Page 87 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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6 68 Crisis Communication

a number of the Blanchardstown staff. The range of activities
also provided fuel for an intensive communication campaign
over the 10 weeks it took to rebuild the store, an extraordinary
achievement in itself.
On the Monday afternoon following the fire, Superquinn’s
marketing manager had assembled its public relations, adver-
tising and promotional service providers and instructed them to
draw up a communication programme within 24 hours. The
objective was to keep the 20,000 homes in the area of the store
fully informed of the measures being made to replace it as
quickly as possible and the customer service programme in
place to offer them an alternative shopping experience.
The public relations company was challenged to produce a
newsletter every three weeks while the rebuilding work was in
progress. The first edition carried photographs of the exterior
and interior of the damaged building and messages of congrat-
ulations to the fire service personnel and emergency services
that had responded so quickly, and to the many businesses and
individuals who had offered to help in returning the company to
being a successful business. It also described what was being
done to accommodate customers and staff.
The second edition three weeks later carried photographs of
the progress being made on the new building and interviews
with customers who had the opportunity of having their shop-
ping collected from another store for them. Interestingly, it
reminded many of the era when groceries could be ordered and
delivered.
The final newsletter showed the almost finished building, a
sketch of the new internal layout, and carried messages from the
manager and heads of departments. It also announced the date
on which the new store would open.
While the newsletter programme was in progress, an adver-
tising campaign using local press and roadside posters was also
introduced. This had a D-Day theme with the advertisement
reminding consumers just how quickly progress was being made
and that the re-opening was getting closer.
Superquinn had never opened a new store with fanfare. Its
philosophy was that a major event with, for example, a celebrity
cutting the tape or other promotional activities, would result in
large crowds and those present would not fully appreciate the
environment that had been created to make shopping a pleas-
urable experience. The re-opening of Blanchardstown was no