Singapore. (30 July 2010. 1500 hrs). In an article published in the Digital Life supplement of The Straits Times dated 28 July 2010, the reporter cited incidences where past acts posted on the internet have come back to haunt her friends.
The reporter cited incidences where a man lost his job after being seen partying on Facebook while on sick leave, and the dismissal of the CNN editor for Middle Eastern affairs after she tweeted about her respect for the Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. The reporter also cited survey reports that show that 70% of hiring managers and recruiters in the United States have rejected applicants based on information they have found online on them.
This is additional proof of the impact of the 'perfect information environment' I talked about in my research paper.
Singapore. (30 July 2010. 0945 hrs). I was involved in the organisation of a press conference to publicise an upcoming major sporting event recently, and noted that need for PR professionals to be centrally plan and execute all aspects of the conference.
During the press conference, a photo opportunity was planned for the media to capture the distribution of ice-cream to the event participants. Unfortunately, the PR team was focused on ensuring that the presentation slides were in order, the logistical set-up perfect and the proper people selected and prepared for the media interview. The organisation of the photo opportunity was delegated to the logistics team.
Unaware of the phenomenon of Ambush Marketing, the logistic team proceeded to purchase the required number of ice-cream for distribution without any consideration for the brand. Thankfully, an hour before the press conference was to begin, a member of the PR team noticed the brand of ice-cream to be distributed and the photo opportunity was cancelled. This, without a doubt, averted a potential crisis with the sponsor.
Ambush marketing is a common phenomenon surrounding major events. PR professionals must therefore centrally plan and execute all aspects of a press conference to prevent it.
Singapore. (27 July 2010. 2350 hrs). Yoshinoya has responded to the incident by stating that it was an "isolated incident" and that the mistake was made by a "part-time trainee". In their press statement Yoshinoya reiterated that their company follows "stringent standard operating procedures" and that they endeavour to "provide products and services that meet the highest expectations of their customers".
Initial response to Yoshinoya's statement has been negative with many STOMPers accusing the company of using the part-time trainee as a scape-goat. A closer look at Yoshinoya's Crisis Communication plan reveals a major flaw - failure to understand the difference between Traditional Media vs New Media.
In the former, a statement of this nature would have been acceptable as reporters would have used the facts to write their story. However, as Yoshinoya had chosen to respond via the New Media (and rightly so), a modified form of statement would have been necessary. In this case, the response from Yoshinoya should have been directly addressed to the STOMPer that raised the issue, as this would have allowed Yoshinoya to more adequately address his "outrage".
Once again, as I mentioned in my research paper, PR Professional must understand the New Media before they can effectively serve their clients.
Singapore. (27 July 2010 0700 hrs). The number of views has climbed to 16,163. Assuming 50% of these viewer tell at least 2 friends and 50% of those tell 2 another friends, the total number of people who would have heard about this incident would be quite staggering (approximately 48,489 people) and the potential loss in revenue quite significant.
As mentioned in my research paper on the impact of the "perfect information environment", other readers of STOMP have started sharing similar negative experiences with the company. A quick glance at the comments shows that readers have complained about additional charges for extra sauces and extra spoons. These additional "support" reveals a pattern of unreasonable charges and is likely to further impact the company's client base.
Singapore. (26 July 2010 2300 hrs). It is now slightly more than 24 hours since the incident was published on STOMP. There has been 15,534 views of the report and 80 comments. 76% of readers have expressed "outraged" over the incident with many saying they should bring their business elsewhere.
As of 2300 hrs, Yoshinoya has not responded to the incident and the longer they wait, the greater the negative impact as negative word of mouth will spread.
Let's continue to monitor the situation to see if Yoshinoya will respond, and if they do, how they respond.
Singapore. (26 July 2010. 0705 hrs). The Sunday Times reported the story yesterday. As assessed, there has so far been no public outcry as the incident is considered the "act of an individual".
