Purpose and Goals of the Chapter

This chapter discusses crisis communication, which is one of the most recognizable functions of public relations.

Outline of Key Chapter Themes

• Successfully recovering from a crisis with the brand untarnished and stakeholders feeling positively about the organization is the ultimate goal of any crisis communication professional.
• Whitesville, West Virginia was faced with a long-term crisis as a result of the decline of the coal industry.
• The Louisiana Office of Tourism sought to draw visitors back to the area in the wake of the BP oil spill.
• A school district in Omaha, Nebraska dealt with a budget reduction that had implications for the local community.

Chapter Outline

Boosting Pride in the Face of a Downturn in Whitesville, West Virginia

Situation
Research
Action Planning
Communication
Evaluation

Regaining Trust Amid a Crisis: Louisiana Office of Tourism and the BP Oil Spill

Situation
Research
Action Planning
Communication
Evaluation

Transparency in the Midst of a Budget Reduction

Situation
Research
Action Planning
Communication
Evaluation

“Hurry Up, Then Wait”: Old Dominion University’s Crisis Communication Response to Crude Move-In Day Banners

Situation
Research
Action Planning
Communication
Evaluation

Contrasts in a Crisis: Fact-Based Traditional Media Versus Emotion-Laden Social Media in the Midst of an Employee Strike

Situation
Research
Action Planning
Communication
Evaluation

Case Summaries

Boosting Pride in the Face of a Downturn in Whitesville, West Virginia

By 2015, the town was on the verge of collapse due to a major loss of jobs, with more than 800 layoffs between the shutdown of mines and consolidation of local schools in the year prior. As a first step in this process, a branding committee of key community stakeholders (e.g., nonprofit leaders, educators, and community business leaders) was assembled. The overall goal of the campaign was to brush the coal dust off of Whitesville and to reveal its attractiveness to audiences in the region and beyond. The overall strategic message was to portray Whitesville as part of a Route 3 region, a scenic winding road dotted with unincorporated communities connecting two population centers in the state. To help support the brand launch, the team created two official logos--one represented the town of Whitesville and the second highlighted the Route 3 regional partnership.

Regaining Trust Amid a Crisis: Louisiana Office of Tourism and the BP Oil Spill

The British Petroleum (BP) oil spill disaster negatively affected the tourism industry in several Gulf Coast states; however, Louisiana’s situation was unique in that the state was still reeling from the devastation left by the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The LOT embarked on a “regaining trust” public relations campaign that was focused on the broader goals of diminishing adverse economic impact and encouraging the public to continue to see Louisiana as a viable vacation destination. Deveney Communication distributed a daily messaging document to 1,100 partners, stakeholders, spokespersons, and the media. The LOT also focused and expanded its social media outreach, by developing several sites and keeping those updated with the latest developments about the oil spill. The LOT website (www.lousianatravel.com) provided daily updates. Other tactics included showcasing the low costs of overnight accommodations in Louisiana during summer travel.

Transparency in the Midst of a Budget Reduction

Westside Community Schools is a small urban public school district with roughly 6,100 students located in the heart of Omaha, Nebraska. During the 2015–2016 school year, Westside administrators announced the district would face an anticipated budget shortfall of approximately $5 million for the upcoming school year and announced they would need to make nearly $4 million in spending reductions. Some of those reductions would come through the elimination of staffing and programs. The goal for this campaign was to educate stakeholders about the district’s financial challenges and to involve them in the decision-making about budget reductions. Through an internal newsletter in October 2015, well in advance of any official announcements, the superintendent informed employees that the district would look at staffing as it considered budget cuts. When the time came to announce the budget reductions, the campaign worked closely with traditional media. The district also held two forums, one in the morning and one in the evening, for community members to have their questions addressed. In terms of digital communication, Westside Community Schools placed a feedback form on the website where community members could share their questions, comments, or concerns. The school district’s communications department also used its social media channels--Twitter and Facebook--during the budget discussions, primarily to announce meetings or forums.

“Hurry Up, Then Wait”: Old Dominion University’s Crisis Communication Response to Crude Move-In Day Banners

Families dropping students off for the 2015–16 school year at Old Dominion University (ODU) were greeted by banners with crude sayings. Even before we received news media calls, ODU’s Student Government Association released a video on Old Dominion’s social media channels, suggesting that the banners reinforced the need for a student-led initiative called “Monarchs Rising Up,” empowering students to speak up against sexual harassment and assault in all forms. Soon, our office was flooded with media inquiries and requests for interviews. These actions were part of the “hurry up” portion of this crisis response. Still, the story spread. This is where the “wait” portion of our crisis response was executed. Each new piece of information provided would create another round of news stories. Instead, we referred reporters to our original statements of response and waited for the story to run its course.

Contrasts in a Crisis: Fact-Based Traditional Media Versus Emotion-Laden Social Media in the Midst of an Employee Strike

In my work as communications consultant, I served as media liaison and spokesperson for a coalition of five Minneapolis–St. Paul health systems that own 14 hospitals with unionized staff. The coalition of hospitals jointly negotiates labor contracts with registered nurses through the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) union and with service workers, such as hospital room cleaners, through the Service Employees International Union. The hospitals’ approach to communications via traditional media contrasted sharply with the MNA labor union’s approach of social media. Ironically, MNA’s messages were drowned out by union members complaining about the hospitals’ messaging on traditional media. The case indicates three lessons of media during crises: First, traditional media still has a powerful reach and influence in advertising and news. Second, fact-based news is easier to report by news reporters than emotion-laden stories. Finally, consistent messaging, tailored to fit media needs, can shape the media agenda on traditional and social media.