PoRtFOLIO

by Erin Whitton

Disclaimer: This media plan was produced as an educational requirement for Corporate Communications & Public Relations at Centennial College. The plan is fictional and hypothetical. None of the mentioned parties are affiliated with such a product. Fictionalized individuals appear with names in quotes. Questions and/or comments are welcome.

Infant Alert Distance Monitor - Media Plan

Goal:

To create exposure for the product with the target audience, with the end goal of an established link (in the audience’s mind) between preventing a child’s accidental drowning and the use of the Infant Alert Distance Monitor.

Objectives:

1. To secure a feature in one long-lead publication in which four child drowning facts (provided in the media kit) were used and a link established between child drownings and unsupervised children.
2. To secure coverage on two top-rated morning shows in which our spokesperson discusses dangers of young, unsupervised children and backyard pools, as well as provides product demonstration.
3. To secure coverage in four short-lead publications in which media has used photo opportunity as well as two of the key messages.

Key messages:

• “Infant Alert Distance Monitor is a monitoring system for detecting when a child strays from adult supervision.”
• “Infant Alert Distance Monitor has a range of 30 feet, and sounds an alarm when the child strays out of range.”
• “Drowning is a silent death. The Infant Alert Distance Monitor can be your early warning system.”
• “Because children are our most precious resource.”

Intended audience:

The intended audience consists of parents and caregivers of children one to four years old. Focus will be the province of Ontario. The target demographic will be middle- to upper-middle class.

Targeting parents with children between one to four years old is appropriate because, for children in this age group, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death. Drowning and near-drowning incidents are linked to behavioural and cognitive development, and children in this age group are high-risk for several reasons:

1. They are attracted to the water but they do not understand the risk.
2. They are top-heavy and are prone to falling.
3. They can walk but they cannot swim.

Finally, targeting Ontario makes strategic sense as it has the largest percentage of backyard pool drownings second to Quebec.

* Research from Safe Kids Canada website

Target media and contacts:

Broadcast
• Breakfast Television – Segment producer
• Cityline (CityTV) – Segment producer
• Canada AM (national) – Segment producer
• A-Channel Morning (London) – Segment producer

Magazines (long-lead)
• Chatelaine Magazine - Anna Sharratt, Health Editor
• Today’s Parent – Health Editor
• ParentsCanada Magazine - Diane Jermyn

Newspapers (short-lead)
• Toronto Star — Joseph Hall, Health Reporter
• Globe & Mail – Paul Taylor, Health Editor
• London Free Press – John Miner, Health Reporter
• Ottawa Citizen — Robert Bostelaar, Tech Editor
• Kingston Whig-Standard — Sarah MacWhirter, Features Editor

Media tactics:

1. Media kit

The media kit will provide journalists all necessary information regarding the product and its functions. It will contain two fact sheets on two key informational elements:

I. The function and technical information regarding the Infant Alert Distance Monitor, including its core purpose (detecting when a child strays from adult supervision), as well as its secondary uses (monitor the whereabouts of inanimate objects like laptops, briefcases, etc.).
II. Facts concerning infant and toddler deaths in Canada due to accidental drowning.

As well, the media kit will include a news release announcing the Infant Alert Distance Monitor to the Canadian market to coincide with Safe Kids Week 2007, focused on drowning prevention. The release will also announce the photo opportunity scheduled for May 28, 2007.

Finally, an interactive CD-Rom will be included in the media kit. The CD will feature:

• .jpgs and .tiff files with product pictures;
• A short featurette about child drowning prevention and the product’s use to this end; and,
• Mini situation-based skits illustrating the products use in other contexts – crowded airports, amusement parks, shopping malls, as well as use with inanimate objects like briefcases and laptops.

2. Photo opportunity

Scheduled for May 28 (the first day of Safe Kids Week) at 11 a.m. there will be a photo opportunity with spokesperson “Daniel Ogden,” “Bob Macilroy,” president of “Infant Alert” Canada, and “Timmy Riggins,” a 10-year-old boy involved in a near-drowning at the age of five. The photo opportunity will take place at Humber Community Pool in Etobicoke, Ontario.