The accused has however continued to remain silent on the issue and "could not be reached for comments". From a Crisis Communications perspective, this is a mistake as it is important that he present his side of the story to "frame" it to his advantage and to "position himself" for recovery.
Singapore. (26 July 2010. 0700 hrs). STOMP yesterday published a story in which the Yoshinoya outlet at Compass Point gave a customer half a cup of Coke as she had ordered it "without" ice.
The incident occurred on 24 July and so far there has been no response from Yoshinoya. This is understandable as it happened over the weekend and the company's main office is likely to be closed. It thus remains to be seen if Yoshinoya will respond to this potentially reputation damaging incident.
As highlighted in my research, the traditional media is not the only source of news and information. Companies therefore need to monitor the New Media to be aware of any issues that may affect the company.
Singapore. (24 July 2010. 2000 hrs). Today Yahoo News reported that a Hindu Temple has come under scrutinity by the authorities for the alledged misuse of funds. Essentially, the Chief Executive of the temple has been accused of making questionable payments to contractors and vendors without consulting the management committee. A quick analysis of this incident reveals that it is unlikely to evolve into a crisis as it appears to be the act of an individual.
To illustrate some key lessons, let us assume that we have been hired by the accused to help develop a Crisis Communication plan.
Firstly, in situations where criminal proceedings are likely, it is imperative that the Crisis Communicator work closely with the client's lawyer in crafting and releasing any statements. This is essential as any statement made by the client can, and may be used, against the client during the trial.
Secondly, unlike the usual Crisis Communication plan (which is designed to protect the image, reputation and brand of the organisation), this Crisis Communication plan is designed to achieve certain limited objectives set by the client. Once these objectives have been determined, it is then the role of the Crisis Communicator to (a) identify the Stakeholders to be reached to enable the attainment of these objectives; (b) the channels via which to reach them; and (c) the appropriate theme and messages.
In cases like this, my advise to the client would be to look beyond the crisis and position himself for recovery. To do this, my advise would be to position himself as "a person of character" who is "willing to accept his mistakes" (assuming he is at fault) and take his punishment.
Singapore. (23 July 2010. 1950 hrs). It is now Day 6 and media and stakeholder interest in the incident has faded for now. It is therefore timely for us to pause and reflect on the key lessons that we can learn from this incident:
a. The Importance of Open, Timely, Broadly Communicated and Internet Presence. In my opinion, this incident could have been contained and isolated if the MHA PR Dept had adopted a Crisis Communication plan that had the above 4 characteristics. Their failure to be open and provide timely updates, led to speculations of police cover-up, while their failure (or decision) not to communicate the facts using their MHA website (internet presence) further stoked stakeholder anger over the incident.
b. Need to do a Stakeholder Analysis. The inability of the press statement and comment by the Minister for the Environment to stem the anger, showed that the MHA PR Dept had misunderstood stakeholders' concerns. A thorough Stakeholder Analysis would have revealed that the main issue was one of "abuse of authority". A simple statement of fact that there are "measures in place to prevent an abuse of authority" would have, in my opinion, stopped the crisis from building up. While I do not have empirical evidence, I feel that the incident would have affected the morale of the police force. A proper internal communication plan to internal stakeholders would therefore have been essential to ensure that the police continue to carry out their duties professionally.
c. Framing the Incident. The manner in which the incident spiralled out of control shows the importance of using the initial press statement to frame the crisis. Without a proper "frame" the incident went in many tangents including political ones.
Singapore. (22 July 2010 2359 hrs). Well, it is Day 5 and the MHA has continued to remain silent on the incident. If we do not hear from them by now, it is safe to assume that they do not intend to bow to public pressure.
As I reflect on the Crisis Management plan executed by the MHA, I cannot help but wonder if any conscious efforts were made to "communicate" with their internal stakeholders. In the midst of this incidence, the police officers still have to perform their duties. Being humans, I am certain that they will be affected by the public's comments one way or another.
Hence, as part of stakeholder analysis, an effective Crisis Communication plan must consider this stakeholder group, identify the issue facing them and communicate the right message.
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