By now, the whole country has become embroiled in the Paula Deen crisis with everyone from major brands, like Smithfield and Target, to soccer moms and Average Joe’s weighing in on the matter. Unfortunately, her situation, while quite serious and regrettable, is far from uncommon. What person or business hasn’t said or done something potentially damaging at one time or another, and how might those statements or actions come back to bite them in the future?
There are some key reputation management and crisis communications lessons to be learned here.
- Remember that the camera is always rolling, microphones are always hot and someone is always watching. It is critical that brands and people maintain a consistent and professional standard of behavior at all times, because, when you screw up, someone WILL notice. This seems obvious, but it is perhaps the most consistently breached rule in all of PR.
- Cut trouble off at the pass. Clearly, Paula’s team was aware of this lawsuit and its allegations for more than a year. If something had the potential to be seriously damaging, consider settling a lawsuit or making accommodations to ensure that negative information remains out of the public eye.
- Know your weaknesses and be prepared. Smart companies conduct periodic crisis communication audits to determine where they have potential vulnerabilities, develop messages to counter these vulnerabilities and create a plan of attack should any come to fruition. For example, while large banks take great pains to ensure data security, most have plans in place for how to handle a security breach. They’ve developed messaging around the measures they took to prevent the breach and what they will do to rectify it, as well as a game plan for who will speak on behalf of the company and when and where this will happen. When they decided not to settle the lawsuit, Deen’s team should have immediately created messages and even had a statement prepared in advance.
- Get help in advance. When facing a crisis, it is best to consult professionals who are experienced in handling such issues. Ideally, this should be done before the situation becomes a crisis.
- Break your own bad news. Honesty is always the best policy, and, especially in matters of public record, like Deen’s lawsuit, the truth will come out. Rather than waiting for someone else to break the news, smart companies break the bad news themselves – framed from their perspective, with the most beneficial outlet and on their terms.
- Move quickly and tactically. Once the news is out there, it is critical to be proactive and speedy and stick to the plan.
- Apologize properly. Offer a heartfelt apology which outlines the exact circumstances, offers your understanding of why and how it was wrong, expresses deep regret and acknowledges ultimate responsibility.
- Ask for forgiveness. Just as our culture loves to tear down its idols, it also has a passion for forgiveness. In many cases, one need only ask. It is also important that the request for forgiveness not come across as begging, but as a sincere wish for the incident to be taken within the context of the company or person’s entire history. This is usually best done through a no-holds-barred interview opportunity with an outlet of your choice.
- Seek advocates. Use other people as “character witnesses” and encourage them to talk about your good deeds and positive qualities. The argument can be made that those who know you or your company best can offer the most accurate views.
- Keep quiet and do penance. The apology and request for forgiveness should be followed by a period of silence for the company or individual. During this time, the focus is on allowing actions to speak louder than words. Examples include an airline helping crash victims’ families or visiting the hospital rooms of those injured through a mine explosion. In Deen’s case, she could take on some charitable work with minority-based organizations.
While all crises take a toll on the companies and people associated with them, when handled properly, the damage can be kept to a minimum and organizations can recover, perhaps even earn greater respect, after enduring a trial by fire. The difference between success and failure can generally be attributed to three key factors: preparation, speed and transparency.
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