Crisis Public Relations

     Companies spend ninety percent of their time figuring out how to not miss. step, please cutlers, and make money, but the other ten percent is simply the public relations team trying to fix mistakes and save face for the company. Companies can often fall into a groove of the regular day to day activities, and a crisis seems as if it may never happen, this is exactly why crisis public relations is so important. In order to expect the unexpected, companies need a team of professionals dedicated to the comeback after a crisis occurs. Companies such as KFC, Starbucks, and Southwest Airlines have been rockstars in their crisis public relations. 
    KFC experienced the biggest crisis any chicken place could ever experience, they actually ran out of chicken. In 2018 Kentucky Fried Chicken ran into one of, if not the biggest PR situation they have ever dealt with, running out of chicken. Due to issues with their suppliers, KFC was unable to get in shipments and were forced to close multiple different stores including almost all of them in the UK. This sparked worldwide delivery delays and they needed to act fast. Their apology was gutsy, but it worked. Newspapers housed an ad quickly rolled out by the company, picturing an empty KFC bucket with the letters rearranged to display "FCK". They then typed an apology with humor and it went over very well on social media, some calling it the "best thing ever". Not only did they act fast and bounce back in style, they may have brought in more business by simply saying "oops". Their ad took social media by storm as not many companies are brave enough to post "profanity" and customers, or even those who may not have been a fan, are fans because of their risky post. 

    Starbucks faced a similar feat and fought back just as well. While Starbucks, as a coffee powerhouse, has faced many PR scandals over the years, the topic of racism is most defiantly not one to toy with. In 2018, the cops were called on two black men, claimed to be trespassing as they had used the restroom and hadn't purchased anything. As videos were released, outrage flooded the nation as there was an obvious racial bias with the situation. Instead of simply brushing over the matter and handling it locally, the CEO went bigger. They proceeded to shut down 8,000 stores across the country in order to offer racial bias training. They took an estimated 12-million dollar hit during this time, but ultimately it was worth in in an effort to save their name. This is a great example of the fact that sometimes public relations isn't about making more money, you often have ti make moves backwards in order to move forwards. As a company who, statistically, didn't need to make this omg of a change in response, put customers minds at ease, a hit they were willing to take.

    The year 2018 is seeming to be a major year for crisis public relations. Southwest Airlines dealt with the unthinkable as they had an engine explode, killing a passenger on board.  A fatality is obviously nothing that can be made up for, but when t comes to business the company had to work fast. Southwest immediately offered this on board trauma counseling, medical attention, and accommodated all travel means. The CEO offered a public apology and all online advertisements for the airline came to a halt. Passengers were reminded multiple times that they had 24 hour trauma counseling along with 5,000 as an act of contrition. Their social media team went into overdrive responding to mentions and keeping the public updated. The next year was a lull for the company but ultimately their dedication to their passengers kept them afloat. No company could ever make up for a life lost, but they handled it diligently and respectfully.

    While most companies spend their time enhancing their products, releasing fresh new advertisements, and hoping to make financial gain, crisis public relations has proven to be a key part of companies success. While no major brand is expecting to make a mistake, being able to recover from the unexpected is necessary in a successful operation. These three companies, KFC, Starbucks, and Southwest have showed a few key ways to overcome a crisis. One company using a risky add that payed off, one making open apologies and closing stores to re train, and another focusing their attention to the customers. Each of these companies took a hit when it comes down to it, but their quick reaction to crisis and plans helped save their name. The consumers are the most important asset of a company, so as long as the recovery pleases them, a company is doing it right. Crisis public relations proves to be a vital tool for brands of all sizes as it can be the difference in sinking or floating.