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10 rules of anti-crisis response

Author: Manusha Liubawa
by Manusha Liubawa
Posted: Jan 15, 2021

"Do no harm" is perhaps the first rule to be followed by specialists working with such delicate matters as reputational risks. For a Russian pharmaceutical company, which is in an area of??increased competition, active actions of global players and close attention of the market regulator, these risks are the most critical.

Anti-crisis PR program is always a complex work. It begins with the identification of the crisis and its diagnosis, followed by an assessment of one's own resources and the formation of an anti-crisis PR-strategy focused either on changing the situation or on adapting to it. Be that as it may, from a theoretical point of view, crisis management can have four goals: forecasting crises, ending the crisis quickly, limiting damage, and restoring trust in the organization. During our work, we have formulated the basic principles that can be used by the PR service of a company in a crisis situation.

1. Have good preparation

Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your position. Create a focal point, choose a single speaker to voice the company's official position. Decide on a response strategy, develop a system of tactical steps. Remember that with a holistic approach to solving a problem, you have a much better chance of winning.

2. Take your time to react

When a publication comes out against your company, think carefully before disproving it. Not every attack should be answered. Sometimes silence is the best tactical decision with strategic impact. By missing a beat, you will weaken the wave and increase the likelihood that it will subside after a few days.

3. Form your own information agenda

It is better to set the tone in the media yourself and convey your position to the public than to lag behind: to refute, neutralize, "extinguish" other people's information.

4. Analyze the information agenda in detail

Knowing the public discourse on an issue will allow you to quickly use that context for your own purposes. Even the news stories that a competitor initiates are quite suitable for an effective speech in the press.

5. Predict

Try to list several options for the development of events in order to have the widest possible countermeasures.

6. Have a pool of loyal journalists

Take care of a pool of loyal journalists in advance who can help you publish operational materials. The formation of a pool of journalists is a regular task of the head of the press service, but only a crisis can check the quality of its implementation.

7. Do not throw big bosses into the embrasure

In a crisis situation, the speaker should be a representative of the press service or any other person of the company, but not the general director. 70% of the company's reputation is the reputation of its leader, and in order not to lose his "interest", he must remain in the shadows until better times. The leader should be associated with good news. In addition, due to the crisis situation, he will have a lot of things to do.

8. Save resources

Try to quickly distinguish between a "bad note" about a company (which probably no one will remember tomorrow) and a real crisis. The information field is inherently heterogeneous, so you shouldn't react to every unevenness.

9. Be sure to involve third parties in the dissemination of information about the company

The expert community is your agents of influence who will help to win public opinion over to your side.

10. Inform the public about overcoming the crisis

Do it carefully so as not to increase the number of those who knew about the crisis. Avoid the word "crisis" unless it is an important PR campaign argument.

And finally, the last recommendation: memorize, collect, write down mistakes. Not always everything goes according to plan, and the result exceeds expectations. Mistakes are an invaluable element of experience that stays with us even when we have failed.

It is also not worth forgetting that a crisis always has two sides. On the one hand, we see the risks associated with a blow to the organization's reputation, property and finances. On the other hand, the crisis has great potential for renewing not only the company, but also the information field around it. The article was prepared for the authors of the service EssayWriterHelp.com

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Author: Manusha Liubawa

Manusha Liubawa

Member since: Jan 09, 2021
Published articles: 4

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