3. One-on-one interviews

The interviews will feature our spokesperson, “Daniel Ogden.” “Ogden” is a retired NFL quarterback, and a father. In 1990, “Ogden” tragically lost his son, “Tyler,” in a drowning accident in the family pool.

Nothing speaks to the importance of child safety like a parent’s heartache over losing a child. “Ogden” will express the importance of monitoring products like the Infant Alert Distance Monitor as they relate to preventing tragic accidents like “Tyler’s.” Appearances will be pitched to four of Ontario’s top-rated morning programs:

• Canada AM (appearance with Beverly Thomson)
• CityLine (appearance with Marilyn Dennis)
• Breakfast Television (appearance with Kevin Frankish)
• A-Channel Morning – London (appearance with Cheryl Weedmark)

Roll-out and strategy:

The timing of this campaign is centered around Safe Kids Week 2007, focused this year on drowning prevention. Safe Kids Week is scheduled for May 28 - June 3. Each element of the plan will be rolled out to strategically coincide with the beginning of this week.

1. Magazines will be pitched the last two weeks of March to target issues coming out the beginning of June.
2. Pitches will be made to target broadcast media one month prior to Safe Kids Week, with target airdates for sometime during May 28 – June 3.
3. Newspaper contacts will receive fact cards the week before the scheduled photo opportunity. They will include an alarming fact about child drowning in Canada with the product’s name on the reverse, as well as the contact number for media inquiries. The Friday before the photo opportunity, the contacts will receive the complete media kit.

Evaluation:

Evaluating throughout

We will employ Carver Communications, a media and broadcast-monitoring agency headquartered in Ottawa. Carver will monitor all targeted media to help determine if our output objectives were obtained. Monitoring will answer the follow:

• Was there mention of the product? How many times?
• Was the coverage favourable? ‘Quality versus quantity.’
• Were any of the four key messages used in the coverage? How many times?
• Was there discussion about drowning prevention, and how the product can minimize these incidents, on any Internet news sites, blogs, discussion groups, etc?

As these results come in, it is important to quantify these results for the client. To demonstrate the extent of their return on investment we will equate the value of this coverage to similar advertising coverage, so that the client can understand cost-per-impression is significantly less than it would be if they had decided to go the advertising route.

Evaluating the outcome

Steps would be taken depending on the answers to the questions above. For example, if newspaper coverage was favourable, but inaccurate in places, we would consider if our messages were unclear, or if they had not been communicated to the media ineffectively. However, if communication with the media contacts had been clear and accurate, then we would approach the media about the coverage. This would not only quell any hostile feelings on the part of the client, but also, if handled correctly, it would work to foster a long-term relationship with the journalist(s). Similarly, if there was any one particular media contact that was especially receptive to the product and its functions, we would take steps to cultivate that relationship so the contact could be used for future campaigns.

Disclaimer: This media plan was produced by Erin Whitton as an educational requirement for Corporate Communications & Public Relations at Centennial College. The plan is fictional and hypothetical. None of the mentioned parties are affiliated with such a product. Fictionalized individuals appear with names in quotes. Questions and/or comments are welcome.

by Althea Linton

Goal:

To introduce the Angel Alert Child Distance Monitor to the market and to publicize the fact that a product like this exists. We want to garner sufficient media coverage for this product as it is introduced to the Canadian market, specifically the greater Toronto area.

Objective:

• To increase the number of news stories the Angel Alert Child Distance Monitor receives by three news stories per month by January 1, 2007 from our start date of June 1, 2007.
• To secure a segment spot on two specialty shows that target parents by January 1, 2007.

Key Message:

1. The Angel Alert Child Distance Monitor is a useful device that can help prevent the loss of your child, loved ones or valuables.

