1. DAMAGE CONTROL
How to monitor issues, manage crises and
rebuild your company‘s reputation.
By Zach Burton and Rodger D. Johnson
Department of Communication Studies
IUPUI
2. Issue Management
Overview
• Issue Identification
• Environmental scanning.
• Identify issues and trends as potential roadblock to an
organization‘s business plan and goals.
• Conduct a vulnerability analysis.
• Planning.
• Communicating.
• Issue Life Cycle
• Potential
• Emerging
• Crisis
• Dormant
3. Definitions
• Issue Management
• The systematic management of trends that may affect
your organization.
• Crisis Management
• The systematic management of metastasized issues
that will fundamentally change your organization.
• Emergency Management
• The systematic management of an issue that will not
affect a fundamental change in your organization‘s
operations.
5. Issue Management
• What‘s an issue?
• Any environmental thing that could impact your
organization.
• Issues that affect organizations can represent a gap
between practice and stakeholder expectations.
6. Issue‘s ―Life Cycle‖
• Potential
• Organization attaches significance to perceived
problem.
• Political/Regulatory.
• Economic.
• Social trend.
• Emerging
• Lines drawn in the sand.
• Organizations use proactive media strategy to manage
issue in the marketplace of ideas.
7. Issue ―Life Cycle‖
• Crisis
• Positions solidify; groups seek resolution.
• Pushed into public policy arena.
• Clear and present public scrutiny and media attention
intensifies.
• Resolutions
• Clear ―winners‖ and ―losers.‖
• Organization accepts the ―current‖ status of issue
resolved.
• Issue goes ―dormant‖ until the next trigger and flash
point ignites it again.
9. Editorial-Advocacy
Campaign
• Classic issue management.
• Focused almost exclusively on efforts to influence political and social
outcomes.
• Many, but not all, editorials focused on petroleum and other energy
matters.
• Ad Forum called Mobil ―the leading practitioner in ‗issue‘ or ‗advocacy‘
advertising.‖
• Fortune magazine called Mobil ―the champ of advocacy advertising.‖
• Mobile engaged public conversation
• Responded to criticisms of its motives.
• Called voters to turn Carter out of the White House.
• Promoted energy crisis could have been elevated with ―strong and wise
political leadership.‖
• Referred to Ronald Reagan
• Neo—conservative leadership
10. Editorial-Advocacy
Campaign
• Promote interests that went far beyond its immediate business
objectives.
• Robert Heath called it the ―feistiest‖ advocacy campaign to date.
• There is a season and time for every purpose.
• Siege economy in America.
• Deep recession
• Energy shortage
• Rising fuel prices
• Double-digit inflation
• Crumbling industries
• Mobil used The New York Times Op-Ed pages, weighed in on the
issues.
• Classic issue management.
12. Action Plan
• Research
• Environmental scanning.
• Gather intelligence and analyze.
• Draft background briefing material.
• Identify groups and opinion leaders who can advance your position.
• Identify desired behaviors and outcomes.
• How do you want the stakeholders and public to think about and react to
the key issues?
• Plan
• Create issue database.
• Conduct vulnerability analysis.
• Draft background briefing material.
• Media relationship management.
13. Action Plan
• Execute
• Deploy resources to engage issue.
• Disseminate messages to create desired effect.
• Explain and defend the organization publicly.
• Establish contacts with key stakeholders.
• Build rapport with key groups.
• Government
• Regulatory.
• Media
• Strategic publics.
• Assure excellent inward and outward information flow.
• (Everyone should be on the same page.)
• Evaluate
15. Crisis Management
• What to expect in a crisis.
• Surprise.
• Insufficient information.
• Escalating flow of events.
• Loss of control.
• Increasing scrutiny.
• Public
• Governmental
• Media
• Threatens the organization‘s reputation and how it does
business.
• Challenges human, physical and financial resources.
16. Crisis Management
• Four elements.
• Trigger – unexpected event.
• Treat – human lives, property, natural
environment, etc.
• Uncontrolled situation – beyond the control of
organization‘s ―normal‖ management team.
• Urgent
• ―You can‘t wait until next week to deal with this.‖
• Fred Bagg, St. Francis Hospital.
18. Image Repair
• Denial
• Did not do it.
• Events caused by someone (thing) other than
organization.
• Evasion of Responsibility
• Provocation – responded to an act of another.
• Defeasibility – lack of information or ability.
• Accident – act was a mishap.
• Good intentions – meant well, but.
19. Image Repair
• Reducing effectiveness of event.
• Bolstering – stress positive attributes.
• Minimization – act not serious.
• Differentiation – act less offensive.
• Transcendence – more important considerations.
• Attack accuser – reduces credibility of accuser.
• Compensation – reimburse victim.
• Corrective action – plan to solve and prevent
problem in the future.
• Mortification – apologize.
20. Your PR Guy
For more information:
Your PR Guy
Rodger D. Johnson, MA
(317) 908-5850
www.yourprguy.com