Summary: Communicate in a Crisis: Understand, Engage and Influence Consumer Behaviour to Maximize Brand Trust by Kate Hartley

Recommendation

Kate Hartley, a 25-year veteran of crisis response public relations, offers an incisive, readable guide to planning crisis communications. Although crisis communications for brands has been around for decades, Hartley reorients the practice to work within current media trends, including avoiding fake news, using influencer marketing and be cautious of customer information overload. Along with her useful and accessible advice, Hartley offers cringe-worthy studies of what not to do, as well as examples of best practices in action.

Take-Aways

• Social media creates new risks for brands, including fake news and increased customer outrage.
• Conscious consumerism, trolling and expectations of immediacy are the new norms.
• Crisis management must address the “social media hydra” with planning and speedy execution.
• From United Airlines to TalkTalk, case studies demonstrate that honesty and accuracy are crucial.
• Crisis teams must have clear and defined roles and responsibilities.
• Crisis prevention and response follow predictable patterns you can and should anticipate.

Summary

Social media creates new risks for brands, such as fake news and increased customer outrage.

A brand can trigger a crisis and provoke negative reactions online by making a mistake people pounce on or by acting or communicating against its stated ethics or principles.

England’s 2018 Southern Rail imbroglio provides an example. British rail companies changed their timetables abruptly and without adequately communicating with their customers. The railroad canceled thousands of trips, stranding commuters who were thus unable to get to work. Social media amplified the national outcry. Consumers filled Twitter with photos of overcrowded trains and jam-packed platforms.

“When people were powerless before social media, they now have power to influence a brand’s behavior – or at least make the brand sit up and take notice.”

Rapidly proliferating fake news, which is no longer only a political ploy, also targets companies. After a blog falsely reported remarks supposedly made by the CEO of PepsiCo during the 2016 election, the company faced a boycott, and its stock price fell 5%.

The new structures of social media amplify the emotional reactions consumers have to “passion brands.” These brands conjure profound consumer loyalty and generate meaningful interactions with customers. Passion brands include Ben & Jerry’s, Nike, Harley-Davidson, Netflix and Apple, to name a few.

Influencer marketing, another exploding trend, spreads your brand message through the voice of a third party. But brands must beware of falsification – such as when an influencer purchases followers. Examine online or posters’ engagement rates to determine their number of genuine followers and gauge their true influence.

Conscious consumerism, trolling and expectations of immediacy are the new norms.

The rise of conscious consumerism creates both opportunities and dangers for brands. In 2017, for example, the Edelman Trust Barometer found that 57% of consumers make purchasing decisions based on a brand’s social or political stances.

Nike made a particularly bold move by keeping National Football League San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick as its spokesperson after his decision to kneel in protest during the American national anthem. The #TakeAKnee campaign resonated with its audience – even after the league shunned Kaepernick, despite his All-Star status.

Trolls – posters who write offensive comments and instigate arguments – create problems for brands. Virtual communities fall prey to the“online disinhibition effect,” which manifests in the extreme emotions and behavior people display online under cover of anonymity and invisibility.

Brands can proactively prevent trolling by setting and enforcing rules against abusive behavior in the communities they monitor.

“In the age of Amazon and Netflix we don’t have to wait for anything anymore.”

Brands must assume and work around the impacts of immediacy. The human mind is wired for instant gratification, and social media exacerbate that tendency. Facebook, for example, considers a brand responsive only if it answers 90% of online questions within 15 minutes.

Crisis management must address the “social media hydra” with planning and speedy execution.

Along with expectations of a speedy response, other media trends that have an impact on crisis management include consumer information overload and the public’s declining trust in authority figures. Taken together, these trends increasingly require companies to be as forthright as possible at all times. Consider hiring extra staff during a crisis to help your company respond effectively to the inevitable high volume of requests.

Brand crisis managers must differentiate between an ongoing or reoccurring business issue and a genuine crisis, which is an event that threatens the company’s core business.

“The sheer volume of information we all get now means that we are half listening to everyone…and the rawest filter of data is to ignore it completely.” (customer experience expert Dale Roberts)

During a crisis, the need for urgency becomes more extreme, so brands must prepare a proactive social media information strategy to avoid being overwhelmed in a crisis. The single most important task and strategy: Make sure you provide correct information and never sacrifice accuracy for the sake of a quick response or fast action.