2. The Angel Alert Child Distance Monitor is a cost-effective way of protecting the things you love.

3. The Angel Alert Child Distance Monitor is compact, durable, and easy to use.

Target audience:

1. Parents of children under 10, who reside in the greater Toronto area.

2.Childcare workers and those who work with children with disabilities in the GTA.

3. Nannies / babysitters of small children in the GTA.

4. Grandparents who take care of grandchildren and act as primary or secondary caregivers.

5. Canadian seniors who have memory loss due to the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s and the people who look after them.

6. Canadian associations that focus on the care and well being of small children, seniors and people with memory loss due to age or disease including; Alzheimer Association of Canada; the Canadian Association of Gerontology; the Canadian Caregiver Coalition and the Canadian Child Care Federation.

Target Media:

Newspapers:

Toronto Sun- lifestyle section. Contact Rita Demontis, lifestyle editor.

Toronto Star- technology section. Contact technology columnists such as Tyler Hamilton or Robert Cribb.

The Globe and Mail- technology section. Contact technology reporter Simon Avery.

Durham Region News- main section and the specials section of the paper. Contact reporter Crystal Crimini or Susan O’Neil.

Brampton Guardian- main section of the paper, ideally the cover page. Contact reporter Peter Criscione or Roger Belgrave.

Hamilton Spectator- main section of the paper or the special reports section. Contact local columnists Susan Clairmont or Paul Wilson.

Magazines:

Today’s Parent Magazine- health, care and safety section of this magazine. Contact editor-in-chief Linda Lewis.

Durham Parent-feature article and cover of the magazine. Contact editor Tamara McKee.

Macleans- science section of the magazine. Contact editor Mark Stevenson.

Reader’s Digest-Reader’s Digest Living section. Contact editor-in-chief Laura Kelley.

Radio:
CBC Radio 1- Metro Morning. Karen Horsman, Metro Parenting.

Television:

News:

Global Television-target a reporter to do a 2-minute news report. Contact assignment editor Inga Belge.

CTV-target a news segment on the lifetime segment. Contact reporter Monica Matys.

Citytv-target the family section of the newscast. Contact reporter Jee-Yun Lee.

Specialty Channels:

Cityline- target is the health and relationships segment of the program. Contact producer Chrissie Rejman.

The Mom Show-target a segment on the show with host Laurie Gelman. Contact Catherine Marion.

Media Tactics:

1. Media Release- The media release will be used to make the initial contact with various news and media outlets in the greater Toronto area. The media release will provide information about the Angle Alert Child Distance Monitor and the upcoming media event.

2. Media kits will be used to provide more detailed information to journalists about the product before a planned media events. The media kit will include a media release, fact sheet about the product and a DVD that features the Angel Alert Child Distance Monitor and user testimonials about the product.

Media kits are an inexpensive and informal way of introducing the product to the media. It a simple way to make the initial contact with the media and once that contact is made, we can then move on to inviting the media to the media event.

3. Media Event- The media event will be held at the Milk International Children’s Festival of the Arts, where we will introduce the Angel Alert Child Distance Monitor. This festival is an ideal place to hold this media event, because we can capture the attention of both key audiences for the Angel Alert Child Distance Monitor (parents or caregivers of small children and the media,) at the same time.

During this event, demonstrations will be held to show how the product works. A situation will be staged where a child gets lost in a large crowd and is found thanks to this product.

We will also demonstrate the other uses of the monitor, including attaching the monitor to items that people frequently lose such as car keys. We would use the media event simply because it has the potential to garner a lot of media attention. Our mock exercises would also provide great visuals for television crews.

Customer testimonials from the media kit DVD will also played at the media event to show how well the product works. We would use this tactic because consumers tend to believe customer testimonials over any other kind of persuasion and we could establish a strong belief in our product through those who have tried and tested the product.

Evaluation:

Once the media event is over, we will evaluate the amount of media coverage the Angel Alert Child Distance Monitor receives. The goal is to have had at least three major news stories about the product per month. A media monitoring service will be hired to check the number of news stories produced because of our media releases and event. If we have achieved our goal, we will determine if our success can be attributed to our media plan.

