Module 4: Social media crisis, PR Bootcamp 2015

1. 1
1
Module 4:
Social Media Crisis

2. 2
1. One bad interview can ruin your
company’s reputation
3
2. You are already a brand ambassador (so
you need to know how to promote your company’s
agenda 24/7/365 to the media)
4

3. 3
3. Perception matters -- media
visibility affects the bottom line
5
4. Speed matters
6

4. 4
5. Being professional matters
7
8
Not so “Bersih” news coverage

5. 5
9
Denials despite online evidence
10
Social media forces everyone to be
more transparent and accountable

6. 6
12

7. 7
Case studies
13
14
“Woman dies in fire as BHP staff
refuse to loan fire extinguisher”
Sara Mateoi, mother of dead student, Florina Joseph. –The Star

8. 8
15
BHP: The humane response
• Trapped 27-year-old student
screams for help after crash
with another car and lorry.
• Passer-by Teo Chai Hong races
to nearby BHP to get a fire
extinguisher.
• Two attendants refuse to open
doors despite pleas and offer of
identity card.
• Teo returns to scene to see
student and car engulfed in
flames.
• Teo posts his account online.
• Media picks up story after it
spreads on social networks.
16
Social media impacts brands
Facebook protest group
Boycott inHumane Petrol
picks up 8,000 likes in 22
days.

9. 9
17
Responses from BHP
1.BHP government relations manager Abdul Kaiyum: “Teo
was not acting calmly when asking for assistance. Neither
did they refer to their supervisor because it was past
midnight. The two of them previously had been attacked
and beaten up by assailants while on duty at the
station”June 3, 2010 Komunitikini
2."We regret this has happened. The incident took place at
3am. Thefts and robberies at service stations are common
during these hours. Thus staff at the service station were
only concerned and did not respond to the request as the
attendant could not see the accident which took place
some 300m away.” statement issued to Malay Mail, June
4, 2010.
18
3.BHP managing director Tan Kim Thiam had
expressed regret over the incident, saying the
attendants had refused to open their doors because
robberies were common at that hour. “The staff were
concerned and did not respond to the request as
they could not see the accident,” said Tan, who
declined to comment further. The Star, June 5, 2010
4.“As the BHP staff could not see the accident, then a
misunderstanding occurred with Teo claiming the
staff refused to hand him a fire extinguisher,” said a
BHP spokesperson who declined to be named.
Malaysiakini, June 8, 2010
(Note: Cancelled a press conference on June 7, 2010)

10. 10
19
BP: Leadership matters
20
BP CEO’s Gaffes
• May 3: “Well, it wasn't our accident...The drilling rig was a
Transocean drilling rig. It was their rig and their equipment
that failed, run by their people and their processes.”
• May 14: “The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The
amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it
is tiny in relation to the total water volume.”
• May 18: “I think the environmental impact of this disaster is
likely to be very, very modest.”
• May 30: “We're sorry for the massive disruption it's caused
their lives. There's no one who wants this over more than I
do. I would like my life back.”
• May 31: “The oil is on the surface. There aren't any plumes.”
(Scientists had video images to prove otherwise)

11. 11
21
22
The web community had already
hijacked the brand

12. 12
23
24
They found fault everywhere
BP crisis command centre posted on official website

13. 13
25
Original picture posted later
26
Bloggers say it was “photoshopped”

14. 14
27
27
Dell laptop explodes
at Japanese conference
By INQUIRER.net newsdesk: Wednesday 21 June
2006
An Inquirer reader attending a conference in
Japan sat just feet away from a laptop computer
that suddenly exploded into flames, in what could
have been a deadly accident.
Gaston, our astonished reader reports: "The damn
thing was on fire and produced several explosions
for more than five minutes"…
For the record, this is a Dell machine," notes
Gaston. "It is only a matter of time until such an
incident breaks out on a plane," he suggests.
Our witness managed to catch all the action in
these amazing pictures….
28
28

15. 15
29
29
30
30
Good news, get it out fast
Bad news, get it out faster!*
(*Caveat: Information is verified)

