2 Videos on Handling a PR Crisis

Stuff happens—accidents occur, spills take place, disaster hits, or product recalls are required. When a company faces these public relations (PR) challenges, they need to recover their reputations and their carefully nurtured trust with important stakeholders. Admitting mistakes and accepting accountability is not easy for senior business leaders or senior public officials. Taking credit for success is much more fun than taking blame for failure.

Some executives take courses on how to handle interviews in crisis situations. To rebuild their credibility with the public and important stakeholders, they are encouraged to follow the 4As outlined in the adjacent slide: 1) Admit accountability; 2) Applaud being made aware of the seriousness of the situation; 3) Apologize for putting the environment and / or people in harm’s way; and 4) Act quickly to fix the situation and to prevent further recurrences.

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On the other hand, there may be a strong temptation to try to duck the whole thing. Executives are understandably hopeful that it will all blow over quickly. They clam up or they resort to some combination of the 4Ds in the adjacent slide. Sometimes Denying, Dismissing, Discrediting, and Delaying tactics work. Most times they don’t. Two light-hearted videos reinforce the futility of the 4Ds in crisis situations.

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To view these videos in full screen, click on the arrows in the bottom right corner of the video. If you are receiving this blog post via email, click on the title of the video to view it.

The Front Fell Off (2:13 minutes)This is a mock interview of an Australian MP showing his inept attempt to reassure the public about the safety of oil tankers after a spill. The skit by the satirical Australian comedy duo, John Clarke and Brian Dawe, was inspired by an oil spill that occurred in 1991 when the Greek Oil tanker Kirki lost its bow off the coast of Western Australia. The MP tries to dismiss it as a unique, “untypical” accident and to downplay the seriousness of the impact on the environment—the ship was “towed beyond the environment.” Lovely.

Clarke & Dawe on the US Oil Spill (2:47 minutes)The explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig provided Clarke and Dawe with a more recent irresistible opportunity for a spoof interview in a crisis situation. In this skit, a BP spokesperson downplays the problem and reassures people that they shouldn’t be worried—“underestimate the problem.” Rather than applauding others’ efforts to help contain the spill, he applauds himself for trying

“brilliant” solutions that don’t work. Finally, he denies that it was BP’s fault and uses the “democratic solution” of pointing the finger of blame at others, like the President.

These comedy skits provide a humorous exaggeration of how ineffective desperate 4D attempts can be during a crisis. Let’s hope executives learn from their tongue-in-cheek instruction and see the wisdom of 4A tactics.

Bob