Crisis Communication the Good the Bad and the Ugly
thAmerica/Los_Angelesp30America/Los_Angeles09bAmerica/Los_AngelesMon, 15 Sep 2008 17:04:20 -0700 8, 2008 by paynepa
During a weeklong crisis American Airlines took direct consumer communication to a new level this week.
The airline literally passed out press releases to passengers at the airport.
After canceling 3,079 flights not only did PR have a lot of brand control to do, but its first concern was aiding the frustrated customers immediately.
“We went beyond our policies,” Roger Frizzel, American Airline’s VP of corporate communications and advertising, told PRWeek. They offered snacks, beverages, $500 flight vouchers, free hotels and re-bookings on other AA flights or other airlines.
“The primary thing you’ve got to [do is] communicate what’s going on, apologize… you’ve got to take action… you’ve got to take care of those customers, and then you’ve got to apologize again,” Frizzle said.
They handled the job well in the first few days which are always the most critical in a crisis. They not only helped customers, but informed them directly and promptly.
They still have more to do. This example of relatively well executed crisis communication compares drastically to Lehman and Merrill who were a no show in financial crisis communication. As many were surprised to see both financial companies go under, some were wondering what the financial impact would have on the individual company.
IR communicators were not ready to talk. With many warnings leading up to this crisis along the way there is no reason why the communication practitioner wouldn’t be prepared.
Open communication to the public is what makes a brand viable, trustworthy and most importantly sustainable. They weren’t prepared; while American Airlines might not have been prepared they immediately went into damage control and took a hold of the situation from the inside.
Better internal communication would have helped the IR practitioners at Merrill Lynch. Apparently many of CEO John Thain’s past statements have been contradicted by recent announcement by communication specialists at Lynch leading to a major hit in not only his credibility, but the company as a whole.
Internal communication in vital to be assured all messages being sent to the media correlate and are honest.