If we do not achieve our goal, we will try to determine the cause of the unsuccessful outcome. We will then re-evaluate our goal and key message. We will try to determine if media was a factor or if there were other communication problems involved.

Disclaimer: This media plan is a class assignment created by Althea Linton. The assignment required students to act as an outside PR practitioner and draft a media plan for this product. This media plan is fictional and none of the parties mentioned are involved with this product.

Media Plan: Little Angel Child Monitor

by Kate Hillyar

This was an assignment done as part of my Media Relations course in the Corporate Communications and Public Relations program at Centennial College.

Premise:
You’ve been hired to create some “media buzz” by the manufacturers of the Little Angel Child Monitor, described as an “early monitoring system” for detecting when a child strays from adult supervision.

The system consists of two small plastic devices that form a wireless connection to each other. One is a transmitter held by the child the other a receiver, held by the parent.

The children’s unit has a “panic button” that lets them signal your attention that they’re lost (assuming they’re old enough to understand the concept and resist the urge to press the button constantly).

The parent, or caregiver, snaps the receiver unit on to a key chain or pocket and the transmitter onto the child via a thin nylon breakaway cord or into the child’s pocket.

The range of the device is 30 feet and it retails for $60. And, according to the manufacturer it can also be used to monitor the whereabouts of inanimate objects like briefcases, laptop computers and purses.

Goal:
To draw favourable media attention to the safety benefits of the Little Angel Child Monitor.

Objectives:
1) To obtain feature coverage of the Little Angel Child Monitor’s benefits in four community or local publications over the next three weeks.
2) To provide at least five demonstrations of the Little Angel Child Monitor to the targeted audience over the next two weeks.
3) To increase the technical knowledge the target audience has about the Little Angel Child Monitor by 30 per cent within the next four weeks.

Key messages:
1) The safety of your child can be compromised, especially in public places.
2) The Little Angel Child Monitor is a useful device for preventing children 18 months to six years old from being involved in accidents, being abducted and getting lost.
3) The Little Angel Child Monitor is light, versatile and easy to use.

Target audience:
· Parents, grandparents and caregivers of children ages 18 months to six years old, who live in the Greater Toronto Area.
· Active parents who enjoy taking children to lots of public and/or busy places.
· Parents with more than one child – increased likelihood of parents becoming distracted and child running off.
· Single mothers who may be more inclined to read about the product because they have fewer hands to keep track of children.

Target media:
Includes a wide variety of print, broadcast, radio, local and ethnic outlets.

Print media:
· Toronto Star (includes Metro) – Andrea Gordon, Family Issues or Thulasi Srikanthan, Life Writer
· Sun Media (includes 24 Hours) – Jennifer Parks, Lifestyle or Anne Marie McQueen, Trends
· Globe & Mail – Dr. Marla Shapiro, Health Columnist
· Today’s Parent (both print magazine and website) – Health, Care and Safety
· Correo Canadiense (Spanish) - Isabel Inclan, En Familia
· Corriere Canadese (Italian) – Mariella Policheni, Comunita
· Ming Pao Daily News (Cantonese) – Local Toronto section or Saturday edition, which focuses on local lifestyle news
· Sing Tao Daily (Cantonese) – Local Toronto section or Saturday edition, focusing on lifestyle and entertainment
· World Journal (Mandarin) – Sunday edition, contains substantial local content and editorials on current issues

Radio:
· CBC Radio 1, Metro Morning – Karen Horsman, Metro Parenting

Television:

· Citytv – Cynthia Mulligan, Education Specialist
· OMNI 1 News – local parts of news broadcasts, various languages (Portuguese, Chinese, South Asian, etc.)

Media tactics:

1) Special event/Demonstration:
Throughout the city, demonstrations will take place in busy areas that the target audience visits with their children, such as the Metro Toronto Zoo, shopping malls and on busy streets.

The purpose of these events is to show how easily children can get lost and how beneficial the Little Angel Child Monitor can be.

The message will resonate with parents because of the local aspect of the events.

