Optimism is great for those who live or work in places that are process oriented and generally more structured than the emerging or developing economies of the world. Sure, I live in one where the cost of doing business is quite high, there remains a series of optimists who have managed to do quite well for themselves. This, obviously has a lot to do with one's own PR abilities. Strange though, a good business background and a successful business don't seem like PR skills would be a front-runner in terms of most critical tools. Could it be that all successful folks with strong business acumen also require people skills as a cherry to remain ahead? It seems so.
Since the beginning of time, man has always done one thing; it's impress upon another man or woman. Impressing upon someone means to display likable characteristics that lead to a successful partnership - whether it's a relationship or a business deal. Someone's buying, someone's selling, and we are watching and learning how it all happens. It's the way we get by; developing an ability to reflect on ourselves and our actions to be the best we can be. This, I believe, is a good start to developing a strong PR approach.
What happens when someone who's climbed the rung to get atop is suddenly faced with a choice of 2 decisions when a crisis hits - to come clean or fudge the facts? Well, some may argue that things aren't that black and white. If you cut through the fat and simply look at the basic, most humane facts, you will see that they can be quite black and white. I've been faced with a few such baskets of Easter eggs - each with a different crack. Question is, how do you know which is the right one to take? The circumstances leading to that juncture may not be so black and white. Sometimes taking the wrong route is the right route. The answer is simple; make sure you have a good adviser that knows which way to maneuver when the shit hits.
Dominos did it right by coming straight out and condemning the felons, taking action and using the same means to spread the message as the one used to send the CEO a message (indirectly, of course).
Social mediums are growing rapidly. We all know that. Facebook around the billion corner, twitter crossing half a billion, pinterest showing no signs of slowing down, YouTube at a bazillion views (the founders of which had no idea how big it would grow) and so forth. Orkut and MySpace seem to be the only two ailing beauty queens of their time who withered quicker than statues in the desert.
Part of what made them grow so fast is the content they were transporting. Like Paul Revere, the messenger who presumably shouted, "The British are coming, the British are coming!", was being good communicators. Spreading a message requires two core things:
- News worth spreading
- Someone interested in spreading it
Then, in order to make the news spread fast like a raging fire, you ramp up your effort to make it viral. Part of what makes viral content so important is that not only helps the news grow quickly, reaching more people faster, it also helps grow the news source. In order to achieve this, you need a third component to the good communication: People interested in supporting and spreading the news.
If I worked at a fast food or a DVD/streaming service, and I was either responsible for or was liable for making a mistake that affected my stakeholders, I would quickly respond to the negative publicity by addressing it head-on. This is because there is money at stake and reputation that is quickly diminishing. The smartest way to respond is, like I said before, by using the same channel that spread the news.
When our company was setting up social networking, one of the major fear factors was the ability (or rather inability) to control news which was negative. Sure, everyone loves good PR, but what do you do with bad PR? You either grab it by the throat or you let it slither away, hoping it doesn't notice you and get hungry. Social media is a dynamic beast that puts the fear of God and Technology in us. It shows us that when the world is watching, anything you say or do is public property, and thus liable to public criticism. I can tell you this is a legitimate concern and that's why having someone with natural, well-developed PR skills is crucial, even with your company's social media programs.
The entrepreneur or successful business man knows the pain of losing out and having to regain diminished reputation points. Dominos did it right - natural apology with genuine concern for the damage their two reckless employees had done to the company image; something that requires years of patience and investment to establish and maintain. Netflix on the other hand did exactly the opposite with their DVD and qwickster business announcement. At least get your apology right and be genuine. I could see pre-scripting and yoga smiles all over the place. That doesn't work either and the result is a mere 528 views (including mine) on the world's most visited multimedia website.
Making good with the community always comes at a price that is equal to or greater than that of the former. Be sure you are prepared with the most proactive, forward thinking approach to public interaction. Saying the wrong thing can do you worse and that's an unnecessary expense.
Image: fastcompany.com