Keep Calm and Communicate

During an emergency or crisis situation a strategic communication plan should already be in place for any organization. Without a plan, a crisis could go from bad to worse. Our environment changes faster than we can keep up with and it is important to continuously revisit a communication strategy plan in order to ensure that it is in line with the pace of change. The growing presence of social media has created challenges for public relations (PR) professionals. The speed that consumers produce information goes beyond the speed by which PR professionals can respond to the incident. The audience is global and the information can spread rapidly. Client demand for advance preparation has increased dramatically. How do brands protect themselves and their reputations in the social media era?

We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto. Communication has changed and will continue to change. Crisis anticipation can assist with the development process of strategic communication planning. If an organization is not prepared in advance when crisis strikes, communication professionals are left organizing statements at the same time consumers are posting comments, videos, blogs and pictures related to the event. Being prepared to address a challenge quickly in a crisis is the key to maintaining a good reputation.

Crisis situations are often covered by the media but the internet has created ways to communicate with audiences directly and timely. The longer you wait, the more damage can occur.

On April 15, 2009, two Domino’s pizza employees in Conover, NC posted a video on YouTube that was filmed in the restaurants kitchen as a hoax.  The video was of a male stuffing cheese up his nose before he put it on a sandwich, farting on a piece of salami, and sneezing on cheese sticks, and then disguising the boogers underneath the cheese and boxing it up. His female co-worker filmed and narrated then posted the video to YouTube.  The video went viral with over a million views in three days. In just a few days the pizza chain’s reputation was damage by the careless acts of these employees.

Anti-Domino's comments began to spread on Twitter and other social media sources. The videos were reposted on other sites, including Good-AsYou.org. The site's founder, Jeremy Hooper, sent an e-mail to Tim McIntyre, vice president of communications for Domino’s Pizza. The Domino’s corporate team was also alerted within 45 minutes of the incident from a consumer affairs blog, The Consumerist.

At this point Domino’s officials had to determine how they were going to deal with the damage to the company’s reputation. Domino’s was criticized for remaining silent for the first 24 hours. Domino’s executives feared that an official press release issuing an apology may make more people view the video. Patrick Doyle, President of Domino’s U.S.A., responded to the video hoax by creating a Twitter account for the corporation and creating a YouTube video of his own to respond to the incident.

Other organizations may find themselves in similar situations and learn about crisis management and social media from this experience. The Domino’s crisis changed the way other corporations should deal with a hoax crisis. It brought attention to the importance of incorporating social media into a crisis communication plan. Domino’s remained silent when answers were needed. Domino’s did not respond quicker because they did not anticipate the pass-along value of the video. Domino’s was missing a strategy for digital crisis. There was no online surveillance or social media presence. What Domino’s did right was respond to the incident through traditional and social media. The video response from the CEO of the pizza chain on YouTube targeted to the core audience.

No organization is immune to crisis. The effects of social media are enormous. Harmful situations can arise from external or internal members. The benefits of using social media as a crisis communication tool can outweigh the risks. It creates a way of delivering time sensitive information quickly to the citizens. The ability to effectively communicate during a crisis can save a brands reputation.  Effective communication involves taking responsibility, stating the facts, timely communication and staying positive.

After the situation has settled down, post crisis evaluation is necessary to learn what went right and what went wrong. Implementing what was learned to the communication plan and continuously making changes to keep up with the constant changes in technology. Organizations today should monitor all content on social media sites. Make use of the programs that allow you to filter words that could possibly harm a reputation on the internet.

Creating a social presence prior to the crisis situation can also assist with a brand’s reputation. Consumers expect to be able to communicate directly with an organization via social media. The dialogue is also available for everyone to see. The organization should allow both positive and negative posts. They should address even the smallest complaints in a professional manner. Organizations should be sensitive to the power of social media and take action to protect their brand.

What examples do you have of a good or bad crisis communication response via social media? I appreciate you taking the time to read my post and look forward to your responses. 

Bull's Eye

Over the course of several decades advertising for various American companies and their products has become more targeted toward specific audiences. This targeting is due to various factors such as (but certainly not limited to) a decrease in newspaper and magazine sales, conservation of advertising budgets, and more importantly, the ever-expanding internet.  For this week’s blog, we will see examples of the differences in targeted advertising, and even event sponsoring, through the advertising habits of two major companies; Redbull and Major League Soccer. 

As filmmaker Morgan Spurlock discusses in his TED Talk, “The Greatest TED Talk Ever Sold,” companies have several issues to work with when advertising their product. Spurlock refers to fear, danger, uncertainty, and basically the loss of money as factors that determine when, where, and how companies advertise. Companies are losing half of their advertising budget on parts of the public who have no interest in their product. This is especially true with products that really have more of a specific audience. For example, the Maybelline beauty product company would possibly consider it a waste to advertise their new lip glosses in “Men’s Health” magazine.  The audience for “Men’s Health,” as the title suggests, are largely male who the majority of would more than likely have no interest in purchasing Maybelline products. Not only would a majority of the audience not be interested, but the number of people reading magazines has greatly decreased over the past decade.

