Blog
05.28
Some things never go out of style
In life, some things never go out of style.
A little black dress. Ace of Base. Big hair (in Texas, at least). Good crisis PR.
As the media trudges on about the BP oil spill, we are learning about the importance of having a crisis plan in place... just in case.
CNN Money stated, "Oil giant BP has a marketing slogan dubbed "Beyond Petroleum." If only that were true. That ad campaign has to rank up there with Toyota's "Moving Forward" motto as the most unintentionally hilarious of the year."
Ouch. Although, it is painful to watch the response from BP oil's leadership team.
First, there was no back up plan. Second, they greatly underestimated the size of the spill. Next, they downplayed the impact of the surrounding gulf for species and fishermen. Most recently, they gave a second underestimation about the amount of oil being released.
Even the fake BP twitter page @BPGlobalPR has weighed in on the incident.
What a gorgeous day! The ocean is filled with the most beautiful rainbows! #yourewelcome #bpcares
And, Toyota has a sigh of relief that the spotlight has turned off them.
Do you believe something good can come out of something bad? Well, here's your nugget of hope. PR is getting a really good case study out of this one.
A few tried-and-true hints at how to get some better crisis PR... next time:
- As soon as you receive the first call about the crisis, get everyone involved immediately. Don't wait for the media to start telling the public what happened. Be proactive and tell them yourself.
- Don't make generalizations if you do not have the facts. And, if you have facts, make sure they are the correct facts before giving them to the public.
- Be empathetic of your audiences. Many probably have money, time, stock, friends, families tied in with your crisis. An honest and transparent apology goes a long way and is a rarity these days.
Of course, if you would rather listen to Ace of Base, in your little black dress, while teasing your hair... go for it.
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