Page 208 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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Risk Managers 189
virtuous quest, public opinion refuses to recognize the rights of com-
panies, which are theirs by law.

‘Social autism’

There have been many cases in the past where companies have had to
pay dearly for discovering the power of public opinion too late. Even
now, many seem afflicted by ‘social autism’ that cuts them off from con-
structive dialogue with the public. They believe what they say and do
not hear what they are being told.
For instance, most of the pharmaceutical industry’s communication
is out of phase with public opinion. When this industry desperately
tries to promote a humanistic profile dedicated to research in the
interest of the public, public opinion and institutions reflect back to it a
cold, dehumanized image of research and private profit. There is a
total lack of understanding here, which will lead to rejection.
Similarly, the food and agriculture sector risks paying dearly for its
incapacity to take seriously into account public opinion’s growing
indignation at escalating child obesity. By making out the consumer to
be the ‘guilty’ party (‘Our products are good but you don’t use them
correctly’), the industry locks itself into a logic that negates its own
excesses and only ‘feeds’ general suspicion.

Turning public opinion into an asset

It is time companies considered managing public opinion with the
same focus as other business strategies. It is not completely uncharted
territory.
Large international groups have already immersed themselves in a
frantic policy of dialogue with their various publics or ‘stakeholders’,
which opens the way to managing public opinion in real-time. ‘Social
reports’ publish ethical quotas, and moves toward sustainable develop-
ment are increasing.
French businesses, with the support of professional managers of
public opinion, are initiating their cultural revolution. In this respect,
communication has a major role to play. It is the only way to ensure
that a company’s fate is not suspended during public opinion’s unpre-
dictable twists and turns.
It is imperative that companies gain awareness of this state of affairs,
for contrary to generally accepted ideas, public opinion cannot be