She Got Game Media Miami

FOUR LESSONS TO LEARN FROM BP'S PR NIGHTMARE

by Kerry ONeill (The MGH Modern Marketing Blog), June 3, 2010

We hope your company never has to experience a crisis as big as British Petroleum's recent oil spill - now the largest in U.S. history. But BP's PR nightmare brings to light four key takeaways that can be applied to any crisis - big or small. 

1. Be transparent. Remember that the truth will always prevail. That said, it's essential to be as honest as possible in any crisis. If not, and conflicting information comes out, your company will come out looking worse. So if asked how many gallons of oil are leaking into the gulf, tell it how it is. It might be painful at first, but it will make you look better in the end.

2. Don't point fingers.  Be accountable for your company's actions or inactions upfront. People don't buy the blame game, they want to hear what YOUR company did and what YOU are doing to do to fix the problem.

3. Control the message. Before your company lands in the middle of a crisis, make sure you have a social media presence and solid following in place so that YOU'RE controlling the message, and you have brand ambassadors to help you spread it. And if there are imposter accounts, make sure that you alert the public (through as many channels as possible) what the official company accounts are - ASAP.

4. Strike while the iron's hot. Recently, BP began placing one-page ads in major daily newspapers that read, "We will get this done. We will make this right." Don't wait for a crisis to get out of hand before you start making public apologies. Strike while the iron's hot to show the public on-and-offline that you're sorry, you care and you're on it.

Of course, it's always easier in retrospect to say what you would or should have done, but implementing a few of the above tips can help minimize any crisis. The key lesson here is to be proactive. Get in front of a crisis as soon as you can. Be honest about the scale of the situation. If at fault, apologize through as many communication channels as possible to all of your company's stakeholders, and take responsibility for the action or inaction.