In the wake of the recent Costa Concordia cruise liner disaster, the PR industry spotlight has been cast, once again, on crisis communications. The tragedy of the passengers who lost their lives on that ship will never be forgotten, but neither will the impact of those powerful images that were beamed around the world of a 900 berth luxury cruise liner lying on its side in the cold Italian waters.

Sadly, another memory that will stick in the public’s mind is the company’s response during the crisis. Allegations surrounding the captain abandoning ship as well as a general lack of communication and passenger information led to a mass media onslaught of Titanic proportions.

It will come as no surprise to those in the industry that in today’s communications obsessed world, Costa Cruises’ communications strategy (or lack thereof) in response to the crisis, caused almost as much media hype as the crisis itself. Sound crisis communications strategies are critical. Every piece of crisis research and media analysis uncovers the same findings. The public’s perception of a brand or business during and after tragic events like these is shaped dramatically by how well the company handles the crisis.

Many companies have strategies in place for what they would define as a ‘classic crisis scenario’. Major accidents and crashes, or lost lives and property. The point about effective crisis management is that it is needed in such a wide variety of other situations. From communications disruptions and product faults, to criminal allegations or redundancies – the list is endless - and the financial implications and damage to the brand can be disastrous. 

Whatever the problem, the most crucial element is how a company deals with it – and the key to that is planning. To steal the scouts’ motto, the single most important part of crisis management is for businesses to ‘be prepared’. 

Crisis management should be customised to meet individual company needs so that key employees have the necessary skills to handle all eventualities in communications terms. A crisis usually happens when it is least expected – however if staff and executives are fully prepared in advance, the crisis plan can be actioned and hopefully the implications to the company’s brand and reputation will be kept to a minimum.

Every step of the way is about meticulous planning – from taking an issues audit and preparing actions for each possible scenario, to drawing up a detailed written crisis communications plan and receiving media training on various crisis simulations. From a PR perspective – the company will be scrutinised throughout the incident from comments on the reaction of senior executives, to whether there are effective communications strategies in place to protect and preserve the company’s reputation.

Unfortunately, it is impossible for companies to protect themselves against crises happening. But they can still be forearmed if not forewarned. Proper crisis preparation is about having all of the tools in place to minimise the negative consumer perception and reduce the length of the short and long term rebound.

Karen Franklin