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Best Practices During Crisis: Social Media Readiness and Response

April 27, 2015

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• Today’s Crisis Environment

• Shifting Mindsets

• Preparing and Responding

• Best Practices and Case

Studies

AGENDA

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THE EVOLUTION

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In our world, instantaneity impacts

everything — financial markets,

news, marketing, communications,

shopping, sports, politics. It

determines seismic

global issues and tiny second-to-

second decisions between friends.

We’re living In the Now — and that

can be thrilling.

It allows people to share experiences

as they’re happening. It gives the

world access to news and events as

they unfold. It allows us to come

together in communities around

things we care about.

Global Crisis Capabilities | 4

TODAY’S CRISIS

ENVIRONMENT

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The

Organization’s

Customers 54%

The

Organization

Itself 33%

Opposing Stakeholders

13%

Source: Social Business Readiness, Altimeter 2011

ORIGINS OF A CRISIS

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Social Origins of Crises

53% 13%

17%

Twitter 53%

Facebook 17%

YouTube 22%

Others 20%

Blog 13%

SOCIAL CHANNELS WHERE CRISES START

Source: Social Business Readiness, Altimeter 2011

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WHY THIS IS HAPPENING

MORE PHONES = MORE CONNECTIVITY

Mobile traffic as % of global internet traffic =

growing 1.5x per year & likely to maintain

trajectory or accelerate

12/08 12/09 12/10 12/12 12/13E 12/14E 12/11 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

% o

f In

tern

et

Tra

ffic

Global Mobile Traffic as % of Total Internet Traffic, 12/08- 5/13

(with Trendline Projection to 5/15E)

0.9% in 5/09 2.4% in 5/10

6% in 5/11

10% in 5/12

15% in 5/13

Trendline

WE’RE SHARING MORE THAN EVER

World’s content is increasingly findable +

shared + tagged – digital info created +

shared up 9x in five years

Amount of global digital information

created & shared – from documents to

pictures to tweets – grew 9x in five years

to nearly 2 zettabytes* in 2011, per IDC.

0

2

4

6

8

Dig

ital

Info

rmati

on

Cre

ate

d &

sh

are

d (

zett

ab

yte

s)

Global Digital Information Created & Shared, 2005 – 2015E

2005 2007 2009 2011 2013E 2015E

THIS WORLD CAN BE PERILOUS, ESPECIALLY FOR BRANDS AND INSTITUTIONS.

Because everything is knowable, and everything is sharable, bad

news travels fast. Poor customer service, a defective product, a

management gaffe, a disgruntled employee, financial

irregularities, an environmental accident, the theft of personal

data: all can be broadcast to millions. A single event, even a

rumor, can blow up in a crisis.

Once manageable in a world with a linear timeframe, “In the

Now” crises take on a life of their own.

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TRUST DETERMINATION FACTORS

Competence/

Expertise

80-85%

All Others

15-20%

Source: Center for Risk Communication

Caring/Empathy

50%

Competence/

Expertise

Dedication/

Commitment

Honesty/

Openness 15-20%

15-20%

15-20%

Normal Business Operation When a Crisis Arises

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4 contributing drivers of contagion

WILL IT GO VIRAL?

SOURCE

mainstream media broke the news

AUDIENCE

everyone – politicians, celebrities, general public

MEDIUM

visually compelling video / photography / graphics

MESSAGE

varying messages, but general interest affecting most populations

SOURCE

Are influential

voices or popular

figures contributing

to the conversation?

AUDIENCE

Is the story

crossing

demographics?

Are kids sharing it

with their parents?

Liberals with

conservatives?

Etc.

MEDIUM

Is the story being

told in multiple

mediums? Are the

arresting visual

elements in play?

MESSAGE

Is there a unique

element of the story

that sets it apart?

DIGITAL DEFENSE | 13

“IT CAN TAKE

20 YEARS TO BUILD A REPUTATION, AND ONLY

FIVE MINUTES TO RUIN IT.” – Warren Buffett

HOW DO WE REMEDIATE THESE SITUATIONS?

Companies today operate in a highly charged global

issues environment marked by stakeholder

activism, increased regulation and the

requirements of transparency and authenticity in

an always-on social media context.

This requires a new culture of preparedness which

goes beyond planning for specific negative events.

PROTECTING REPUTATION IN THE ENGAGEMENT ERA

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16 Source: Exploring Strategic Risk, Deloitte 2013

COMPANIES ARE CHANGING THEIR APPROACH

53%

41%

6%

Yes, significantly

Yes, somewhat

No

Has your approach to

managing strategic risks

changed in the last three

years?

C H A N G I N G

A P P R O A C H E S

How has your approach changed?

