Even for a smooth and well-prepared organisation, things can blow up sometimes. The best example here is Samsung. Over the years, mobile phones have exploded, passengers have been dragged down the aisle, and production houses executives and big-screen stars have faced media scrutiny and angry public opinion. Such moments threaten the brand reputation and consumer loyalty.
Such crisis calls for PR representatives and legal departments immediately. But only the experienced know that the key to surviving them involves employing the help of pollster as well. Because the moment brand reputation and consumer loyalty are at stake, there is nothing that substitutes proper research for help guiding messaging and targeting.
Now, your crisis management plan should include four significant steps. They are –
Gather immediate information from those affected through social media tools.
Conduct qualitative and quantitative research for gauging the broader impact and have a management approach.
Track reaction throughout the crisis for assessing public response and uncovering new information.
Make sure to have a post-crisis research plan for repairing the brand image and prepare for the future.
If done rightly, the action plan will crystallize your strategy and approach for navigating through these trying times. Following are some more examples of how polling and public opinion research helps during crisis –
Identifying the right messengers
When the crisis occurs, deciding who should respond is as important as the response itself. And most of the time, it is not the person you expect who should be tasked for delivering the message. When a mechanical failure happened, leading to a significant environmental disaster in the US, public opinion research was done to learn about the right course of action. Through the findings, one thing stood out – company spokespeople were not trusted. Responding to the disaster, the company included field workers at various media events, besides print and video advertisements.
Responding to the right audience
Apart from identifying the right messenger, you should determine the correct target audience as well. In several cases, the affected stakeholders range far more broadly than what is immediately apparent. This is possible only with adequate public opinion research.
Communicating through the right channels
Once you have the appropriate messenger and target audience in place, your crisis management plan should include the mediums to use. Gauging public opinions through polls and focus groups can help here, as this enables you to know which channels the audience uses most and where is the company facing maximum criticism.
You need to trust the PR and crisis communication professionals for effectively fighting the fires of crisis through their skill and knowledge.