Taxonomy of Mediated Crisis Responses

Taxonomy is a system of principles that help scholars and practitioners understand a phenomenon

100 internet responses to crises over 7 year period

· Internet in crisis communication

o WWW mid 1990s (tool organizations can use to communicate with media and publics)

o Today: almost every organization has web presence to communicate brand, image, products, and services

§ +controlled channel

§ +without media imposed filters

§ +reach public directly

o Perry et al. and Taylor and Perry developed methodology to track diffusion of internet in crisis communication

§ Crises appearing on CNN.com and MSNBC.com (October-april)

· 54% organizations met parameters of their study, integrated internet into their crisis response

· 175 crisesà 100 organizations using internet responses

· Best practices of mediated crisis communication:

o Upload Traditional tactics to the Web site

§ PDF’s of printed material takes little time and effort

o Integrating innovative tactics

§ 4 new media tactics:

· 2-way interactive communication feature

o organization can solicit feedback from public to respond to an issue via internet

o feedback encourages dialogue and interaction between organization and stockholders

o allows organization to manage conflict, improve understanding, and address stakeholder concerns

§ *Microsoft integrates 2 way interaction into its response to the Department of Justice Antitrust case against them

· Connecting Links

o Allows organization to directly connect visitors to other relevant sites, additional info, or resources to improve understanding and demonstrate good-faith effort to fully inform stakeholders

§ Ex. Oct. 2004 Merck & Co. Inc. announced voluntary recall of its VIOXX arthritis medicine

· Provided links to other websites that contained additional info for “patients and health care professionals”

· Provided links to background info about NSAIDS and COX-2s from FDA

· Posted link to a Resource Center

· Real-Time Monitoring

o Timely monitoring that may be necessary or helpful for the media or public to follow a crisis hour by hour or minute by minute

o Created ability to reduce delays in reporting and response time

§ Ex. National Hurricane Center

· Video/Audio effects

o Ability to post video or audio feeds affords organizations ability to use satellite imaged, taped or live video, high resolution photography, and audio effects to internet visitors

§ Webcasts of news and conferences on websites of organizations

§ Broadcasts feeds are valuable for television and web news organizations because it’s better than relying on textual transcript

o Reducing uncertainty during product recalls

§ Consumers have increased uncertainty and need for answers

· Ex. Batmobile

o April 2004 Consumer Product Safety Commission issued joint release with Mattel Inc.

§ Voluntary recall of Mattel’s Batmobile toy vehicle

· Produced with 2 very sharp rigid practice tails that could puncture or lacerate children

o April 14^th, 2004: 14 children reported injuries from plastic tails

§ 4 required medical treatment

o recall announcement made on CPSC’s stationary and provided contact information for the CPSC and Mattel

o news release included many innovative tctics including detailed graphic of batmobile, 800 numbers for CPSC and Mattel, and a link that could be sent to friends informing them of the recall

o web site visitors provided with series of questions and pictures to look at to ascertain whether or not their toy was part of the recall

§ “click here to determining if your product is affected” brought visitors to Mattel’s website

§ could also download instruction manual, order replacement parts, call Mattel customer rep, browse through FAQs, and use postal code to locate dealer in their area with replacement info

· Ex. Hewlett Packard Battery Pack

o Helped consumers reduce uncertainty about safety of their laptops

o Voluntary recall included FAQs, enlarged pictures of the numbers and ID codes on the battery, letter explaining what to do if you owned a laptop with recalled battery pack, link to find out status of battery replacement order, contact numbers for over 50 countries, and high quality posted that could be downloaded by retail stores and posted to educate employees on recall

§ Using your Web Site to tell your side of the crisis

· Bypass news filters

· Communicate directly to visitors of site without limitations inherent in information subsidy

· Ex. Microsoft’s legal trouble with DOJ (department of justice) October 13^th, 1999

o 5 traditional tactics, 4 new media tactics

o established dialogue with visitors encouraging them to share views with organization, “What’s your opinion?” linked to text box

o talk with spokespeople about concerns

o encouraged to send emails to congressmen, “How can I help?” link

o offered links to 30 respected newspapers around the world who published articles opposing breaking up the company

§ Create different Web Pages for Different Stakeholders

· Ex. Mesaba Airlines

o Large Midwestern regional airline

o Voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection

o Subsidiary of MAIR Holdings

o Flies planes for Northwest Airlines (dominant carrier in Midwest)

o Announced bankruptcy on audio Web cast and disseminated news release announcing filing

o Created variety of web pages for different stakeholders and tailed info of each pace to their specific interests

§ Passengers:

· Letter from president explaining how bankruptcy decision would affect flight schedules

· Links to restructuring website and Northwest airlines

§ Investors:

· Letter from parent company’s president explaining how Mesaba filing did not include any of MAIR’s other financial holdings

· Link so investors could replay the web cast where the company announced decision

· FAQs page

· Backgrounder with info about company

§ Employees:

· How decision and restructuring would affect them

§ Suppliers and Business Partners:

· Letter from Mesaba president reassured business partners that “we can-and will-pay” suppliers in the post petition period and “Mesaba Airlines is not going out of business and will continue to operate its schedule”

· Contact info for Accounts Payable Depart. For inquiries on statuses of previous invoices

§ Work with Government agencies during crisis

· Have mandate to serve public interest

o CDC and FDA regularly post info about public health and potentially harmful products

§ Organizations jointly announce crises with them

o CPSC maintains website with all info about recalled products

§ Archives Freedom Information Act documents to follow up product recall and litigation

o Auto industry works with National Highway Safety Board

§ Provide info for car owners

· GM, Ford, Toyota recalls on NHSB’s website to avoid bad rep

o Security exchange commission (SEC) regulates financial info and reporting processing

§ Website provides organizations opportunity to fulfill SEC mandated obligations while keeping negative info on their own websites

§ Financial reports read EDGAR database for new SEC filling and use this government website as a starting place for reporting financial stories

· Organization can immediately show that it’s addressing crisis and safeguarding consumers

o FDA works with products during recall

§ Merck & Co Inc. announced voluntary recall of VIOXX arthritis medicine

§ FDA created page explaining drug approval process

· Link to public health advisory site

· Q&A format for visitors

· Linked Merck’s news release announcing voluntary recall

o One year after VIOXX recall FDA accused of not using solid scientific judgment in reviewing risks associated with drug in approval stages

§ Response to allegations?

§ Response on its website to manage crisis and explain its rigorous review process for all drugs

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