Komen's PR miscues provide a lesson in crisis management for every business
By Gini Dietrich
It's not about politics. It's not about whether or not Planned Parenthood is under investigation. It's not even about stopping funding for an organization.
The Susan G. Komen Foundation screwed up.
They made a decision to cut off grant money to Planned Parenthood, didn't think through the consequences and didn't apply the rule across the board (Penn State receives funding and Bank of America is a major sponsor).
And today, the board reversed its decision.
It doesn't matter how you feel about the entire situation. What you should care about is the incredible business case study it's providing.
I'm coming at this with a communications bent because that is my expertise. But I don't want you to use that as an excuse to dismiss this advice as not relating to your business.
Please, please, please always include your PR counsel in business decisions.
The PR firm for Komen is a consumer-based agency. Which means, because the decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood is policy, they likely weren't asked to create scenarios in which things could go very wrong. Until Wednesday morning, when things went very wrong.
At that point, it's too late.
Case in point:
The Atlantic spoke with John Hammarley, who until recently served as Komen's senior communications adviser and who was charged with managing the public-relations aspects of Komen's Planned Parenthood grant:
"About a year ago, a small group of people got together inside the organization to talk about what the options were, what would be the ramifications of staying the course, or of telling our affiliates they can't fund Planned Parenthood, or something in between." He went on, "As we looked at the ramifications of ceasing all funding, we felt it would be worse from a practical standpoint, from a public-relations standpoint and from a mission standpoint. The mission standpoint is, 'How could we abandon our commitment to the screening work done by Planned Parenthood?' " But the Komen board made the decision despite the recommendation of the organization's professional staff to keep funding Planned Parenthood.
They've been thinking about this decision for a year.
A PR firm, with experienced people, would hold several meetings in which they would play out every single consequence that could be created by a decision like this. They would advise on several different options. (For instance, perhaps slowly taking away the funding?) A PR firm would also have experience with the social web and knowledge of what would trigger an uproar. A year is plenty of time to manage the messaging and hold a crisis at bay. Even if your firm is consumer-based, they either have another office that is experienced in crisis work or they can refer you to a firm that is.
People make mistakes. We're all human beings. But bringing in PR counsel two days after hundreds, if not thousands, of people are commenting on your Facebook wall and YouTube channel (which you're deleting) and every major news outlet is writing about you is a very, very bad idea. This was all completely avoidable.
Good PR counsel and a crisis management plan is like insurance — you have to have it.
In the past, a decision like this would have created some protests, but the Susan G. Komen Foundation would have been able to control it. Today, that's not an option. The social web provides people a bullhorn, and they use it.
You can no longer pretend you won't be affected by upset stakeholders. You are no longer in control. Your customers control everything, from your brand to who buys from you.
Be prepared. Get yourself crisis insurance with an experienced PR firm or professional.
Gini Dietrich is founder and chief executive officer of Arment Dietrich Inc., a Chicago-based firm that uses non-traditional marketing in a digital world. Her column appears on Crain's blog for Chicago entrepreneurs every Friday.
Follow Gini on Twitter: @ginidietrich.
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