#crises management

New Post has been published on https://turkeltalks.com/the-wrong-way-and-the-right-way-to-use-social-media-in-a-crises

The Wrong Way — and the Right Way — to use Social Media in a Crises.

The Wrong Way to use Social Media in a Crisis

From The New York Times, 09/13/17:

“HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — The first patient was rushed into the emergency room of Memorial Regional Hospital around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, escaping a nursing home that had lost air-conditioning in the muggy days after Hurricane Irma splintered power lines across the state.

Four were so ill that they died soon after arriving. In the afternoon, the authorities learned that another had died early in the morning, and was initially uncounted because the person had been taken directly to a funeral home.

In all, eight were dead…

The 152-bed nursing home was acquired in 2015 by Larkin Community Hospital, a growing Miami-area network that includes hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities…

Dr. Jack Michel, the health-care network’s current chairman, did not respond to requests for comment.”

Instead, Michel went on Facebook where he wrote:

“@FLGovScott The best way to honor the memories of those who lost their lives in Hollywood Tragedy is identifying root causes and making sure this doesn’t happen again in FL, not finding scapegoats. Due process is a constitutional right.”

Since that September 18 post, 140 of Michel’s followers have posted likes and frowny face emoticons and some 30 or so sycophants have posted comments blaming the power company, politics, and the unfairness of pointing fingers. Virtually everyone’s been blamed, in fact, but the people responsible for the tragedy.

At best, Dr. Michel’s Facebook bleats make he and Larkin Community Hospital look insensitive and self-serving. And even though only one respondent has criticized his actions online so far, that response is inevitable.

Because as we’ve said so many times before, “When you’re explaining, you’re losing.”

The Right Way to use Social Media in a Crisis

Jim Fried is the senior vice president of Spectrum Mortgage Group, a company that provides commercial property financing. Fried uses his robust social media presence, plus his weekly radio program, Fried on Business, to promote himself and his company.

After the storm Fried posted a five-word message that said simply, “We Are Here to Help!”

Below the headline he wrote: “Hurricane Irma has brought us many challenges, from property damage to cash-flow issues. If you’re in need of cash right now, we can help you turn your real estate property into quick cash with a private loan. Even if your home or property has been damaged, we can lend based on the land value.

Call today! One person makes the decision. We can commit today and close next week.

Let us help you in this special situation.”

Positive, inclusive, and aspirational, Fried made his online post immediately relevant to his readers. He told them precisely what he can do to make their lives better. Then, after making his point, Fried followed up with the Reasons To Believe (RTBs) showing that their property has value, and that they can close on a loan quickly because only “one person makes the decision.”

Simple, direct, and to the point. Jim Fried understands the concepts behind an All About Them marketing strategy.

New Post has been published on http://turkeltalks.com/open-letter-to-united-airlines-ceo-oscar-munoz

United Airlines: An Open Letter to CEO Oscar Munoz

An Open Letter to United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz

Dear Mr. Munoz.

You and United Airlines have had a hard couple of weeks.

For the benefit of the uninformed, let’s recap just a little, shall we?

First one of your United Airlines’ employees chose to have a passenger taken off a flight in order to seat some United Airlines’ employees. By the time Chicago security dragged the hapless passenger – Dr. Dao – off the plane a second time, he was both screaming bloody murder and bleeding from his mouth. Days later, Dr. Dao is due for both reconstructive surgery and his day in court to punish you and United.

Of course, Dr. Dao’s unfortunate trip down the aisle was documented on your other passengers’ cell phone videos and smeared all over the Internet. You can’t swing a mouse through the Internet without coming across a replay of this awful event.

Despite all this, it took you at least four attempts at a public statement before you both apologized sincerely and took responsibility for what happened.

In the meantime, a hornet attacked another United passenger, a newlywed couple was put off their flight, and the blogosphere erupted in humorous memes and incensed outrage, all targeting you and United. And if that weren’t enough, pundit after pundit reminded the public of the “United Breaks Guitars” event (the video has been viewed a staggering 17,258,000 times) and the aptly-named “legging incident.”

There’s been so much press on United Airline’ troubles that I’ve already been on national TV five to talk about the events. Here’s CNN, FOX, and MSNBC just to list a few.

The bottom line? It’s estimated that your United Airlines has already lost between $800 million and one billion dollars in brand value.

And even though you issued a positive financial statement on Monday, there’s no reason to believe the losses won’t continue.

That’s not to say you haven’t done a lot of good for the company. You are given credit for leading United airlines through the tumultuous merger with Continental Airlines and fixing the union crises. Better, under your leadership United Airlines logged a record $1.1 billion in profit last year, and you commandeered a brilliant $3 billion stock buyback program.

But let’s face it, you’ve really stuck your foot in it this time. To get out of this nightmare is going to take a little bit of planning and a whole lot of work.

Here’s what you and United Airlines needs to do:

At the old saying goes, when you’re in a hole and you want to get out, the first thing to do is stop digging. What happened on your planes was bad enough – there’s no need for you to make it worse through tone deaf statements. You’re a smart man, Mr. Munoz. Do I need to say more?