    

“The Economist” published an article on June 24, 2004 discussing the slump in advertising and how many companies had started pushing their product more and more online and through sponsoring events.  A big example of a company that has advertised through the sponsoring of events is Redbull.  In 1987, Redbull was sold for the first time in Austria. Founded by Dietrich Mateschetiz, Redbull has significantly expanded and changed its market over the past 26 years. One of the most significant, brilliant, and memorable ways in which Redbull marketed its product early-on to the American public was by targeting college students. Redbull sent young, positive representatives out to college campuses to hand out free cans of Redbull several times a year. Not only did Redbull send representatives who were around the same age as the college students they were targeting, they sent them often, repeating their marketing. However, another big draw to this product was that they also gave away cans for FREE. The tactic was genius; drive around to college campuses in remodeled Mini Coopers covered with the Redbull logo, with a large fake Redbull can attached to the back, and hand out energy drinks to students who had to stay up all night studying.

      

Redbull also targeted groups that, by definition, were energy junkies. Video gamers, athletes (see any and all X-Games advertising…), and even young, hip celebrities who were staying out all night partying on reality shows (see Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, etc). Redbull, in a sense, became the Gatorade of adrenaline junkies, whether it was through sports or technologically related. Every group that Redbull now sponsors deals with high energy, high intensity activities, such as skateboarding, mountain biking, motor racing, and even music festivals. This makes Redbull a great example of targeted advertising, because unlike original advertising tactics, Redbull has pushed their product on a guarantee. 

Years ago, advertising companies put their brands and products in newspapers, magazines, billboards, and other places where everyone could see them. This was great in terms of having a large audience to potentially convert to your product and/or brand. However, advertising companies started to realize they were wasting half their budget on a large audience when a large percentage of this audience did not relate to what they were selling. By targeting a specific group of people who need exactly what your product is said to provide, a company is basically guaranteeing a sold product.  Furthermore, by sponsoring events for groups of people, such as sporting events, the Redbull company is not only advertising their product, but they are creating a market of dependency. Why drink coffee before a bike race when you have free cans of Redbull as far as the eye can see, that offers a higher energy content with more appealing colors on the container? Redbull is targeting groups that specifically require exactly what their product gives. Not only are they targeting these groups, they are also creating whole events and tournaments where Redbull is the only energy source, and it is, in a lot of cases, totally free. 

     

Another enterprise that has recently become very successful in the online market is Major League Soccer. Birmingham, Alabama is home to several accounts for MLS teams such as AC Milan, Barcelona, and FC Bayerrn to name a few.  MLS has discovered that advertising online, specifically on facebook.com has become a huge success because they are able to target specific fan pages that are basically guaranteed purchasers of their product.  The World Soccer shop on Facebook has 1.5 million followers.  This is a specifically targeted audience of fans who are more guaranteed to purchase a product based on their favorite team, etc. Not just because a company is pushing the product in the face of the consumer. The fan is emotionally tied to the product and the team, therefore emotionally drawn to purchasing the product. Much like the energy needs of those who consume Redbull, these soccer fans are drawn to the instant gratification of social media advertising from Major League Soccer pages, whether they are on Facebook, Twitter, etc. A jersey for their favorite team is one click away. Even more important in sports advertising online is post-championship sales. MLS products are pushed on fan pages such as World Soccer Shop on Facebook after important cup games. I spoke with an account manager for MLS in Birmingham who told me her company assigns a certain number of leagues to each account and the manager for that account is responsible for pushing advertising on social media for things such as post-cup win jerseys, to even the newest cleats the players are wearing. This particular manager said there has been a decline in their advertising on television and on radio because it is more cost-beneficial to advertise via social media to specific fan groups who are most likely to buy the product, rather than the whole, general public.

  

Targeting specific audiences via social media has contributed to huge changes in marketing. Social media has led the way for the organization of consumers. Various groups exist online for different likes and hobbies. Digital media has basically brought the mountain to Muhammad in terms of making it incredibly easy for companies to find exactly which groups like their products and, therefore, the companies are able to target those audiences more successfully. As we can see, those companies are becoming even more involved in the groups who consume their product, either by sponsoring events centered on the consumers, or by easing into their social lives via online sites such as Facebook, Google, and other social, heavily trafficked areas on the Internet. 

Lead to Win

Last Sunday Super Bowl XLVIII was aired. As a New Orleans native, I was rooting for the Denver Broncos because Peyton Manning’s father Archie Manning played for the Saints. I also wanted Peyton to catch up to his little brother, Eli Manning, in Super Bowl wins. I was really looking forward to watching the commercials and the half-time show with Bruno Mars and The Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP). Half-time was excellent. It was ironic how the Chili Peppers sang Give It Away Now because that is exactly what

it looked like Denver was doing with this football game. The commercials were mediocre this year. Like the Seahawks, Budweiser seemed to be the only one playing the game with the “Puppy Love” and “A Hero’s Welcome” commercials. They both pulled at our heart strings.