The events will take place over a two-week period in a busy season, such as right before March Break, when parents and guardians are most perceptive to the issue of child safety.

Why?
The events deliver the key messages of safety and versatility of the product in a hands-on manner. The demonstrations will grab people’s attention, especially the target audience, and the product can be shown right then on their own child.

By doing these events in the environments where the product could be used, the target audience is more likely to remember how and why they consider it.

The media will be invited to these events so they can see for themselves how the product works and the legitimate need for increased safety in public places. It also provides the reporter a local angle and some people to put a face to the issue.

2) News release:
Will be sent to all of the aforementioned reporters and journalists via e-mail in hopes of getting coverage of the issue and product. It will point out any statistics that support the need for safety mechanisms when it comes to our children. A comparison will be provided between Little Angel and other child safety devices to show how the former is superior.

Why?
The release will reach the large group of target media quickly and easily. We can also call ahead to “soft sell” the article to journalists and take advantage of any relationships that exist.

When it comes to reaching ethnic media, this method is more attractive because media releases can easily be translated to the appropriate language.

Journalists can easily contact key spokespersons, such as the creators of Little Angel, if they need quotes or further information.

3) Media kit:
Will include further information such as fact sheets and backgrounders about Little Angel and the importance of child safety.

Will draw on statistics and scenarios that illustrate an increase in child endangerment.

Will include a sample of the Little Angel Child Monitor and some tips about how to talk to your child about safety. This will encourage journalists to test out the product for him or herself.

Why?
Media kits are very hands-on and appeal to both English and ethnic media equally.

The information provided in the media kit can be angled locally, so that reporters are more inclined to write it up as a local issue.

Evaluation:
The success of these initiatives will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

· Type and length of coverage – measured in inches and seconds
· Section of broadcast/publication the product appears in
· Tone and opinion in coverage – positive or negative?
· Length of time the issue of child safety stays in the media
· Number of parents who attend demonstrations
· Number of media who attend demonstrations
· Parents’ immediate reaction to demonstrations – positive or negative?

by Omar Ha-Redeye

A summary document, abbreviated and reformatted for the web from an original paper

Executive Summary

Communication issues in high-risk industries can be summarized as due to:

• internal resistance to safety and reputation feedback

• failing to properly participate in public debate (Roach, 2006)

The case of the 1992 Westray mines accident, one of the worst industrial disasters in Canadian history, illustrates these failures.

The result of the Westray disaster was that the company and its owners became bankrupt. Much of this can be attributed to the poor internal and external communication strategies the company employed (Richards, 1996). The framing of the incident and its predecessors was left largely to the media and the findings of judicial inquiry (O’Connell & Mills, 2003).

An approach that would have been more effective would to be forthcoming about details of the incident when they were available. Also important is to express remorse that the situation had occurred, without accepting responsibility or liability until further information is available.

This strategy could have averted the retaliatory environment created by the disaster, maintained positive relationships with the media, family members, and public, and possibly retained the economic viability of the operations.

Accidents are costly

Accidents are operational emergencies that can place a business or organization under considerable scrutiny and review. Some industries, such as mining, can be considered as high risk and should therefore anticipate that accidents are predictable and inevitable (Richcards, 1996)

Proper corporate communications can help anticipate scenarios and mitigate the permanent risk of a crisis (Ogrizek & Guillery, 1997, p. 29). The existence of technological accidents within a context of telecommunications complicates the relationships between organizations and the media, who convey and relay information to the general public, thereby necessitating adequate public relations.

The financial implications of poor crisis communication can easily result in insolvency, and as such, companies should invest resources in crisis communication plans to help create a plausible media narrative when needed.

Communication challenges

Industrial disasters are classified as tightly or loosely coupled, with linear or complex interactions. Coupling refers to the slack built into the system to respond to mistakes or changes, whereas complexity is the predictability of interconnections within the process.