Have a crisis plan in place, but make sure it covers more than responding to an emergency. A successful crisis plan also should include a path to recovering from the crisis. Having a strong recovery plan will help your brand make the transition back to business as usual and will help you determine that the events and PR activities you schedule don’t seem out of place.

In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a water serpent that grew two new heads every time someone chopped one head off. Social media can resemble the Hydra, with growing chains of negative or false content popping up on Twitter, LinkedIn and elsewhere, all requiring constant monitoring. Also monitor and address lies and misinformation that crop up on other companies’ websites. Always ask another provider to remove a post, especially if it is openly untrue.

Sometimes you can ask your customers for help. For example, hackers subjected the English energy drink Bang to a hoax in 2018 by showing a falsified video depicting an open can of Bang bursting into flames. The company countered with a statement asserting that the video was bogus, and fans posted videos in which they tried to replicate the experiment without success – thus proving that Bang would not explode.

From United Airlines to TalkTalk, case studies demonstrate that honesty and accuracy are crucial.

United Airlines suffered a PR debacle – a case study of how not to handle a crisis – in 2017, when crew members violently removed a seemingly uncooperative passenger. After video of the incident spread worldwide, United’s CEO made a tone-deaf statement minimizing the passenger’s suffering.

This incident reduced United’s market capitalization by $770 million. That damage came not from the incident itself, but from the company’s poor response.

“Of the five crises we examined, only one CEO was still in place six months after the crisis ended.”

In the case of TalkTalk, a British internet company that went out of service for 24 hours due to a cyberattack, the company’s crisis management response lacked specifics. When reporters asked for details, the CEO and board members could not clarify which security measures had been in place nor how many customers were affected by the attack. In part due to its lame public response, TalkTalk’s share price dropped. The business lost £77 million and had to pay a £400,000 fine.

To protect your company, forge an internal culture of truthfulness. Although it may seem risky at times, a strict policy of always telling the truth makes your brand more competitive. Using clear language during a crisis also helps restore customer trust. And your corporate representatives must do more than talk. They must take action to resolve the problem.

The concept of “business resilience” has two facets. The first is resilience itself – the ability to prevent an attack from happening in the first place and to survive if it occurs. The second is continuity, a firm’s ability to continue to function during a crisis. That means keeping the lights on and communicating with customers about any service outages or changes.

Building these different aspects of resilience takes time and resources, but a company can identify its vulnerabilities and build responses to them into its plan.Don’t overlook technological tools that can assist you in foreseeing a crisis and handling it as it unfolds. Sophisticated AI, big data analysis and social media listening tools can help you detect a potential commercial crisis by scrutinizing the pattern of customer complaints.

Crisis teams must have clear and defined roles and responsibilities.

A good crisis communications strategy pulls in best practices from leadership training and team building. In a stressful crisis situation, your staff members will reach their biological limits after eight hours. To keep your war room functioning, develop the staffing depth to rotate people on and off in eight-hour shifts, and build in time for resilience practices such as rest breaks and meditation.

“Good resilience training will give you techniques to avoid catastrophic thinking, which creates pressure. If you are thinking about the worst scenario, then you experience it physiologically.”

The Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania teaches a framework for resilience, PERMA, which is an acronym for positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment.

Crisis team members should establish mutual trust in advance of any crisis. Sometimes an external consultant can deal with a situation more candidly than insiders can and will be able to speak more freely with leaders about what needs to happen. Internally, your legal and communications departments must work together, though they might feel at cross-purposes at times, especially when it comes to making apologies.

The single most important role for a leader in a crisis is setting out the company’s strategic intent – a one-sentence statement of the outcome the company seeks to achieve by its responses and actions. Leaders must also be ready to communicate with empathy and humanity and to undertake decisions even if they don’t yet possess the optimal amount of information or data.

Crisis prevention and response follow predictable patterns you can and should anticipate.

A crisis has four predictable stages:

1. Pre-crisis planning – In this stage, focus on creating a hierarchy, a step-by-step plan and a structured response. Integrate scenario planning with communications strategies for each possible scenario.
2. Prodromal – This is a medical term for the period of time before an outbreak of a disease. Brand managers should take advantage of any time available before the onset of an inevitable crisis to brief the relevant staff and stakeholders, assemble the crisis team, review the crisis plan and adjust it to address the specific needs of the impending emergency.
3. Crisis mode – During the crisis, you must slow down, breathe and think through decisions before you act. Human nature will spur you to take action during a crisis, but ill-considered and callous statements companies have made to the press have done them tremendous damage in the past. Think before you speak.
4. Recovery – This stage is the longest. How you handle a crisis and its aftermath will define your brand for years. The crisis will probably resurface with further developments as you resolve aspects of it.

