9/6/21, 3:09 PM Role of PR in Crisis Management - Ronn Torossian

Role of PR in Crisis Management

By Ronn Torossian - March 9, 2020

In today’s social-media-powered communication, brands constantly face challenges

associated with negative publicity. With stories gaining traction rapidly, brands have found
themselves dealing with widespread backlash due to failing to deliver on their promises,
mistreating employees or delivering a faulty product to the market.

Sometimes it’s the brand’s fault, but on other occasions, such allegations may be staged to
sully a brand’s image. Regardless of whether an accusation is justified or not, a brand’s
image must stay afloat.

To protect their reputation, brands should put in place mechanisms to manage their
credibility when crises arise. That’s where Public Relations meets crisis management. From
engaging internal PR departments to hiring external consultants, PR plays key roles in crisis
management.

What are the Roles of PR in Crisis Management

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Here are several roles played by PR in crisis management:

#1. Research
This role involves assessing different mediums to ascertain problems caused by a crisis,
who is engaging with the said information, and what type of backlash a brand is getting in
their key markets.

Through social-media experts, PR departments or consultants can determine the virality of

information causing a crisis, resulting responses to the information and the backlash a
brand gets. A complete understanding of data relating to a crisis is the first step to
selecting a suitable PR strategy.

#2. Immediate Response

The second role is the most important. A brand’s response to a crisis can make or break its
chances of salvaging its image. Through a surefire PR strategy, a brand knows how to stage
honest information and achieve the intended results. The following cases highlight the
importance of immediate response in managing crises.

In a recent case of a delay from Southwest Airlines, the airline was quick to stage its
information to demonstrate the value of empowered and empathetic employees. In this
case, a quick-thinking gate attendant turned the delay into a fun moment by playing games
with the waiting passengers. Through the immediate response of that quick-thinking
employee and the airline’s PR, a near-crisis situation turned into a public relations win.

In contrast, Boeing’s poor and delayed response to the Boeing 737 Max issue caused a PR
fail. The delay to acknowledge and respond to reports implicating the software installed in
the Boeing 737 Max jets and the issuance of contradictory information on the crisis cost
Boeing its brand reputation.

See also  Communicating Clearly and Avoiding a PR Crisis

#3. Recovery of a Brand’s Reputation

Recovery entails following up on the effectiveness of the research and immediate response
techniques applied in restoring a brand’s perception. Through proactive storytelling
highlighting past successes or a good track record, a brand can recover from a crisis.

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An example of effective storytelling is demonstrated by Toyota’s recall fiasco. With 8.8

million cars recalled and thousands of deaths caused by faulty brakes in some cars,
Toyota’s brand image managed to recover. Through proactive storytelling of its successful
track record, and executives being available to speak to the media, Toyota restored its
brand perception and affirmed prioritizing on quality.

Crisis and Public Relations: What Companies Can Learn

From These Brands
Reputations are delicate. They take years to build but a single moment to sully. However,
the approach a company takes to communicate with the public and key stakeholders
determines whether the brand’s reputation bounces back or remains irrevocably tarnished.

Given the importance of crisis communication, the following post highlights cases that
provide valuable lessons that companies can learn from to sidestep PR crises.

#1. Boeing 737 disaster

Following the Lion Air Flight 610 tragedy, people perceived it as an unfortunate and isolated
incident. However, when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed killing all onboard six months
later, the pattern with Boeing 737 Max jets was inescapable. It stuck in people’s minds.

Boeing’s ill-advised attempts to deflect connections between the Boeing 737 Max crashes
furthered mistrust in the brand and worsened the extent of the problem.

What PR missteps did Boeing make?

Following the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 incident, Boeing made several missteps in its PR.
Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing’s ousted CEO, took close to a month to acknowledge and
respond to two reports implicating the software installed in the Boeing 737 Max jets. This
approach went against the important ground rule of responding to major crises in a timely
manner (possibly within 24 to 48 hours after a crisis).

At the same time, as Muilenburg apologized, the apology seemed shifty. Notably, Boeing’s
ousted CEO seemed to blame the pilots of the ill-fated Ethiopian Airline jet, making
customers and key stakeholders more distrustful. While expressing confidence in the safety
of Boeing 737 Max jets, Muilenburg claimed the pilots of the ill-fated plane failed to adhere
to best practices stipulated in the manufacturer’s emergency procedures. This went against
PR tenets of being honest and empathetic in a crisis.

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