Scenario 1:
One of the employees of a paving company, in a stressful situation, made a very vulgar remark about the client. The client described the situation in a post on a Facebook group for the local community. A discussion is developing under the post. How should Mr Jan, the head of the paving company, put out this fire?
Mr Jan should, first and foremost, speak out and publicly apologise to the client on behalf of the employee. As the boss, he is responsible for the entire company and therefore has a significant influence on its reputation. It is best to react as quickly as possible – a PR crisis (especially on social media) is like a fire. The sooner it is put out, the fewer negative consequences it will have. However, it is important not to panic – chaos and nerves are not the best advisors. Mr Jan should think carefully about the content of the apology – perhaps he will be able to craft it in a creative way and thus pleasantly surprise the recipient.
Situation 2:
Fake news about ABC-Bruk is circulating online. Someone (perhaps a competitor) is desperately trying to spread unsubstantiated, false information. Internet users are ‘swallowing’ the story, sharing mocking posts, commenting on them and… in the process, damaging the image of a company that has been one of the most respected on the local market for years.
Such situations occur very frequently and affect companies across various sectors. In every case, however, it is important to remember the golden rule: one must be exceptionally vigilant online. It is worth monitoring social media and analysing posts about the company on an ongoing basis – this allows the source of the crisis to be identified very quickly and a response to be initiated immediately. Apart from the need to take action against unfair competition, which we discussed here: Unfair Competition, the owners of ABC-Bruk should immediately issue an official denial of the rumours about the company. It is not worth getting into arguments, but rather communicating transparently and objectively with their audience.
Situation 3:
Mr Zygmunt, owner of the paving company XYZ-Bruk, decided to produce advertising leaflets presenting his services. He devised the graphic design himself – but it soon turned out to be a complete miss. It breached standards of decency and was deemed offensive by a group of potential customers.
Mr Zygmunt should admit his mistake – he is a specialist in his paving trade, but has had little to do with marketing in his professional life. If he wants to save face in this situation, he should apologise for the lapse and take steps to ensure the leaflets are withdrawn from circulation as soon as possible. What’s done is done, so, drawing on this experience, Mr Zygmunt should hand the matter over to specialists in advertising design and ask them to come up with a concept for the leaflets.