(Left): The bonus system at Westray promoted overtime work, which increased risk to workers (courtesy of CBC, Dr. Gerald J.S. Wilde, and CAW)

Mining industrial crises such as Westray tend to be more linear and loosely coupled. Disasters are typically caused by straightforward operator errors and ignoring safety rules (Hynes & Prasad, 1997). Potential mitigation of an industrial disaster necessitates proper issues management through internal communications.

The role of internal communications is to provide feedback. Organizational performance is unwittingly impeded when feedback is withheld from employees (Goleman, 1998, p. 149).

Feedback provides to employees what the consequences of behaviours or actions are. An analysis of feedback is important at Westray, because it looks at the complex interactions between safety variables and various behaviours, rather than a simple cause and effect relationship (Cooke, 2003).

These internal communication failures are one of the major reasons why accidents in high-risk industries occur, and why explanations provided to the public that omit these factors are resisted.

Characterizing internal communication failures

Numerous opportunities for issues management were afforded to Westray administrators. Previous inspections had flagged crucial areas of concern in operations, and safety complaints had been filed by workers. Methanometers used to monitor levels of dangerous gas in the mines were even tampered with to avoid equipment automatically being shut down (Jobb, 1998).

These scenarios demonstrate ample opportunities for proper intervention. But rather than taking a causal relationship effect, industrial accidents of this sort should be viewed in light of the complex interactions between safety variables and various behaviours (Cooke, 2003).

Although oversight of managerial controls over safety issues should be justly criticized, the complicity of workers in circumventing protocols to facilitate an easier work shift can also be reproached, as can the inspectors who were incredibly lax in their enforcement of regulations (O’Connell & Mills, 2003 ).

Pointing fingers doesn’t work

Explaining an accident in all of its intricacies is a highly effective and more socially responsible approach to retroactive analysis.

More importantly, it avoids blaming incidents on human error due to specific individuals or groups. Scapegoating is usually not accepted by the public as a valid explanation for disasters as it appears to displace responsibility (Ogrizek & Guillery, 1997, pp. 31-32) .

The financial viability of a company after the fallout is often determined by this relationship with the public. The importance of appropriate media communications plans should therefore be clear for helping to properly inform perceptions of a disaster.

The perception of a disaster

Three specific factors determine whether an accident will eventually be perceived as a disaster by the public: the revelation of similar incidents in the field or in the same company; a provision of aid, or compensation for victims; and if events are globalized by the media, with a public interest focusing on regulation (Ogrizek & Guillery, 1997, pp. 32-33).

While the latter may be the most obvious component with a media relations theme, the other two play important roles in the sense-making process.

The public attempts to retroactively understand the incident through information provided by the media (O’Connell & Mills, 2003). The source that the media should ideally obtain this information is the company itself to be proactive instead of reactive.

The response should come quickly, because any void in information will be filled by other sources (Coombs, 1999, pp. 114-5).

(Left) Failing to provide an account immediately after the disaster largely shaped public perception of the disaster, including this reenactment. (Courtesy of “Westray: the Long Way Home,” Chris O’Neill and Ken Schwarz, 2004, Vancouver: Talon Books Ltd.)

“No comment” is a no-no

Westray completely forbade the media from asking questions relating to safety, and instead the media obtained information from other sources, including disgruntled former employees (Richards, 1996).

Lack of commentary on a central issue is perceived by the media as an admission of guilt, damages relationships and erodes trust, and invariably results in blaming mismanagement when no other explanation is offered (Coombs, 1999, pp. 115-6).

Most often this approach is employed out of fear of litigation. A more appropriate approach is to provide a rapid factual response, with a promise to provide further details as they become available (Ogrizek & Guillery, 1997, pp. 29-30). Information should be conveyed by a spokesperson to provide consistency in the message conveyed (Coombs, 1999, p. 117).

An example of the situations created when a consistent message is not provided is the Sago mine disaster in West Virginia in January, 2006. Reports were mistakenly conveyed to the surface that a dozen miners had survived an accidental cave-in.

The message was then conveyed through cellular phones to the media, the public and survivors. A self-proclaimed “nurse” even told the media she was caring for the survivors at the surface (Langfitt, 2006).

