Now I think I’m the only one in Orchan who has watched ‘The Walking Dead’
right from season one up until season six (or, even at all). I can say that my
colleagues have no clue what the whole story is about, except for the fact that
it’s a horror TV series about surviving in a world laden with zombies as the
central theme. I wouldn’t blame them for missing out on one of the most
compelling TV series on Earth! – Zombies are not for everyone.
As much as I enjoy
the show, I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of the whole zombie apocalypse fad
that got a lot people (especially hard-core zombie fans) wishing for such state
of affairs to happen in real life. Bludgeoning apathetic and torpid living (dead)
beings might be ideal for some, but I bet most of us would shy away from the
idea knowing that instead of being the survivors, we might end up being one of
the masses instead, as explained in the picture below.
Fond or not, there’s always something to learn about
from a TV series; life lessons, conventional wisdom, business ideas, life
hacks; a lot of applicable things that can help us improve our lives, including
our professional lives. I was lucky enough to encounter an article that fuses the
stories from this show with lessons in the field I am in, public relations.
Written by Juli
Hale of Forza
Marketing in Cincinnati, this article
resonates well with Orchan’s take on crisis communication. Although some might
not be familiar with the characters and contexts from the show mentioned in the
article, Hale was careful to accommodate to the less-initiated among us, thus
providing a comprehensive article suitable for all.
5 Crisis Tips
from ‘The Walking Dead’
For years, family and
friends exalted "The Walking Dead." They invited me to Walker parties
and asked my opinion on planning for a zombie attack. Everyone I knew loved
zombies.
Now, thanks to Netflix
and my DVR, I’m inviting others into the fold. It isn’t about the zombies – it’s
about the people and how they respond to sharing their world with the undead.
In business, like life,
it isn’t a matter of if something will go wrong, but when. Not every incident
is a crisis, but when it is, you must be prepared to handle it quickly.
Here are crisis
communications lessons that “The Walking Dead” teaches:
1. Plan
Whether they sketch a
plan in the dirt or revise the Alexandria blueprints, Rick and his band always
have a strategy to get the group to safety. Even during moments of calm, they
prepare for crises.
You should plan for
problematic situations for your business and those that could be catastrophic.
You can’t plan for every incident, but you can make good guesses. A plan lets
you communicate better in an emergency.
A few simple steps
before the crisis make all the difference:
Cultivate relationships
with partners in the community.
·
Build rapport with reporters.
·
Train your team to work with reporters.
·
Sharpen your spokespeople.
·
Practice for a crisis.
2. Set
Goals
Since the start, “The
Walking Dead’s” core group worked to survive. Along the way, they incorporated
smaller goals—finding shelter and food, getting to safety, raising crops and
building walls.
In a crisis, all plan
steps should bolster your organization’s values. It’s imperative when all eyes
are on you that you remain loyal to your organization’s mission and protect
your brand.
These should be the
foundation of your goals:
·
Make good decisions.
·
Be on the same page internally & externally.
·
Be responsive and cooperative.
·
Mitigate negative publicity.
3. Build a
Team
“The Walking Dead’s”
human family gradually jelled, picking up a new face here and there, losing
others. Helpful humans in survival crisis display many skills—hand-to-hand
combat, tracking, strategic thinking and team playing.
Don’t minimize team
playing. It is the difference between Daryl and Merle. Which one is still alive
in season 6?
The crisis team creates
and executes emergency communications. You have an advantage over zombie
killers. Your team members were vetted before any crisis arose. They know your
business. They have a vested interest in protecting your brand.
Persons who should be on
your team include:
·
CEO/president/wwner
·
Head of communications
·
General counsel
·
Insurance and risk management rep
·
Human resources rep
·
Operations rep
·
Managers of key departments
·
Investor relations rep (if the crisis creates a
financial risk)
4. Choose
a Leader
Morgan and Glenn each
saved Rick long before Rick saved anyone; yet, as soon as Rick made it to the
rooftop, he became self-appointed leader.
His law-enforcement past
probably kept anyone from questioning him, but one wonders when his badge loses
its power. He left a trail of human bodies, the result of flawed logic, poor
judgment and indecisiveness. Those aren’t signs of a good leader.
Leaders can make
mistakes in a crisis, but they must learn from those mistakes. A good leader is
consistent, listens to his or her team and doesn’t lose his or her head (Oh,
Hershel!).
It is essential for the
crisis team to have a leader and media spokesperson. The leader is often the
COO, chief counsel or communications head. He or she must know the organization
well.
The media spokesperson
must be comfortable on camera and a strong speaker. He or she should not be the
team’s leader. Instead, a senior leader should be the day-to-day face of the
company. This person should know the company, the crisis and its solution.
5. Use the
Right Tools for the Job
It takes a powerful blow
to the brain to stop the undead from biting, so anything that punctures the
skull is a good tool.
Rick’s gang relies on
firearms, but the noise attracts zombies and ammunition is scarce. Knives,
machetes, bows, hatchets or big sticks are more reliable. Daryl and Michonne
are excellent with a cross bow and a katana. The gang is resourceful and uses
whatever’s available, but not having easy-to-use, accessible tools hurts them.
The tools for a crisis
aren’t different from the tools a good marketing and PR team uses regularly.
In a crisis, it is
essential to work quickly. Once you notify staff and stakeholders, start
communicating with the public. A “dark website” communicates effectively to the
media, customers and the public, and should be in place before a crisis.
Though you shouldn’t
have to deal with Walkers anytime soon, this list can get you started in the
right direction in preparing for potential crises that could hurt your brand.
Juli Hale manages media
relations and client relationships for Forza Marketing in Cincinnati.
No comments:
Post a Comment