[PR]How can the corporates revive themselves in a PR disaster?
With the rapid development of social media and the abundance of information on the internet, any controversy involving even the mid-tier influencer or sudden events that harm the image and interests of businesses can quickly escalate and spread, attracting widespread media coverage and public attention. To encounter the PR crisis, it is crucial to establish the role of "corporate communication" in building a positive internal and external image for the company. If corporate communication officers fail to handle the issues promptly and properly, there is a chance that the situation may worsen and escalate into a major and urgent crisis, resulting in a large number of negative comments and a PR disaster.
The role of corporate communication in crisis management
The role of corporate communication in crisis management is extremely important. To address potential PR disasters, it is crucial for companies to develop a crisis response plan in advance. This plan should include strategies and measures that the organization or individuals can take to respond to crises in a timely and accurate manner. It is important to maintain good communication with stakeholders such as customers, media, shareholders, investors, partners, and employees to protect their interests, ensure the normal operation of the organization, and minimize the negative impact of the crisis, such as financial and reputational losses or legal risks.
When negative news emerges, corporate communication officers need to provide explanations and responses to stakeholders and the public as quickly as possible through various media and written forms to clarify the negative information. For example, they can issue open letters or statements within a short period of time (statements are more serious and formal, serving as a legal basis, to pay attention to the use of wordings; if the situation is not severe, an open letter can be used instead of a statement, with a less serious tone). The purpose is to explain the organization's position on specific events. However, both the media and the public may focus on and criticize these written messages, so it should be handled with extra care. In addition, corporate communication officers should make good use of social media since the public and the media mostly rely on social media for the latest information. The officer should regularly or irregularly update the latest developments of the crisis on social media based on its progress.
When a crisis begins to brew and attract significant attention, how should the corporate communication team respond?
The team should commit to proactively follow up on the event, fully understand the details and context, including seeking verification from the parties involved and reviewing internal records to ascertain the facts. At the same time, they should closely monitor social media and news reports, identify potentially negative messages that may impact the organization, observe the reactions and concerns of netizens, and respond to them clearly one by one to meet the needs and expectations of the public, prevent the escalation of the event, and reduce the sustained attention from netizens. If it is confirmed that the company made a mistake after verification, it is important to be willing to admit the error or apologize and propose a solution to the affected parties. From the organization's stance, communication team should avoid drawing clear boundaries with the event and accusing netizens of sensationalism which will only further worsen the situation. They should also avoid using vague or uncertain language that may lead to public mistrust. Once the relationship is broken, it becomes difficult to repair.
Formulating crisis management strategies
Although PR crises are mostly unexpected, as the professional communication team, it is advisable to develop a comprehensive crisis management strategy for the company in advance to immediately alleviate and prevent the worsening of the situation when a crisis occurs. Crisis management generally consists of two parts: preventive management before the crisis erupts and emergency response and aftermath management after the crisis erupts.
The communication team should cooperate with relevant departments to examine and identify potential crisis scenarios at the early stage, including risk assessments and security checks, and develop corresponding response plans. This includes establishing an emergency team to provide support at any time, clearly defining the responsibilities, items, and detailed duties of each member. Relevant employees should also be trained to ensure their understanding of the crisis management process and its mechanisms. The team must develop effective crisis communication strategies, including internal and external communication plans, determining the means and timetable for delivering key messages, and providing accurate, transparent, and timely information to internal employees, media, stakeholders, and the public. They should explain the impact of the event and response measures, address the concerns of the public and the media, prevent misunderstandings and the spread of rumors, and maintain a trustworthy corporate image.
In addition, the communication team should establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to continuously track the development of the crisis and public reactions, allowing the organization to adjust its crisis management strategy as needed. The companies should review and evaluate the effectiveness of their actions in response to each PR crisis, continuously improve and update their crisis management strategies, enhance their ability to respond to crises, minimize organizational losses, and protect their reputation.
The HKCT programmes related to Corporate Communication:
Higher Diploma in Language and Corporate Communication (Japanese)
Higher Diploma in Language and Corporate Communication (Korean)