The company then had the arduous task of breaking the news to family members that only a sole survivor remained. They had failed to intervene when the rumour spread, and therefore had a much more challenging public relations scenario (Roach, 2006).

Family members of Sago miners speak out.

Why you should hire a PR agency

High-risk industries should always have pre-designated spokespersons. The purpose of a spokesperson is to provide to the media an individual who understands their needs. Advice can be sought be by a public relations firm specializing in public relations, or they can provide training for knowledgeable persons on staff.

Westray management actually went against the advice provided by Reid Management Limited, the professional public relations specialists they hired. The public relations advice they received was to properly engage the media, rather than shy away from it as legal counsel suggested.

Westray scheduled news conferences at inconvenience times that did not take publishing and broadcast schedules into consideration. They even deliberately used technical jargon that was confusing to the media and the public (Richards, 1996).

And when the media attempted to contact family members for interviews Westray officials forbade all contact. As a result, they ended up alienating both parties.

The result was a public relations disaster, which followed an industrial disaster that was tragic enough without the mismanagement of communications.

Resources

Cooke, D. L. (2003). A systems dynamics of the Westray mine disaster. System Dynamics Review 19(2):139-166.

Coombs, T W. (1999). Ongoing crisis communication. Planning, managing, responding. London: Sage Publications, Ltd.

Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. NewYork: Bantam books

Hynes, T & Prasad, P. (1997). Patterns of ‘mock bureaucracy’ in mining disasters: An analysis of the Westray coal mine explosion. Journal of Management Studies, 34 (4), 601-623.

Jobb, D. (1998). The Westray conundrum. We still don’t know why the disaster happened. Occupational Health & Safety Canada, 14(3), 24-31.

O’Connell, C J. & Mills, A. J. (2003) Making sense of bad news: The media, sensemaking, and organizational crisis. Canadian Journal of Communication 28(3):323-339.

Ogrizek, M. & Guillery, J. M. (1997). Communicating in a crisis. A theoretical and practical guide to crisis management. New York: Walter de Gruyter, Inc.

Richards, T. (1996). The Westray mine explosion: An examination of the interaction between the mine owner and the media. Canadian Journal of Communication 21(3):323-339.

By: Riddhi Gandhi

Product recalls are a reality that companies should be prepared to handle. From a communications perspective, negative publicity surrounding a recall is inevitable, especially safety issues are involved. A communicator’s goal should be to minimize the negative publicity.

Public opinion about a company can be influenced positively or negatively depending on how information is released. It’s important to understand the dynamics of product recalls and what the best ways to handle them are.

Case studies

Firestone Corporation, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation and Saturn Corporation both illustrate what to do when one finds themselves in the midst of a public relations disaster.

Both companies had a massive product recall that had the potential to damage their credibility. While the 1993 recall of Saturn vehicles has been relatively forgotten by the public, the inconveinance caused by the 2000 recall on Firestone tires remains fresh in public memory (Smith, Thomas, & Quelch).

The difference is the way the two companies handled the crisis. Saturn’s efforts to handle the situation were direct and proactive, whereas Firestone’s efforts were uncoordinated and insensitive to consumer needs.

Three key messages When I researched the two companies and other literature on recalls, I found three points that kept appearing:

1.The need to respond to crisis quickly.

2.The need to stop acting like a company - money means nothing when it comes to customer satisfaction.

3.The need to ensure key spokespeople and senior management has up-to-date media training.

1. Respond to crisis quickly

If your boyfriend/girlfriend was about to break up with you, you would want to hear it directly from them first - not on your answering machine, not in a note and not from their friends.

When you have to release bad news about a product, the same rules apply. It’s important for the public to hear the news from you first and not from the media.

As early as 1997, over 1,500 legal complaints were made against Firestone tires. It took legislation and public pressure to force Firestone to ‘voluntarily’ recall the tires three years later. As a result, Firestone received negative attention for its slow response.

