How To Avoid A 2013 PR Disaster | The Adhere Agency

With social media and internet marketing growing stronger every day and more and more businesses getting to grips with this new form of PR, the chances of a disaster hitting are more numerous than ever. It is now so easy for one slip up to cost your company big business and it could even damage its image permanently. You?ll be surprised at just how many people remember PR disasters more than they remember the great campaigns that businesses have ran over the years.

Any entrepreneur will know that once an image is tainted, it can be very difficult to get the public back on your side but we are still seeing plenty of titanic sized disasters. 2012 brought us calamities from American Apparel, Starbucks and the Australian radio station 2day FM so how can you go about preventing something like this happening to your brand?

Be Careful When Attempting To Newsjack

Newsjacking is a relatively new form of PR which involves taking advantage of various topics and happenings in the current headlines and using them to promote your own business. An example of this can be promoting your range of sunglasses and sun cream whilst the country?s media is raving about a heat wave or promoting your baby products after the announcement of a forthcoming royal birth.

However, there are dangerous pitfalls to these tactics and sometimes companies go too far. For example, you should think long and hard before you newsjack some bad news. The clothing company American Apparel paid the price for this last year when they tried to use hurricane sandy to promote online shopping at their stores. This didn?t sit too well with much of the east coast of America and left them with a lot of explaining to do.

Remember Your Views Are Never Just Your Own

One vast pitfall that a lot of people forget when they are in the media spotlight is that if you are representing a company or a brand, whether it?s your own or one that employs you, your opinions are always going to affect more than just you personally. If you are the recognisable face of a multinational corporation, it doesn?t matter whether you say something to someone in the corner store when you?re buying milk and if you do it in front of millions on a TV screen; what you say will still affect your company.

Therefore, if you have strong views on gay marriage like Dan Cathy the president of Chick ?fil ?a, it might not be wise to reveal them to the whole country on a talk show. Similarly, if you have strong views on gun control like Bob Costas, be they right or wrong, airing them on Sunday Night Football is not the best idea. Think before you speak; you are always representing more than just yourself.

If Disaster Strikes; Act Accordingly

The chances are that even if you do your best to avoid it at all costs, disaster could still strike. And when it does, you need to be prepared. Even the smallest PR slip up needs to be addressed and even the biggest can be repaired if dealt with in the right manner. So whether you are an experienced technology PR agency or a start-up fast food restaurant, you need to have a plan of action ready and waiting behind the ?in case of emergency break case? sign.

First and foremost, action needs to be taken swiftly and as soon after the disaster as possible. There is no point leaving it to see if things die down or if it will go away on its own because that?s just wishful thinking. Secondly, you should own up to your mistakes. Refusing to take the blame will just delay the inevitable and you may even end up with a situation similar to that of Lance Armstrong where the furore is just simply multiplied when you do finally admit it.

After this a measured approach is required. The initial bleeding has been stopped but you need to work harder and for longer in order to heal the wound properly.

Image License: Creative Commons?image source

Chris Mayhew

This article is written by Chris Mayhew on behalf of Eclat Marketing. The best way to avoid a PR disaster is to leave it to the professionals and technology PR agency Eclat are the perfect candidates. Visit their website today to see how they could improve your public relations.

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