Table Of Contentii
Crisis
COMMUNICATION
iiii
Expression of thanks
The authors would like to thank the following people for their much
appreciated help: Bob Bellafiore, George Bogdanich, Lori C Booker,
Myra J Borshoff, Barbara Casey, Colette Cornelissens, Lars Dagerholt,
Susan A Davis, Ray D Eisenbrenner, Thor Erling Lund, Pamela D
Evans, Amanda Farek, Michael Fineman, Rick French, Acácio Gomes,
Bobbie Goodwin, Christian Hannestad, Eric Hess, Peggy Hubble,
Raphael Hyslop, Carol Javaudin, Gwinavere Johnston, David
Ketchum, Howard C Landau, Effie Lazaridou, Anita Lissona, Tim
Loesch, Greg Loh, Anne McGregor-Lowndes, Ginny Melvie, Vibeke
Mestanas, Virginia Miller, Debbie Mitchell, Laurey Peat, Daniel C
Pinger, Mila Popova, Mary Beth Popp, Cindy Raymond, Don
Rountree, Brad Rye, Katie Seigenthaler, David Stiefel, Renzi Stone,
Mike Swenson, Jésus Timoteo Álvarez, Loredana Ulivi, Kaija Vataja,
Pat Walsh, Ralf Weber, Dick Wertheim, Martin Westergaard, John
Williams and Necla Zarakol.
iiiiii
Crisis
COMMUNICATION
practical PR strategies for reputation
management and company survival
Edited by PETER F ANTHONISSEN
London and Philadelphia
iivv
Publisher’s note
Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is
accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and authors cannot accept respon-
sibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage
occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this
publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or any of the authors.
Every author is responsible for his contribution. Neither IPREX, nor IPREX members can
be held responsible in any way for possible errors or inaccuracy, of any shape, manner or
form, appearing in this book.
First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2008 by Kogan Page Limited
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or
review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication
may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior
permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accor-
dance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction
outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:
120 Pentonville Road 525 South 4th Street, #241
London N1 9JN Philadelphia PA 19147
United Kingdom USA
www.koganpage.com
© Peter Frans Anthonissen, Roger Bridgeman, Marianne de Bruijn, Willem Buitelaar, Tom
Gable, Jerry Hendin, Stuart Hyslop, Nick Leighton, Bob Oltmanns, Steven Pellegrino, Silvia
Pendás, Nuria Sánchez, Elizabeth Seigenthaler Courtney, Thom M Serafin, Tony Shelton,
Kathryn H Tunheim, Odile Vernier, Tim Wallace, Jim Walsh, Mania Xenou, 2008
The right of the individual contributors to be identified as the authors of this work has been
asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN 978 0 7494 5400 5
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Crisis communication : practical public relations strategies for reputation management and
company survival / [edited by] Peter Frans Anthonissen.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-7494-5400-5
1. Crisis management. 2. Corporations--Public relations. I. Anthonissen, Peter Frans.
HD49.C738 2008
659.2--dc22
2008017599
Typeset by Saxon Graphics Ltd, Derby
Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt Ltd
vv
Contents
List of contributors ix
Foreword by Jim Walsh xvii
Introduction Peter Frans Anthonissen 1
1. No thrillers, but hard reality 7
Peter Frans Anthonissen
Introduction 7; There are no guarantees 9; Stakeholders
are everywhere 10; The accountability factor 10;
Annoying threats 11; Crises are challenges 13; Successful
crisis communication – principles 14; Learn lessons from
what has happened 18; A crisis for every day of the
week 18; Conclusion 23
2. Proactive crisis communication planning 24
Nick Leighton and Tony Shelton
Introduction 24; Need for a plan 25; What is a crisis? 25;
What a crisis plan provides 28; Elements of a plan 28;
People 28; The plan 33; Conclusion 43
3. Image as a part of corporate strategy 44
Tom Gable
Introduction 44; Reputations add value over time 45;
Determining how you want to be known 46; Establishing
competitive advantage 46; Communicating what you
stand for 47; Planning to reach all potential audiences 48;
Turning vision into reality 48; Tell real stories 49; Appeal
to higher standards, bigger ideas 50; Conclusion 54
vvii Contents
4. Calamities 55
Jerry Hendin,Silvia Pendás de Cassina and Jim Walsh
Introduction 55; Aeroplane accidents 56; Natural
disasters 59; Being prepared: Alaska Airlines 261 60;
When fire strikes – twice 66; Conclusion 71
5. The new dynamics of financial crisis 73
Tim Wallace
Introduction 73; Understanding financial crisis 74;
Institutional investors: potential agents of crisis 77;
Responding to financial crisis 79; Conclusion 86
6. Fraud 88
Thom M Serafin
Introduction 88; Gather the facts 89; Legal issues must be
sorted out 90; Third-party validation 91; Delay and
denial compound the problem 92; When your client is a
victim of fraud 93; Implementing an action plan 95;
Conclusion 96
7. Reorganization and restructuring 97