On the other hand, Saturn voluntarily recalled 350,000 vehicles in 1993. The company took control of the situation by acknowledging the situation and taking steps to reduce customer inconvenience.

To ensure every consumer knew of the recall, Saturn dealers contacted customers personally and arranged for speedy repairs on their cars. Two weeks after issuing the recall, almost 50 per cent of the cars had been repaired (Aaker).

2. Stop acting like a company According to a study by John C. Mowen and Scott B. Pollman, public opinion of companies who initially overstated product defects, and whose subsequent releases showed the defects were not as harmful as initially believed, were viewed more favourably than companies who understated product defects.

Why? When companies overstate the severity of a situation at first, they are seen to be acting against their own interests. Instead of trying to downplay the situation, the public sees them as being genuinely concerned with consumer well being. This in turn increases perceived company credibility.

Overestimating the potential danger of a product is seen as acting outside of a profit making model, whereas understating the dangers posed by a product is seen as acting in line with a corporate agenda.

In 1998, Ford questioned Firestone about the number of complaints made against their tires. Firestone denied any fault with their product and said consumer abuse was the cause of defective tires (Newman).

Conversely, Saturn acknowledged the potential consequences that could arise as a result of faulty wiring and implemented its recall management strategy. They co-ordinated efforts between service departments and dealers and had car-owners enjoy a barbecue, go to a baseball game or enjoy a movie while their cars were repaired. By incurring costs for repairs in addition to ‘customer appreciation’ costs, Saturn was seen to be acting socially responsible in contrast with Firestone.

3. Keep media training current

No matter how well thought out your communication strategies are, it just takes one comment to ruin it.

Firestone executives made careless remarks in the 1978 and the 2000 recall. In 1978, the Chairman at the time, made comments that said the recall was issued in order to decrease negative publicity and to convince customers that Firestone is interested in consumer welfare (Nicolazzo).

In the 2000 recall, comments made by Bob Wynant, Vice President of Quality Assurance, suggested that because Firestone made so many tires, finding the root cause of a defect would be like looking for a needle in a haystack (Nicolazzo).

In both cases, the comments came off as insensitive. Instead of expressing concern for consumer safety or discussing the measure Firestone was taking to fix the problem, key management came across sounding like the recalls were preventing them from getting on with their day.

Skewed messages in addition to a history of problems with the tires led to a general failure in communication and public relation efforts during both recalls.

Why bother?

The importance of maintaining good public relations is illustrated by the dip in share value Firestone had following the 2000 recall. Market value of the company decreased, while the portfolios of competitors increased.

On the other hand, Saturn was able to turn their recall crisis into a positive experience and continued developing the brand name.

The consequences of a poorly handled recall can be disastrous to a company’s growth. Product sales and a company’s reputation can be compromised if the recall is not handled strategically.

As corporate communicators, it is crucial to learn from the mistakes of the other corporations to ensure that, like Saturn, our own company can turn a negative situation into a positive one.

References

Aaker, DavidA. Building Strong Brands, (The Free Press, 1996)Delaney, Brian. When the Crisis Strikes, (Corporate Board Volume 12, Issue 66. Jan 1991)

Govindaraj, Suresh & Jaggi, Bikki. Market Overreaction to Product Recall Revisited-The Case of Firestone Tires and the Ford Explorer, (Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Volume 23, 2004)

Mowen, John C. & Pollman, Scott B. An Exploratory Study Investigating Order Effects in Reporting Negative Corporate Communications, (Advances in Consumer Research, Volume 9, Issue 1, 1982)

Newman, Lloyd N. Lessons from Bridgestone/Firestone, (Business & Economic Review, January-March, 2001)

Nicolazzo, Richard E. The Power of Public Opinion, (Risk Management, May 2001)

Pines, Wayne L. How to Handle a PR Crisis, (Public Relations Quarterly, Summer 1985)

Smith, Craig N., Thomas, Robert J., & Quelch, John A. A Strategic Approach to Managing Product Recalls, (Harvard Business Review, September-October 1996)