Discussion: Crisis Communication

Making prompt responses during a crisis helps prevent the issue from escalating further. There are five public relations response postures that organizations can assume during a crisis: denial, diminishment, rebuilding, bolstering, and diversion. Denial is used to cut off the organization from the crisis (Coombs, 2007). For instance, if a fast-food restaurant is associated with food poisoning cases, the management may choose to deny such allegations entirely. On the other hand, the diminishing crisis response strategy is used to argue that a case is not as bad as people think it is, nor does the organization lack control over it (Coombs, 2007). For instance, a hospital may respond to claims that it lacks sufficient ICU spaces by stating that its resources may be stretched, but it has alternative measures in place on a need basis.

Rebuilding focuses on developing an organization’s reputational assets by offering victims a form of aid. For instance, offering compensation and/or an apology to victims of workplace injuries may restore the organization’s image. On the other hand, under the bolstering strategy, an organization leverages existing relationships with stakeholders and portrays itself as the victim to allay fears (Zimal & Aysar, 2021). For instance, a restaurant faced with food poisoning allegations may shift blame to its suppliers. Finally, diversion may be used by an organization to manage a crisis by drawing attention to a completely different issue. For instance, a restaurant may ignore allegations of food poisoning and instead launch a new product.

When Paul Pogba was accused of using a performance enhancement substance, he employed the diminishing strategy. While admitting that he may have taken a specific supplement that has performance enhancement effects, he emphasized that he was not a cheater and just took it as a nutritional supplement. He claimed that his only mistake may have been the failure to triple-check the supplement. This strategy was highly effective because it led to an initial four-year ban that was later reduced to an 18-month ban. Based on the relatively friendly outcome, this was the right posture for the crisis.

References

Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10(3), 163–176. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1550049

Zimal, L. A., & Aysar, A. A. (2021). Public relations strategy analysis crisis communications. Journal La Sociale, 2(3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.37899/journal-la-sociale.v2i3.388

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