Watch my favorite television commercial of all time. It was aired back in 1990. No, I didn’t write it or produce it. I just think it’s one of the best pieces of marketing communications ever.

  Notice something interesting, Mr. Munoz? That’s right. The spot is for United Airlines. The company you run.

This commercial is proof positive that almost 30 years ago your company knew exactly what it stood for and why. And it shows that United Airlines understood why your customers do business with you. In my world, this commercial proves that once upon a time United Airlines had a powerful All About Them brand.

What this great commercial shows us is it’s not that United Airlines has been hit with bad luck. It’s not that times have changed. It’s not that conditions have conspired against you.

It’s simply that you and United Airlines have lost your way.

I’m not suggesting that your flight back won’t be a difficult one. But just like your suggestion of “having to re-accommodate… customers,” maybe it’s time to re-accommodate your brand messaging and the operational training procedures that go along with that re-accommodation.

And unlike the blowhards who are screaming for your head, I think you’re the perfect person to lead your company into the promised land. After all, you’ve already proven your financial acumen and your uncanny ability to negotiate with unions and employees. And you’ve felt both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Victory feels a whole lot better, doesn’t it?

Now it’s time to demonstrate that your leadership coups were not simply beginner’s luck.

If it’s not clear yet, I would love to help you build a compelling brand strategy every bit as powerful as the one your airline debuted in 1990. I believe United Airlines is perfectly positioned to prove the power of All About Them. What’s more, I believe you’re just the guy to do it.

New Post has been published on http://turkeltalks.com/open-letter-to-uber

An Open Letter to Uber and Travis Kalanick

Uber, San Francisco, California Attn: Mr. Travis Kalanick, CEO

Dear Travis,

Congratulations.

You had the great idea to create a ride sharing app. And you put in the effort to make Uber incredibly successful. Thanks to your hard work, your company has reached a very rarified status.

Uber has become the company people love to hate.

First Uber made the mistake of looking like it aligned with the president’s unpopular ban on immigration. This appeared to be against the best interests of both your customers and your employees. Then Susan Fowler demonstrated the depth of Uber’s sexiest work environment. The recount of her experience working for the company has become an Internet sensation.

#delete Uber indeed.

Of course, you could always blame your bad luck on others including liberal activists and fake news writers. Except that the way Uber has handled these PR disasters could become the syllabus for a Harvard business school case study on how not to manage a crisis.

Believe me, I know what I’m talk about.

It wasn’t that long ago that my hometown, Miami, was the place people loved to hate. I know because my firm was responsible for helping shepherd the city through its biggest crisis. Those were the dark days when visitors were afraid to vacation here because of crimes against tourists and the way crime was glamorized on popular shows such as Miami Vice.

But not so many years later, having followed a very careful and well thought out crisis management plan, Miami is the hottest and hippest tourist destination in the world. More importantly to you, our shareholder value numbers are through the roof.

So I’m hoping that at least one of my readers knows you or works for you and will forward this post to your personal email address. Because as I’m about to show you, fixing your problem is not that hard. Proper crisis management requires a careful, steady, and well-experienced hand on the tiller that will guide your ship to future profits. It ain’t rocket science. But it is serious business.

Tylenol did it. Uber can too.

And please don’t believe anyone who tells you that it’s already too late and that there’s nothing you can do. Look at what happened to Tylenol in 1982. Their poisoned product killed seven people. Yet by handling their crisis properly they not only overcame the nightmare scenario’s effect on their bottom line. They returned stronger, more profitable, and claimed their position as the leading pain reliever in the market.

Let me guide you through the five simple steps you must follow to pull yourself out of this hole.

The Five Steps to Saving the Uber Brand.

Confess. Get all the information in front of the public as quickly as possible. Just like obsessively toying with a painful cavity with your tongue, nothing is worse than bad information that oozes out bit by bit. It’s crucial to step up to the plate, admit all your wrongdoings, and move on. If the public needs to hear bad news, they need to hear it from you. Once.

Define. As my good friend, Ray Ruga constantly reminds me, you must define your issue before someone else does. Nature abhors a vacuum and the competition is just waiting for the opportunity to fill empty airspace with negative comments (Lyft anyone?). Decide on your best strategy and stick to it.

Act. Fix your problem permanently and unequivocally. For Tylenol, that meant they not only removed and destroyed every single bottle of Tylenol on the shelves (not just the ones from problem areas) but they installed tamper proof caps and redundant fail safe foil wrappers on every bottle to assure consumers the product was safe. Besides demonstrating that you care, your customers can’t effectively complain about problems that no longer exist.

Apologize. Apologize honestly, sincerely, and completely. “I’m sorry if you were upset” is not an apology. If your words of remorse contain “if” or “but,” chances are you’re not being as contrite as you need to be.

Relate. Finally, make sure that your entire crises mitigation program appeals to your audience’s emotional side. Remember that people make decisions based on their emotions and justify those decisions with facts. Brands that forget this simple truism do so at their own peril.

But First Things First.

Of course, before you can do any of this, you must accept that you have a problem. Because as the adage goes, “when you’re in a hole and you want to get out, the first thing to do is stop digging.”

You’ve got a problem, my friend. Step one to fixing it is accepting it.