16. 16
31
31
Dell to recall 4m laptop batteries
CNET News.com,August 14, 2006
Dell and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission plan to recall 4.1 million notebook
batteries on Tuesday, a company representative
confirmed.
The recall affects certain Inspiron, Latitude and
Precision mobile workstations shipped between April
2004 and July 18, 2006. Sony manufactured the
batteries that are being recalled, the representative
said.
This looks like the largest battery recall in the
history of the electronics industry, said Roger Kay,
an analyst with Endpoint Technologies Associates.
"The scale of it is phenomenal."
32
32
Sony delays response,
crisis lingers in public eye…
•Aug 15, 06: Dell recalls 4.1m batteries
•Aug 24, 06: Apple recalls 1.8m batteries
•Sept 15, 06: Virgin Atlantic, Qantas and Korean Air
ban use of Dell and Apple laptops on board its planes,
unless the battery removed
•Sept 28, 06:Lenovo/IBM: 526,000 batteries
•Sept 29, 06:Dell increases recall to 4.2m
•Sept 29, 06:Toshiba recalls 830,000 batteries

17. 17
33
33
ThinkPad explodes in LAX airport,
posting on Gizmodo.com, Sept 16
“So we're waiting for a flight in the United lounge at LAX, this
guy comes running the wrong way, pushing other passengers
out of the way and quickly drops his laptop on the floor. The
thing immediately flares up like a giant firework for about 15
seconds, then catches fire….”
34
34
Charred remains of IBM
notebook on terminal floor

18. 18
35
35
Crisis escalates and
spreads online
36
36
Sony finally responds…
Sept 30, 2006: Sony finally announces
global recall of 9.6 million PC batteries. The
recall and replacement would cost as much
as 50 billion yen (about US$423 million)….
…but profit plunges 94 percent for
July-Sept quarter

19. 19
37
37
Dell’s Response
• Determines cause – battery supplier,
executes costly remedial action with safety in
mind.
• Liaises with authority: Works with U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission to
announce global recall of 4.1 million laptop
batteries.
• Used website: Sets up recall website for
customers to check affected units.
• Assures safety: Guarantees replacement
batteries are safe.
38
38
'Alien' substance caused Dell
notebook battery to ignite
By Julian Matthews, ZDNet Asia October 23, 2000.
KUALA LUMPUR – An 'alien' substance was mixed into the
production process of the battery that caused a Dell customer's
notebook to burst into flames and prompted a recall last week.
"As a result of analysis, we defined the cause of the short circuit
that occurred in one cell was due to mixing of an alien substance
at one production process," said Yoshiyuki Arikawa, a
spokesperson of battery-supplier Soft Energy Company, a unit of
Japanese consumer giant Sanyo Electric Co Ltd.
In the e-mail response to ZDNet Asia, Arikawa did not define what
the 'alien' substance could be or how it entered the production
process…
Arikawa added, "The defect rate should be very small since it’s a
specific occasion and (went through) normal inspection process
after. The defect is limited only to the 27,000-set lot to Dell."
Dell Computer recalled the 27,000 batteries with a promise to
replace them free of charge….

20. 20
39
39
40
40
Sony execs’ bow not deep enough?
“We want to put this
behind us. I take this
problem seriously and
I want to finish the
replacement program
as quickly as possible
for the sake of our
users and corporate
customers,”
Corporate Executive Officer
Yutaka Nakagawa, Oct 24,
2006

21. 21
41
41
42
Social Media Listening Command Center

22. 22
43
CIMB and Maxis: One-to-one
customer complaint resolution
Crisis communications reactions
POOR
 Defensive – take it
personally
 Decline to
comment
 Deny or lie
 Deflect – taichi,
play blame game
 Downplay
BETTER
Accept – that it has
happened
Acknowledge – to those
affected, media, public
Assure – show you care,
calm fears
Apologize (if you have to)
and be specific, express
regret, suggest remedy
ACT – assess your allies,
plan your action, act out
your plan
44

23. 23
45
Opportunities in a crisis:
What the media can do for you
• Help spread information to the public quickly
– Tell your side of the story, show you care
– Repudiate and get ahead of the rumour mill
– Reassure or calm the public
– Reinforce alerts, warnings, cautions
• Disseminate appeals for
– witnesses, feedback or volunteers
• Educate the public on the issue
– Gain empathy for your cause
– Show you are good corporate citizen
46
Best pro-active practices:
Social media and crisis comms
1. Formulate a crisis communications plan that
incorporates social media, update regularly
2. Role-play crisis scenarios with reactions from
social media
3. Train staff on crisis communications with social
media elements in simulation
4. Meet and cultivate the media, first responders
through social media
5. Engage and connect with both on-the-ground
communities and online community
6. Use online tracking tools