I think in any public relations crisis it is better to be proactive rather than reactive. When the organization takes too long to respond to a crisis, the public develops a certain level of distrust. Also, this gives way too much time for rumors to be spread, which could easily have been avoided by simply speaking up with the truth. The public responds much better to honesty. Everyone knows they make mistakes, so by admitting the wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness, the company has a much better chance of surviving the crisis.
I remember in 1982 when the Tylenol bottles were tampered with and several people were killed. The company automatically took all of the products off of the shelves. They showed that they cared more about their customers than making a profit. Tylenol was able to easily survive the crisis.
Other companies have not been so proactive and have suffered greatly for their crisis. I think Microsoft may suffer this same fate if they don't become more forthcoming. At this point it seems the best thing for them to do is admit they were wrong and take the steps to fix the problem.
Exactly, Quinn! Thanks for the input.
My advice is to disclose as soon possible. You have a better chance of managing the story if you take the initiative. My experience is a crisis is an opportunity to deliver key messages about your company.
A few years ago, a client of mine, a treatment hospital for troubled teens, had a patient die while being restrained. I was notified immediately. After obtaining the details of the incident, I recommended that we issue a news release and hold a news conference. In the meantime, I found out that the deceased patient's roommate was being released the same day, having successfully completed treatment. Also, I met with the local police to ascertain what they would say and let them know what we were doing. The news conference was well attended as you might expect and the lead story was the child's death. However, I was able to get the reporters to say that an investigation would be done to determine conclusively the cause of death. This was confirmed by the police. Also, several news reports did side bar stories on the roommate's success story. Six weeks later the coroner reported that death was due to an undetected congenital heart defect.
My two...
Quinn
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