PR Lessons from the Gulf

Since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and massive oil spill, petroleum giant BP has lost nearly half its market value. The company has spent more than $3.1 billion on the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid and federal costs. BP has created a $20 billion fund to satisfy further claims arising from the oil and gas spill.

Along with unprecedented environmental damage, the spill has created billions of dollars in bad publicity. The company reputation has been sorely damaged for the foreseeable future. Years of costly marketing campaigns to position BP as a reputable energy company, going “beyond petroleum” into wind, solar and other fuels, have been wiped out.

What can small and mid-sized companies learn from the disaster? What if a sudden crisis hits your business? Workplace accident? Fire? Theft? Chemical spill? Computer crash? Hurricane or natural disaster that that could put you out of commission for days, weeks or indefinitely?

The lesson of the Gulf is that nearly every company, large or small, needs a written, tested crisis management plan to deal with an emergency or incident.

With a crisis management plan, especially a well-thought-out communications component, damage can be minimized.

From oil spills, to product tampering to chemical explosions, PR lessons learned as a result of past crises include:

• Take charge of the situation. Get a management team at the site to obtain the facts and prepare to communicate the facts.

• Tell it all, tell it fast, tell the truth. Don’t let rumors and uninformed speculation overtake the situation. Give information only that you know to be absolutely true.

• If possible, use a trained, designated spokesperson. One top person should speak for the company, who is presentable, credible and trained to handle tough media questions. All media inquiries should be directed to the spokesperson.

• Control the news flow, if possible. Schedule regular briefings once or twice a day, as needed, to update the media on action being taken to mitigate the incident.

• Position the company as caring and concerned. Express regrets. Apologize where appropriate. Be humble and never arrogant.

Image Lessons from the Gulf

Appearances count. What you do often means more than what you say. Show your concern, don’t just say you are concerned. People remember images more than words.

If a natural or man-made disaster strikes your business, be ready to do the right things as well as just say the right things.

People today still remember an image of then Mayor Rudy Giuliani, with a sooty face and rolled up sleeves, walking the streets of lower Manhattan after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. He demonstrated hands-on involvement in helping people and making things right.

No such memorable images have emerged so from the Gulf oil disaster. There have been few, if any, videos of oil executives in dirty clothes working with spill response teams or removing tar balls from the beaches.

When a disaster strikes, management becomes the face of the company in the public relations arena. Be prepared to present a concerned face.
 
After the Gulf, How Prepared Are You?

Disaster can strike at any time, as the world saw in the Gulf oil spill and in countless other incidents. How prepared is your company for the unexpected?

Written Crisis Management Plan. Include phone numbers of people to call, a check list of things to do and steps to take.

Prepared Information. Have background information and fact sheets on the company available in advance. If possible, know how many people are working at a site and if they are all accounted for.

Standby Statements. Have sample statements and press releases prepared in advance and be able to fill in the blanks.

Practicing Tough Questions. Have a spokesperson trained in advance to answer tough questions.

Test Your Crisis Management Plan. Have an employee call in on a weekend to report a simulated incident. See how long it takes to pass the information through the chain of command and bring top management to the site. Run through the various steps of your crisis plan.

Prepare a List of Contacts. Be ready to inform public safety personnel, regulatory agencies, local officials, employees, customers, subcontractors and so on.

News Briefing. If the situation warrants, schedule a news briefing as soon as accurate information is available. Use a prepared statement. Say the same thing to all the media.

These are just a few of the elements of a crisis plan that can be prepared in advance to help minimize the damage to a company after disaster strikes.