Monday, November 30, 2009
A week of PR disasters
This week has been characterised by PR disasters at a global scale. First came the news of Dubai World defaulting on its humungous payments to its investors and a massive global media backlash. And immediately, there was news of Tiger Woods getting whipped by his wife. Two major events with huge loss of credibility for two global brands.
Accidents happen, but it is no reason not to respond in an organised manner to contain the damage. In crisis communications, when the damage is done, what one can do at the most is contain the damage and move into crisis management mode. The first thing one has to do is to monitor the extent of the damage.
One thing that i learnt while managing crises ( in Dubai, at the start of the recession), was to firstly MEASURE the extent of the damage. This could mean something as simple as looking at ALL the media write ups, the blog posts ( as many as possible) and also video / other posts. Media monitoring is of utmost importance, because you know what the media is saying and where.
The second step is to analyse what they are saying. What the key messages are. This exercise becomes a crucial tool to monitor, and eventually respond to the detractors or the outside "publics" ( in many cases the media themselves).
Responding to the media in a timely fashion, after coming up with appropriate responses ( taking into consideration questions of confidentiality etc..)
So what can Tiger woods do to get out of the woods ? Simple, convince his wife to do a joint press conference asap to 'clarify' the facts. Even if he is having an affair, it is time he came out clean and settled the issue. If not, then he could clarify this with wife in tow, which is the smartest thing that any man can do. Think Bill / Hillary Clinton post the Monika Lewinsky case.
What can Dubai do to rev up Brand Dubai to its previous ratings ? I believe the first thing they can and should do IMMEDIATELY is to get ALL the media to speak with the ruler : His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He should come out and reveal the extent of the real damage. While the facts are out, there seems to be a sense in the international media that the government is not being transparent about them. To get over this, there needs to be a greater transparency and access to the decision makers. While working in Dubai, I have seen the reluctance of the powers that be to shy away from the media and let them speculate. This is not only hurting their image, but also spreading rumours.
These are some steps that these two brands can take to manage the crises that have hit them. A crisis is never a good thing, but if managed well can teach us to be prepared, organised and also a bit more open and honest about what is really going on in our lives.
Accidents happen, but it is no reason not to respond in an organised manner to contain the damage. In crisis communications, when the damage is done, what one can do at the most is contain the damage and move into crisis management mode. The first thing one has to do is to monitor the extent of the damage.
One thing that i learnt while managing crises ( in Dubai, at the start of the recession), was to firstly MEASURE the extent of the damage. This could mean something as simple as looking at ALL the media write ups, the blog posts ( as many as possible) and also video / other posts. Media monitoring is of utmost importance, because you know what the media is saying and where.
The second step is to analyse what they are saying. What the key messages are. This exercise becomes a crucial tool to monitor, and eventually respond to the detractors or the outside "publics" ( in many cases the media themselves).
Responding to the media in a timely fashion, after coming up with appropriate responses ( taking into consideration questions of confidentiality etc..)
So what can Tiger woods do to get out of the woods ? Simple, convince his wife to do a joint press conference asap to 'clarify' the facts. Even if he is having an affair, it is time he came out clean and settled the issue. If not, then he could clarify this with wife in tow, which is the smartest thing that any man can do. Think Bill / Hillary Clinton post the Monika Lewinsky case.
What can Dubai do to rev up Brand Dubai to its previous ratings ? I believe the first thing they can and should do IMMEDIATELY is to get ALL the media to speak with the ruler : His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He should come out and reveal the extent of the real damage. While the facts are out, there seems to be a sense in the international media that the government is not being transparent about them. To get over this, there needs to be a greater transparency and access to the decision makers. While working in Dubai, I have seen the reluctance of the powers that be to shy away from the media and let them speculate. This is not only hurting their image, but also spreading rumours.
These are some steps that these two brands can take to manage the crises that have hit them. A crisis is never a good thing, but if managed well can teach us to be prepared, organised and also a bit more open and honest about what is really going on in our lives.
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