Considering that weekly evidence suggests that vampires are frequently feeding on humans, you wonder how the world still holds out hope for mainstreaming. Either the vampire community has successfully group glamoured the Earth or the blood, sweat and tears of an undisclosed public relations firm has successfully controlled the conversation with the craftiness of a shape shifter.
For the most part, the PR effort, at least what we saw publicly, was a one-woman show. Despite her bite, she lost her stakeholders, eventually getting staked herself. Now with vampires lacking their previous authority and broadcasts dripping with news of factory fires, this crisis communications will need to do more than put forward the pretty faces of Bill and Eric.
The “Authority” in its current form reminds us crisis communications is often about coming clean and making clear where a group stands. You must shed light instead of hiding from it. This is not the time to put forward a broad strategy of trying to save face. Instead, seek opportunities to redefine your old self. Explain you’re concerned and investigating. If true, acknowledge you share some blame. And don’t hide behind some pale written statement that took a scared information officer centuries to write. If nothing else, be sincere. Today’s public doesn’t need to be telepathic to tell when your story is spin that will eventually spin out of control.
But some companies never learn their lesson, go underground and don’t reconsider the ancient rules of public relations. They hope the monster of bad publicity will eventually walk on, only to instead see their image eventually drain away.
That strategy is a true dud.