The rest of the football game was a washout. The Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowl game by dominating the Denver Broncos, 43-8. They set a Super Bowl record for most playing time with 59 minutes and 48 seconds. The Seahawks looked comfortable and at ease the entire game. What an incredible performance by such a young team. The victory was particularly sweet for head coach Pete Carroll, who was fired in 1994 by the New York Jets, led the New England Patriots for three seasons and again was let go. He took over at the University of Southern California and won two national titles. Four years after taking charge in Seattle, Carroll was lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy in celebration. 

The interviews after the game are what caught my attention. The sportscasters were talking about Pete Carroll’s “Always Compete” philosophy and kinder, gentler coaching style. His vision was to fundamentally change the way players are coached. He wanted to find out if he went to the NFL and really took care of the guys, really cared about each and every individual, what would happen? In my mind I am thinking the terms “kind” and “gentle” do not go with football. Football coaches are known for screaming and blowing up on the sidelines. I’m used to seeing coaches like Nick Saban yelling and pushing around the players when they mess up.

The Seahawks practice yoga as part of their mandated workouts.  Carroll monitors their sleep patterns. In Seattle, there's an entire staff designed to look out for players. All Seahawks players are encouraged to use the support staff the way employees in the business world rely on a human resources department. Their sports psychologist, Mike Gervais, leads meditation sessions and instruct the players to "quiet your minds," "focus your attention inwardly" and "visualize success." Sounds like a spa for football players to me.

Carroll wanted to create an environment where people could “find their best, stay at their best, foster their best for the people around them so that everybody can join in." One of the things Carroll has learned is that he must find his own ways in which his messages will resonate with his players. He believes in love. He believes in redemption. He believes in finding the best in the people around him and challenging them to find it at all times. He treats them with respect.

Carroll has developed the culture and mindset of his team to adopt the philosophies of his own Win Forever doctrine. In Carroll's words, "what Win Forever means ... is aspiring to be the best you can be, or as I like to refer to it, ‘maximizing your potential.' But Winning Forever is not about the final score; it's about competing and striving to be the best. If you are in this pursuit, then you are already winning."

Carroll appeals to players’ strengths, opens their eyes to the possibilities and challenges them to reach their potential. When things settled down that Super Bowl Sunday night, Carroll was asked for an explanation of the belief structure he inhibits and passes on to his team. He said “Helping people be the best they can be, it does not matter what you are talking about. Football, or business, or families – the language and the intent and doing everything you can to help them. I can understand why that does resonate, and I’m very excited about that, because I know that the message goes beyond football.”

Pete Carroll’s leadership skills are a great example of what everyone could learn from to bring out the leader within them. Leadership success always starts out with a vision. Effective leadership is essential to any organization's success, but the qualities of a great leader are hard to define. Great leaders give much thought to what they are most passionate about. Those are the things they pursue, rather than money or prestige. A leader must create and communicate meaning for others by sharing a personal vision that is compelling and inspiring. Communication must be clear, honest, and personal. Ensure audiences truly hear the message you are trying to present. Carroll had a vision. He communicated and practiced that vision with his team to lead them to their first Super Bowl win.

Listening is an essential leadership skill. Adults spend an average of 70% of their time engaged in some sort of communication, of this an average of 45% is spent listening compared to 30% speaking, 16% reading and 9% writing. (Adler, R. et al. 2001). An effective leader listens more than talks and probes more than pushes. Many successful leaders and entrepreneurs credit their success to effective listening skills. Richard Branson frequently quotes listening as one of the main factors behind the success of Virgin.

Few organizations today have sufficient leadership. Leadership is needed from more and more people no matter where they are in hierarchy. We need to understand the difference between the terms “management” and “leadership”. Management produces products and services by following processes such as measuring performance, problem solving, and job structuring. Leadership is about finding opportunities and producing change. It’s about a vision and people buying into that vision to take an organization into the future. Management and leadership are both crucial to successfully reaching your goals, but there is a difference. Great leaders focus on building their organization through the people, structure, culture and technology.

Leadership is about behavior. How do leaders act? There are charismatic and built-to-last leaders. Many think of charismatic leaders when considering the behavior of a leader. Charismatic leaders are passionate, inspirational, highly motivated to lead and they powerfully articulate their vision. Built-to-last leaders are gentle, soft spoken, rather shy, unobtrusive and good listeners. Some leaders fall into both categories. Leaders come in all different personalities. Whether you are charismatic or built-to-last always strive to be your best. Always compete. Win forever.

I look forward to reading your comments and questions. I promise to respond in a timely manner.