Solid crisis communications can do wonders for reputation in a crisis
As with many crises, the story of the Chilean miners, trapped for months underground while rescuers slowly burrowed through the earth attempting to reach them, could very well have been a tragic one. Throughout it all, the Chilean government has run a brilliant crisis management campaign based around informing the public, wisely using media-friendly President Sebastian Pinera as its public face, and with the miners emerging alive this potential tragedy is actually bolstering Chile’s reputation. This quote from a Crisis Experts blog post by Dan Hicks explains further:
The government probably doesn’t have a crisis plan for dealing with such incidents. Either way, it is doing a fantastic job of communicating. It is using social media to keep the world up to date and is displaying emotional photos. President Sebastián Piñera is there to greet the miners as they arise. According to CNN, his approval rating has risen from 50% to 70%. Compare that to President Obama’s ratings as the gulf oil spill dragged on. CNN said 1,500 reporters from around the world are there covering the story. It seems information is readily available to all those reporters. I’m not sure Ive seen such a good, transparent effort by government in U.S. crises.
Truly successful crisis management does more than simply resolve the issues at hand. By making public the steps being taken to rectify and resolve issues, little room is left for damaging rumor and innuendo to creep in and stakeholders far are more likely to lend a sympathetic ear.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/