The Streisand Effect and PR Crisis Management

Aug 1st 2011

Online PR is ever expanding these days, and social media is right on the frontier, leading the way. As the penny finally drops for those companies that had previously left the enormous potential of their digital presence relatively untapped, the online sphere is becoming ever more inundated with messages from brands who are trying to make their voices heard amongst the general noise. Not only that, but the number of potential channels and forms of communication are proliferating too – witness the recent launch of Google+ and the increased focus that Twitter seems to be placing on advertising. Not only that, but more and more celebrities are now running their own Twitter accounts, allowing direct interaction with their fans for the first time.

Of course, as the number of messages increase, so does the chance for some catastrophic blunders – which can then be retweeted, posted on websites, or picked up by major news outlets, for the whole world to see and vocally judge.

That said, an online blunder does not have to be an unqualified disaster. Each disaster varies in content and severity. But even for the biggest mistakes, there are ways to mitigate the worst repercussions. Get it wrong, however, and you could make it much, much worse.

The Streisand Effect

A badly handled PR crisis can snowball and become unmanageably large, damaging the reputation of a brand or individual for a long time afterwards. In the age of online activism, this is more true than ever.

Good examples of this come from botched attempts to suppress information. This is known as The Streisand Effect. This was named after Barbra Streisand, who filed a lawsuit to try and prevent pictures of her LA house being published online. In response, the images were viewed hundreds of thousands of times and became a much larger phenomena than they ever would have if the issue had just been allowed to die. This has played out many times since, with exactly the same effect; in the recent Ryan Giggs scandal, for example.

On the other hand, it is entirely possible for a crisis to be handled well, and even be turned into a positive (although this latter point is not possible with all crises). Take the American Red Cross for example. One of their team tweeted this:

“Ryan found two more 4 bottle packs of Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch beer…. when we drink we do it right #gettngslizzerd”

Their response was jokey and played down the mistake, with the following tweet reassuring followers that they could ‘rest assured the Red Cross is sober’. Not only that, but they then turned the event into a drive for donations, led by the brewer in question! Not bad for a potential embarrassment.

So, what can you do to mitigate the worst effects of an online PR crisis?

Top Five Tips for a Crisis Management Strategy

1. Have a Plan

Having a broad contingency plan ready to use in the event of a crisis is important. A clear plan has many advantages: you are able to consider it on a normal working day, without the pressure, panic and time constraints of an immediate crisis. This means that many potential pitfalls can be spotted in advance. It also provides a sober point of reference for resolving disputes, as many frantic ideas are likely to be flying around during a crisis. Lastly, it means that clear roles and responsibilities can be defined, so a response can be coordinated even if one or two key individuals are not present. Remember that this is a fallback; it is not prescriptive. So keep it broad, allowing adaptation to each unique crisis. Learn from your own crises, if you have them, and widely reported events in the media, then update it if necessary.

2. Be Realistic

Try and retain some perspective on the situation. Keeping a broader perspective and asking for different opinions on a crisis can help you gain a view of how serious a situation is. Of course, part of this is simply observation and intuition. Put very basically, don’t assume that a mistake is the end of the world. At the other end of the spectrum, also don’t fall into the trap of assuming that what you think is a relatively harmless comment will be interpreted that way by everyone.

3. Good Media Relations

Establishing good media contacts at a number of big organisations, particularly those with a strong online presence, can be a great help in a crisis. Journalists who know you will be more likely to consider publishing and promoting your side of the story. A good way to gain good access to journalists is to have a presence in the City. This doesn’t have to mean buying an expensive property – there are other options, such as hiring virtual offices in London.

4. Be Humble

Acknowledge your mistake. The road to online PR hell is paved with the bodies of those who tried to cover up mistakes or bullishly defend a poorly chosen comment. Accept you were wrong and people will be kinder.

5. Be Decisive

Show that action is being taken. If this means that a full response takes a little longer, then so be it. A response should be as swift as possible, but not at the expense of putting out a strong, clear message and set of actions. Talk too much without acting, or keeping reversing and qualifying your position, and people will stop listening.

Have you had any experience with an online crisis? What are your top tips for a crisis management strategy? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tweet