Part of being a Public Relations professional is knowing what to do when things go wrong. There are so many different approaches to take when things go sour, some more effective than others. I recently discovered how a company called Vermont Teddy Bear Company handled a crises they encountered.
Vermont Teddy Bear Company decided to release a "Crazy for You" teddy bear around Valentine's Day a few years ago. They did random surveys, polled people and did questioners to see what type of teddy bear people would like to see in their product line. This particular teddy bear looked similar to mental health patients. It had on a straight jacket and was designed to be "crazy" looking. When the mental health rights advocates discovered this bear they were infuriated. The immediately wrote to the company asking them politely to take this bear off the market.
The Vermont Teddy Bear company kindly refused. The "Crazy for You" teddy bear was bringing in so much revenue they did not want to discontinue it. They assured the group that they had done surveys and testing on the bear before it was released and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Despite the Mental Health rights advocates plea to discontinue the bear, the Vermont Teddy Bear company continually and openly refused. After the bear sold out around Valentine's Day, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company agreed to not reproduce the bear any longer. Although some may say this situation was not handled properly, it may have turned out to be the most profitable option for the company.
This is just one example of how to handle a crisis. Some crisis problems I can remember include the Wendy's finger in the Chile, the peanut butter contamination, the Tylenol tampering, Jack in the Box meat problem and the Value Jet to Airtran rebranding transformation. Although these were all different situations most of these companies did a great job recovering from their crisis. We learned the basics of how to react in a crisis.
Always put the public first and be honest because people will always find out the truth. Be the first to make a public statement about the crisis before others do. Be very accessible to accommodate the media. Communicate with them frequently on the state of the situation. It is important to designate a single spokesperson in order to make sure all the messages conveyed to the public are identical. Make sure to monitor ALL news coverage and act immediately if something is falsely interpreted. This was a very educational chapter, and it was fascinating to learn all the different approaches to crisis management. It is always good to investigate these options in case an unexpected crisis comes my way.