W H AT C H A N G E

L O O K S L I K E

52% 43% 38% Increased frequency and budget

for monitoring risks

Started to monitor and manage

this area continually

Increased the number of

executives assigned to this area

ESTABLISHING A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS

BUSINESS

GOALS

Recovery

Reputation research

& tracking

Strategic recovery plan

Ongoing real-time social

listening & learning

Rapid Response

Agile activation capability

24/7 crisis management

Real-time analysis &

decision making

Anticipation

Landscape assessment

Issue audit &

vulnerabilities analysis

Real-time social listening &

issues forecasting

Preparedness

Communications plan

Cross-functional team

Policies & protocols

Scenario materials

/strategies

Crisis training

EVALUATE THE LANDSCAPE

Landscape assessment

• Evaluate current business, media,

and social environment

Identify influencers

• Analyze your advocates to

understand their demographics,

interests, online activity and

connections

Conduct vulnerabilities analysis

• Review company materials and

relevant external coverage, reports

• Evaluate existing contingency plans

and response protocols

• Interview key personnel

INSTITUTE SOCIAL L ISTENING

PROCESSES

• Identify and quantify risk and

opportunity

• Identify and quantify influence

(positives / negatives) around key

issues and topics

• Categorize risk profiling:

• Across media channels

• Across geographies

• Within key themes and topics

• Mentioning key executives

• Output = directional and

measurable intelligence to inform

communications 19

• Categorization of an issue vs. a crisis

• Up-to-date crisis team member contact list

• Escalation process, including checklists,

guidelines and process for reviews, refining and

testing the plan

• Roles and responsibilities

• Immediate first steps / action plan for first 24

hours and beyond (communications checklist)

• Response guidelines

• Specific crisis scenarios

• Key messages / messaging templates

• Holding statements (pre-written drafts that can

be adapted)

• Traditional and social media guidelines

DEVELOP A

CRISIS PLAN

• Cross-functional crisis team

• Supported by “resource teams” in key

businesses, functions and geographies

• Convenes often to assess risk…

• …and quickly when an issue occurs

• Utilizes online tracking tools and

internal insights to quantify risk and

critics, profile potential detractors and

allies

• Recommends course of action

• Responsible for flagging up, as needed

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BUILD THE

CRISIS HUB

• Build credibility and trust

before you need it

• Engage with supporters

during the good times will

build a reservoir of goodwill

to tap into when you need it

• Actively engage with social

media and online

communities as well to help

form deeper relationships

with your audience

YOUR SUPPORTERS ENGAGE

TEST THE PLAN AND TEAM THROUGH

CRISIS TRAINING

• Interactive and hands-on

• Scenario-based

• Practical tools and techniques

• Draw on case histories of successful

crisis management practices

• Delivered by highly experienced

trainers and practitioners

• Liaise with senior executives, legal

and outside counsel to establish

consensus and fluency in protocols

WHEN A CRISIS STRIKES…

Agile activation capacity

Rapid engagement of crisis hub

Activation of 24/7 crisis management war room, including team

members from key practices: Communications, Digital, Key

Account leads, legal and influencer experts

Secure flow of information, leak-proof security protocols

Deployment of relevant crisis plan

Round-the-clock monitoring, utilizing international

teams when necessary

Clear mechanisms for notifications and alerts

Ongoing media coverage reports, social media

impact analysis

Rapid response through traditional and social

media

Activate necessary dark sites/pages; remove content when

necessary/appropriate

Pre-and-post SEO, including optimizing keyword search,

promoted tweets and ads

Comms

ALERT

RAPID RESPONSE TEAM

SAMPLE WORK FLOW

Steering Committee

convenes

Rapid Response

Team

not initiated

Standard media

relations and

tracking

Rapid Response

Team activated +30mins

Pre-approved

statement released

via multiple

channels

Enhanced social

monitoring

Notify key

stakeholders

Initial threat

assessment

+2hrs

Updated

statement released

via appropriate

channels

Engaging in

conversation in

both traditional

and social

Reevaluate threat

level

3-24hrs

Internal

communications

Leadership

messaging

Continued evaluation

and listening

Day two story

forecasting

Monitoring and analysis

Considerations:

• Activate extended staff and backups

• Transition to emergency management team

• Establish specific content strategy

• Activate third party influencers

• Executive visibility

• Employee engagement

• Business partners, vendors, suppliers messaging

• Paid content

24hrs+

No approvals required

Steering Committee

approval required

(strict time limits to be applied to review and approval requests)

Beyond

Everyday,

Community

Management

Issues

RESTORING THE COMPANY’S REPUTATION

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• Post-crisis analysis to help determine

best practices moving forward

• Ongoing social media monitoring to

maintain an ear to the ground for potential

issue spotting

• Use social media to continue outreach with

key opinion leaders

• Keep internal community informed – let

them know how they helped drive the

process

• Communicate the post-crisis corporate

story and plan for operational success and

brand recovery by leverage strong media

relations

EXAMPLES WHAT NOT TO DO

DON’T:

ARGUE WITH

COMMENTERS

OR MEDIA

APPLEBEES

SOCIAL

ENGAGEMENT CAN

BACKFIRE IF NOT

THOUGHT THROUGH

NEW YORK POLICE DEPT: #MYNYPD

UNDERSTAND SOCIAL

CONVERSATION

BEFORE JUMPING ON

THE BANDWAGON

DIGIORNO

A FEW EXAMPLES OF COMPANIES

THAT GOT IT RIGHT

Honey Maid fights hate with ‘love’

• Be proactive and transparent

• Focus on speed, accuracy and

empathy in responses

• Monitor all channels on a regular

basis

• Have a preparedness plan in place

• Train employees and stakeholders

• Politely and professionally correct

misinformation

• Leverage resources (legal counsel,

outside expertise, social media, etc.)

F INAL REMINDERS & BEST PRACTICES

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@KYoderHall

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleyyoder

THANK YOU

kyoder@webershandwick.com

Kelley Yoder Vice President, Corporate Affairs

Weber Shandwick