Social posts about the crisis will show up in search feeds for years. Carefully consider all corporate statements before you release them. Read them aloud. Imagine having a person affected by the crisis listening and reacting.

“If influencers are associated with your brand, they will be asked questions about you. They are part of your crisis plan whether you want them to be or not.”

Do not underestimate the role of influencers in crisis communications. You should keep them in the loop during crisis planning and when a crisis breaks, since they act as proponents of your brand. Their authenticity and their positions outside the company lend credibility to your corporate statements. They play a critical role in social listening by hearing from their audiences, following what they say about your brand and noting whether people are spreading misinformation.

About the Author

Crisis communications and PR consultant and trainer Kate Hartley co-founded Polpeo, a crisis simulation company that works with major brands.

Review

“Communicate in a Crisis: Understand, Engage and Influence Consumer Behaviour to Maximize Brand Trust” by Kate Hartley is a comprehensive guide that explores effective communication strategies during times of crisis. The book provides practical advice and insights to help businesses and organizations navigate challenging situations and maintain trust with their audience.

Hartley starts by emphasizing the importance of understanding the dynamics of a crisis and its impact on consumer behavior. She explains how crises can disrupt normal communication channels and create a sense of uncertainty among stakeholders. The author emphasizes the need for organizations to proactively communicate with transparency and empathy to build and maintain trust.

The book outlines key principles and strategies for effective crisis communication. Hartley explores the role of empathy, authenticity, and responsiveness in establishing a strong connection with the audience. She provides guidance on crafting clear and concise messages that address stakeholders’ concerns and reassures them during times of uncertainty.

Hartley emphasizes the significance of listening to the audience and engaging in two-way communication. She explores various communication channels and platforms that can be utilized to reach and interact with stakeholders effectively. The author also provides insights on leveraging social media, traditional media, and other digital tools to disseminate information and manage reputation during a crisis.

The book highlights the importance of having a crisis communication plan in place before a crisis occurs. Hartley provides a step-by-step framework for developing a robust crisis communication strategy, including crisis monitoring, risk assessment, and crisis response protocols. She also discusses the role of leadership in crisis communication and the importance of having a designated spokesperson to provide consistent and timely updates.

Throughout the book, Hartley provides real-world case studies and examples to illustrate the concepts and principles discussed. She offers practical tips and actionable advice that can be applied by organizations of all sizes and industries.

“Communicate in a Crisis: Understand, Engage and Influence Consumer Behaviour to Maximize Brand Trust” by Kate Hartley is an invaluable resource for businesses and organizations seeking to effectively communicate during times of crisis. The book offers a comprehensive framework and practical insights to navigate challenging situations and maintain trust with stakeholders.

One of the strengths of the book is its emphasis on empathy and authenticity in crisis communication. Hartley highlights the importance of understanding the emotional impact of a crisis on stakeholders and provides guidance on how to communicate with empathy and sincerity. This approach helps organizations establish a genuine connection with their audience and build trust during challenging times.

The step-by-step framework provided by Hartley for developing a crisis communication plan is highly practical and actionable. The author covers all essential aspects, from crisis monitoring to response protocols, ensuring that organizations are well-prepared to handle any crisis situation. The inclusion of real-world case studies adds depth and illustrates the effectiveness of the strategies discussed.

Hartley’s writing style is clear, concise, and accessible, making the book suitable for both communication professionals and individuals seeking to enhance their crisis communication skills. The author’s expertise and experience in the field of crisis communication shine through, providing credibility and relevance to the content.

One minor limitation of the book is that it primarily focuses on crisis communication from a corporate perspective. While the principles and strategies can be applied to various industries, readers looking for specific industry-specific examples may need to seek further resources.

Overall, “Communicate in a Crisis: Understand, Engage and Influence Consumer Behaviour to Maximize Brand Trust” is a highly recommended resource for organizations and communication professionals. Hartley’s comprehensive framework, practical insights, and real-world examples make this book an invaluable guide for navigating the complex landscape of crisis communication and maintaining trust with stakeholders.