If you are a security manager or even a security guard in reception, and even if you are not responsible for social media, you have to know what’s going on in a crisis.
So a food safety event heard in Birmingham. That was the British Retail Consortium’s Brand Protection 2016 event, at the Vox Conference Centre (pictured), and the opening speakers were Julia Johnson and Jen Horsman of Instinctif Partners. They took the audience through a fictional scenario, to show how it could develop – and how quickly. As they said, it was once a case of a ‘golden hour’ to manage a corporate crisis. Now, thanks to social media, it’s a few minutes.
More in the November 2016 print issue of Professional Security.
The event compere, the BBC business journalist Adam Shaw, asked the speakers about the tone of social media messages in a crisis; should it be apologetic, or authoratitive? Their answer was that it depends, and it is fine to say (in effect) that you don’t know, but you should say something, to show that you are in control. For example that you are aware of a complaint (such as over a contaminated batch of food, that requires a product recall), and that you are investigating.
In reply to Adam Shaw, Jen Horsman made the point that even if a company does not have a social media or even a public presence, it may find itself in a product contamination crisis. For instance; if retailers that are selling the product may point the finger at their supplier.
The event heard that there are online ways of pushing negative things written about a product or company, down the web search lists.
About Instinctif Partners: based in central London, they’re a ‘business communications consultancy’ that offer public relations advice. Visit http://instinctif.com/. The PR firm recently launched a risk and crisis tool measuring a business’ ability to respond to a crisis called CrisisOptic. Visit http://instinctif.com/news-entry/risk-crisis-management-launch/.
