Page 191 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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1 172 Crisis Communication
(they claim the information moves too fast), yet their reach and credi-
bility grow with every hit they get and every comment they post.

Krytonite

When posts on the internet first reported that the market-leading
bike lock, Krytonite, could be readily opened by inserting the
plastic barrel of a ball point pen into the lock cylinder, more than
1.8 million blogs posted the news within a week. Video ‘tuto-
rials’ on how to beat the lock soon went up on YouTube and
other social media sites. Unprepared for the viral spread of the
news, it took the company three days before it posted its first
response to the web, while in the meantime trying to field hun-
dreds of media calls.

The power to empower a crisis

The internet – the medium, the information, the power to collaborate
and to share real-time information globally – is the perfect platform
for creating, feeding and sustaining a crisis. Interest groups, stake-
holders, disgruntled employees and labour, even competitors, can all
use the medium to advance ideas and present information.
The days when social movements relied on publishing position
papers, presenting at conferences or organizing demonstrations to
advance their views are over. One public demonstration webcast glob-
ally, a virtual conference, or a blog touching thousands of stakeholders
advances a cause faster than any other medium. These new online
virtual coalitions can enlist support, raise money and demonstrate to
policy players the clout of an untapped constituency. Look at how
politicians have moved their campaigns and fundraising onto the web
for grassroots support.
The internet puts an issue or crisis at the forefront of the public’s
view and policy makers’ agendas. It’s hard to ignore, and doesn’t fade
away as fast as news placed in traditional media. The net also creates
virtual constituencies that can be leveraged for local grass roots initia-
tives or to get the attention of national policy makers. The days of the
petition drive are over.
As discussed earlier, the internet is a social medium where any
person or any group can convey powerful images and ideas that
become impossible to trump with a simple corporate backgrounder.