastation, a negative news carries with itself.

3. Look for Friends - Analyze and concern with friendlies in the media, people whom you have supported in the past are generally more accessible and supportive to your cause. Individual meet ups, sharing of background information can create the right sort of an opening to launch a counter-attack.

4. Flank the Hits - There are always friends, brand loyal and consumers who can be accessed and later converted into brand evangelists. Now, these evangelists do not only help promote the image but also in tough times, helps flank the onslaught.
 
5.  Develop Spokesperson - The idea is to select, train and then expose the most perfect resource a brand has on its disposal. Preferably, the ideal candidate has to be educated in the matter, smart, well-spoken intellectual with a little zest of humor and compassion. A spokesperson is the run to sort of a guy when bad press hits the ceiling, he is supposed to be well armored and must posses the skills to drive the conversation rather than being driven.

6. Look for Gaps & Opening - Even, if the brand is being thrashed badly, there still remains gaps to surface out and grab some air, look out for openings and convert them into opportunities.

7. Decide When to Strike Back - Sometimes, a counter blow is what it takes to shift the ravaging tides. Remember, it takes a lot of muscles and carefully chalked out planning as how to strike, the key component remaining is the timings as this could be the only difference between coming out as a survivor or going down in dirt.

There is no way of devising a strategy of a problem prior to its identification and in case of PR, the most common tools are the most effective ones. The real test of how a PR specialist carefully selects and employee these tools is evident only at a time of crisis management. However as already established, with PR strategies, since there is no quick fix solutions to a problem and by the very nature of PR itself, it is always slow and tedious but when doing PR always remember what they used to tell us in the hare and tortoise story - "slow and steady always win the race".

Peace Out!