Crisis Communications and Social Media!

Donald Steel FRSA MCIPR National Housing Federation 11 March 2014

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About me

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[ DONALD STEEL PR ]

Reputation management

Trust

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The Bottom Line.…

“Companies judged to have responded ‘inadequately’ to major emergencies lost an average of 15% of their net stock value in the following months”

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“Those which managed an ‘effective’ response gained an average 5% in net stock value over the same period of time” !Knight/Pretty: “The Impact of Catastrophes on Shareholder Value”. Oxford Executive Research Briefing, 2000

up 5%

Stock  

Time

Crisis  Event

The power of communications

“Public Relations are a key component of any operation in this day of instant communications and highly inquisitive citizens.”

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The power of communications

Alvin Adams, 1804 - 1877 Founder, American Express

“Public Relations are a key component of any operation in this day of instant communications and highly inquisitive citizens.”

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Reputation management

Reputation= Experience minus Expectation

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Crisis communications is changing

Social media is driving public expectation of speed

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Crisis communications is changing

Hand held technology is driving changes in citizen behaviour

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The power of communications

DEFINE….. or be defined

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Crisis Communications - 3 Cs

Care!Compassion!Control

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Characteristics of a crisis

Without warning (usually)!

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Confusion!Shock!Overwhelming media interest!

Social media!High public expectations

Case study - social media

An Emergency for !Asiana Airlines in !San Francisco!6 July 2013!

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Citizen journalists?Crash at 11.27am!!First tweet from witness at 11.28am!!Asiana first tweets at 12.39!!

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Citizen reporters?

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Citizen witnesses

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Citizen witnesses

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Social media replaces websites

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Asiana response

First tweet from Asiana posted after 62 minutes

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Asiana response

“The fact that Asiana Airlines has not yet made a statement on Twitter or

Facebook…is unacceptable”

“It suggests they don’t know what to say, or don’t want to say it…”

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Social media in a crisis - recommended targets

• Initial response on social media - 15 minutes

• Initial statement to media - 30 minutes

• Fuller statement to media/interview - 60 minutes

• Press conference - 90-120 minutes

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Citizen behaviour is changing

Citizens are no long passive bystanders in a crisis. They have become active players and, in some cases, show characteristics of leadership.

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Case study - the dangers of social media for your organisation

Boston bombing - when is an apology not an apology?

Boston Bombing

6.19PM 16 APRIL 2013

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy

Social media in an emergency

Disasters and incidents involving the loss of life or injury are not promotional opportunities

Leadership on Social Media

Communicate within 15 minutes

Be accurate and useful

Plan, prepare and practice

Quash speculation, but don’t respond to everything

Offer facts and sympathy, not opinion

Today - conclusions

• Public expectation in a crisis are changing because their ability to be involved is changing

• Saying the right thing is no longer enough - it has to be said quickly

• The role of continuous news channels continues to decline

• Highly trusted brands can survive incidences of bad behaviour or poor performance

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Thank you

e: donaldsteel@me.com

@LondonDonald

www.linkedin.com/in/donaldsteel

Kenyon’s Social Media & Web Presence Handbook

Prepared by: The Kenyon Creative Team

September 2013

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