Marketing Communications

COMMUNICATIONS IN TIMES OF CRISIS 335

Table 10.7 Pre-crisis communications rules

z Communicate

z Keep in touch and be responsive

z Do not act as if problems do not exist

z Build trust by communicating

z Build brand equity

z Build scenarios for the unexpected

Source : Based on Marconi, J. (1992), Crisis Marketing: When Bad Things Happen to Good Companies. Chicago: Probus.

may be useful indicators of the result of PR activity, they do not give any information on

how well the real objectives have been achieved.

z Achievement indicators measure the extent to which a pre-specifi ed objective has been met

with a public of interest. Th ey are very similar to some of the measures that are being used

in the assessment of advertising eff ectiveness. Examples include: the share of the target

audience that has been reached, changes in awareness and knowledge, changes in opinions

and attitudes, evolution of the image and goodwill of the company, and the extent to which

behaviour has changed.

Communications in times of crisis

A special type of circumstances in which PR play an extremely important role is when the

company faces an unforeseen crisis. By nature, a crisis is an event or a series of events that cannot

be planned in advance. Crises can have multiple causes. A company’s product may be found to

contain toxic material, as in the Perrier case, a sinking ship like the Exxon Valdez may pollute

the environment, a new car model like the Mercedes A may fail to pass the moose test, or a

company executive may get involved in a personal or a fi nancial scandal. Whether a crisis is a

‘Cobra’ (a sudden disaster) or a ‘Python’ (a slow-burning crisis or crisis creep),^28 good PR strategy

should always take the possibility of a crisis into account and be prepared for it. A set of rules

and procedures should be put in place well before any crisis emerges, as a result of which at least

a scenario of crisis management is in place in the event of a suddenly emerging problem. Crises

oft en turn into nightmares as a result of the lack of well-established procedures, which oft en

have to do with the handling of external and internal communications. Crises are expected to

take place more frequently than before. All kinds of audiences, like consumer interest groups

and the media, watch companies more closely, and modern communications technology

results in a more rapid dissemination of the news on company incidents. Th erefore, preparing

for crisis management is an increasingly important task for PR professionals.

An important factor in crisis management is the way in which a company behaves and

communicates in tempore non suspecto , i.e. in the pre-crisis period. It is most important to

create a reservoir of goodwill. Some rules of conduct are mentioned in Table 10.7.^29

To know is to like. Th ere is a strong correlation between knowing a company and liking it.

Building awareness can be done most eff ectively by means of intensive communications with

all important target groups. Target groups are not enemies or nuisances, but people who may

support the company when things go wrong. Th erefore, when these people have a problem

or need assistance, a helping hand will not be forgotten when the company needs them.

Telephone calls and letters should be responded to promptly so that audiences know that they

are important to the company. Do not expect people with whom you have not communicated

for a long period to remember you and off er help during a crisis.

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