Kathryn Tunheim, Marianne de Bruijn and Jim Walsh
Introduction 97; Swiss purchase of US financial services
company 98; Moving business from The Netherlands to
Germany 100; Goodwill is vital in a closure situation 103;
Conclusion 108
8. A multitude of challenges for the international
food sector 109
Mania Xenou and Nuria Sánchez
Food safety 110; Health and diet issues 111; Crisis
preparation is the key to success 111; Stakeholders 112;
The need for proactive communication 113;
The media 113; Conclusion 114; Case study 114
9. Negative press and how to deal with it 119
Elizabeth SeigenthalerCourtney and Willem Buitelaar
Introduction 119; Prepare early and often 120; Mitigate
impact with proactive response 121; Detecting a negative
story before it appears 123; No ostriches need apply 124;
Building bridges toward recovery 126; Conclusion 126;
Case study 127
Contents vviiii
10. There is no substitute for media training 132
Nick Leighton, Steven Pellegrino and Tony Shelton
Introduction 132; Who should we train? 133; Who should
do the training? 134; Other resources 135; Who are the
media? 136; Developing the crisis message 137; Know the
rules of the game 138; Conducting the training 140;
Conclusion 141
11. How senior management can make the crisis worse 142
Stuart Hyslop
Introduction 142; How it can all go wrong 142; Managing
to make it worse 143; Getting it right 144; How to
demonstrate leadership 146; Avoidance is endemic 148;
The danger signs 149; Conclusion 150
12. Judgement days 152
Kathryn Tunheim
Introduction 152; Case study 153; Conclusion 156
13. Environmental crisis communications 157
Robert J Oltmanns
Introduction 157; Laying the groundwork: creating a
culture of environmental stewardship 159; When a crisis
hits 163; Conclusion 168
14. Crisis communication and the net 169
Roger Bridgeman
Introduction 169; The nature of the net… fast, expansive,
inclusive and a great leveller 170; New medium, new
risks 171; The power to empower a crisis 172; New tools,
new opportunities 173; The new ground rules 174; Crisis
communications – engagement versus
pronouncements 176; Conclusion 177
15. Organizational barriers to crisis and public affairs
management 178
Roger Bridgeman
Introduction 178; Dismissing the issue, marginalizing the
opposition 179; Averting a crisis by early action 180;
Corporate resources can’t trump a crisis 181; Responding
to a crisis with real process change 182; Assuming a quick
fix will make the problem go away 183; Confusing facts
with perception 184; Combating the corporate siege
mentality 185; Conclusion 186
vviiiiii Contents
16. Risk managers 187
Odile Vernier
Introduction 187; When brands do not measure up to
public opinion 188; ‘Social autism’ 189; Turning public
opinion into an asset 189; The brand – its financial and
social implications 190; Risks, risk managers and crisis
communication 191; Company governance: a new source
of crises 195; Conclusion 196
17. Crisis communication checklists 197
Peter Frans Anthonissen
1. Preparations 197; 2. Public groups and
stakeholders 198; 3. Crisis centre 199; 4. What’s in your
crisis-communication survival kit? 200; 5. Background
information 201; 6. Employee training: dealing with the
media 202; 7. Crisis manual 202; 8. How to handle a
crisis 203; 9. Crisis strategy 204; 10. Crisis
communication 206
Appendices
1. Factual information document 207
2. Message development document 210
3. Crisis preparation document 213
4. Special considerations for dealing with reporters in a crisis 216
Bibliography 217
Index 218
iixx
List of contributors
Peter Frans Anthonissen(Belgium) is an expert in the
field of reputation management and crisis communica-
tion. He successfully advised the mergers of KBC, one
of Belgium’s leading banks, and the University of
Antwerp; ensured the introduction to the stock market
of different leading companies, and has advised
Renault, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, the Belgian
and the Flemish governments and many other leading companies,
organizations and personalities. Peter studied law at the universities of
Antwerp, Leuven and Cambridge (Magdalene College). He was a
lawyer, a consultant to members of the Belgian government and a
journalist at the leading Belgian newspaper De Standaard and the
financial daily De Tijd before he founded the communication consul-
tancy Anthonissen & Associates in 1987. He has published several best-
sellers and is visiting professor at universities in Belgium and abroad.
Roger Bridgeman (United States) has been in the
public relations and communication business for more
than 30 years. His field of experience extends from
financial and professional services to high-tech, indus-
trial and consumer marketing. He has represented
Fortune 100 companies from Texas Instruments,
Motorola, Microsoft, Kodak, Raytheon and Cisco, to
new venture and overseas companies. During his career he has
managed corporate crises and stakeholder issues – from corporate
merges and acquisitions and competitor disinformation attacks, to
technology-related consumer privacy issues. Prior to establishing
