Recent events at the Buitoni and Ferrero companies, among others, have highlighted that no company is safe from falling into the turmoil of the crisis that plagues it …. each of these crises. There is a consequence on health or on life. of the population and presents hazards. It seems that predicting crises has become necessary with the normalization of the Internet, which has greatly accelerated the spread of information and rumours. Faced with a crisis, a company must react as quickly as possible and display maximum transparency to maintain the trust of its customers. How to do ?.
Anticipate distress so as not to be caught off guard
The timing factor is important in crisis management. It is advisable to respond at the earliest to be able to give your arguments before rumors and false rumours spread. This is the strategy adopted by Findus, which decided to make the matter public after finding the horse in its frozen preparations. Taking the lead, the company demonstrated its concern for quality and at its expense avoided the spread of unfavorable rumours, even if the reality was not to its advantage.
reply quickly and strictly
Accountability seems to be even more important in crisis management than in any other area of ​​business. This makes it possible to limit the consequences of the crisis, which is quickly becoming a past problem. It also makes it possible to show the importance that the company attaches to the safety of its consumers (if it was threatened) or the quality of its products. Thus carmaker Toyota, faced with technical failures on some of its models, reacted by mass recalling the vehicles concerned for verification and repair. The cost of the measurements was substantial, but the brand’s image was preserved, and Toyota remained the world’s leading manufacturer despite this caveat.
Prepare communication tools in advance
Creating a crisis website or modifying your website to be crisis responsive not only makes it possible to respond in an emergency, but also avoids the silence that fuels rumours. You should also prepare a list of contacts to be established to disseminate information such as trade unions, press, administrative officials… and prepare press releases in advance. It is also necessary to list the crises you are facing. For example, SNCF (accident, delay, bad weather, etc.) for agri-food industries (all diseases associated with allergies, poisoning, etc.), for automotive industries (defective manufacturing). Every business should be aware of the dangers and ask themselves if this happened to my business, what would I do? And guessing will allow him to create a communication that will not force the company to close.
show transparency
The rapid and informal movement of information through social networks detracts from the hope of limiting its dissemination. That’s why it’s better to know and play cards at the table: if the public has the feeling that something is being hidden from them, they risk being ruthless, whereas if the company appears to be playing fair, it will be heard more Forgive more quickly. Here again, Findus’ example is reassuring: by highlighting how it can be misused by unscrupulous middlemen, the company has positioned itself on the side of the victims, which has enabled it to maintain its market share despite the crisis. ,
get out of trouble
Prudent handling of a crisis can also become an opportunity for a company. Thus Ferrero faced a major controversy when it came to taxing palm oil, which was considered harmful to health and a threat to the environment through deforestation. The Italian company explained the benefits of using palm oil (essential to the texture of the product) in the Nutella recipe, and achieved a pure and simple abandonment of the planned tax, but also received a huge movement of sympathy from fans of the brand. , thereby cementing its image through its optimal crisis communication!
The Italian brand thus committed to using palm oil in this case, anticipating a vote on the law, reacting with advertising pages in newspapers and being transparent to these explanations, from start to finish as well as to the crisis communication. principles have been applied. It is ecologically correct, i.e. from certified sustainable plantations. efficient !