The aim of crisis communications is to contain, minimize and reverse damage in order to turn the story in a positive direction.  In order to accomplish this, it’s imperative to take control of the narrative. While Thatcher’s methods may have ruffled a few feathers along the way, the story of her career can provide a good lesson on three critical components of good crisis communication and the power of a story:

Validate Concerns

The PR crisis Thatcher is perhaps best known for came as a result of the union reforms she instated in the mid-‘80s. While her actions against the union surely didn’t win her any fans with its members, her reaction did nothing to help matters. Rather than sympathizing with union members as valued citizens, she treated them – and referred to them – as the country’s enemy. She exhibited no consideration for the sizeable group of constituents, therefore making her already unpopular decision to dismantle labor unions even more loathsome among many of her target audience.

Show Action

Thatcher was undeniably successful at showing action. She was known as the fierce politician who got things – whether they were good or bad – done. Her career earned her the title of a woman of action, and this reputation continues to follow her, even in death. No matter what the situation or crisis, the Iron Lady could be expected to take action. Perhaps the best example of the strange mixture of praise and disdain in the media can be seen in The Guardian’s headline, “How Margaret Thatcher helped end apartheid – despite herself”. While she missed part one of the crisis management equation, she still took decisive action in critical state affairs. Despite her lack of personal popularity, she was ultimately able to make her reputation as a dynamo diplomat stick in the public’s memory.

Control the Public Narrative

If there’s one thing Thatcher knew, it was this: you can’t please everybody all of the time. In retrospect, however, she could have made better efforts to find a middle ground in order to control her public image more effectively. Baroness Thatcher had a tendency to incite either rage or admiration in the citizens of Great Britain, but rarely indifference. Some proper media training could have improved her tumultuous relationship with Great Britain’s citizenry throughout her reign, thus sparing her a lot of negative media coverage both before and after her death. She was undoubtedly a complex character who was able to engage her audience.  Even in the most unflattering articles, however, there is an underlying tendency to reluctantly admit her achievements amidst the litany of denouncements. In the end, this is an example in itself of how her actions controlled the public image of her; she wasn’t out to be liked, but she did create change.

Amidst this hailstorm of the good, the bad, and the ugly media coverage in response to her passing, one fact is undeniable: Margaret Thatcher “handbagged” the citizens of Great Britain hard enough to still be on the tip of everyone’s tongues, and she won’t fade from the public memory any time soon. If there’s one lesson her life and career had taught the public, it’s the power of a compelling, revolutionary story.

1. Do Research: The key to any successful brand or campaign is performing thorough research. Current audience attitudes, opinions and perceptions is a key indicator of the direction in which your message should shift. The GOP researched how voters felt about the Republican Party, only to discover the GOP needs a change.
2. Be Open to Change: Even the party of conservative values knows that it must adapt to change if it is to continue to stay relevant. Part of evaluating successes and failures is knowing what strategies can stay and what strategies to kick to the curb. In the RNC’s case, these changes involve altering the election calendar surrounding primaries and debates so Republican leaders can spend more time promoting their messages, and engaging the minority demographics.
3. Target a bigger audience: Through the GOP’s analysis, they discovered Obama was favored by minorities over Romney 71 percent to 27 percent. To boost its image among minorities, the RNC has decided to engage them through channels such as local events, swearing-in ceremonies and other community forums.

And it’s not just about reaching out to minority groups, it’s also about creating a message that resonates with human beings at their core. The ‘hope’ and ‘change’ that captivated voters ahead of Barack Obama’s election are ideals that capture the values of the Democratic party, that also reach people on a basic, apolitical scale. To compete, the GOP should identify its own set of buzzwords that not only represent its party, but also create that human sentiment.

From a public relations perspective, re-branding and re-marketing does not necessarily mean having to change your core values. It simply means improving your image and creating a messaging strategy that resonates with a broader and more diverse group of people. So the RNC is right to re-market and re-brand itself before the next election. The results will show if these cosmetic changes are enough to sustain the Grand Old Party.

While Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s move to ban the sale of sodas over 16oz in New York City may have been shot down by a Supreme Court Judge on Monday, the politician’s plan has caught the media’s attention when it comes to soda companies’ role in America’s obesity problem. The dialogue regarding overweight Americans is a threat that hovers over soda manufacturers like a Mento over a bottle of Diet Coke, and how they deal with that threat requires some agile and well-timed PR messaging.

Industry giant Coca Cola, along with other companies such as its rival, Pepsi Cola, offer thousands of scholarships aimed at minority students. These initiatives are brilliant marketing moves for such corporations; through the establishment of these programs, Coke is able to earn the support (not to mention the patronage) of minority communities, gaining considerable brand loyalty. Their methods of attracting these customers, however, have garnered negative publicity from parties who claim that soda ultimately puts consumers at a far greater risk of obesity, especially in minority communities. The recent attention focused on the soda ban has exposed a self-serving image of Coca-Cola and similar soda manufacturers.

It’s impossible to argue that soda is a healthy product. This places the corporations in a difficult position, especially with the country’s growing fixation on remedying its considerable weight problem. Many times the easiest and least detrimental choice is to avoid entering the dialogue until it becomes a necessity; for Coca-Cola and other companies, that time has arrived amidst a flurry of articles, news pieces, and legal action. In response to this, Coca-Cola has decided to not only publicly acknowledge obesity, but also even taken a stand against it, as seen in their official statement.

So — how does an industry whose products directly contribute to unhealthy eating habits combat the very same problem it exacerbates?  Take a cue from Coca-Cola: By citing their corporate sponsorship of the Olympics and other athletic programs, Coke puts emphasis on the importance of physical activity in preventing obesity. They’re backed up by the inarguable fact that physical activity is imperative when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing obesity, and by focusing on this the company is skillfully circumventing the part of the problem that poor nutrition plays while still addressing the issue. This is a well-played move: By laying the blame on a lack of exercise rather than excessive intake of sugar and empty calories, Coke is able to create a legitimate diversion from their own products’ health risks in order to create an image of being a socially responsible company while simultaneously avoiding jeopardizing their own brand and profit. These efforts are seen as purely philanthropic as opposed to self-serving. By generating good press, the company has managed to tactfully alleviate the bad publicity that had recently been piled high on their shoulders. It’s a simple, solid strategy that has been proven time and time again. They’ve managed to successfully take back their story and control the narrative.

So far, Coca-Cola’s efforts to manage the recent incoming criticism have been extraordinarily effective, if perhaps a little transparent. This success may change, however, as more and more attention is turned towards the role food companies play in America’s continuous battle with the scale. Crusaders against obesity such as Mayor Bloomberg aren’t willing to let sleeping dogs lie, as evidenced by his plan to appeal the ruling in June. How Coca-Cola and competitors cope with the increasing social burdens publicly is a high-stakes decision that could cost them their reputation and profit.

As the pressure continues to build and soda companies face ever-increasing criticism heading their way, maybe it’s time more of them considered changing their practices and telling a story that assumes more social responsibility in order to benefit them (and their consumers) in the long run. As of now, the great obesity problem is a major PR crisis waiting to happen, and Coke is making all the right moves to stay afloat.

Hate him or love him, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has successfully hoisted himself back into parliamentary power once again. The “indefatigable” politician, as the Wall Street Journal coined him this week, has lured in Italian voters for 19 years despite numerous accusations of criminal corruption and lewd sexual acts.

Italy’s elections this week in which Berlusconi’s support crippled his opposition government reminded us of lessons that even those in free societies know all too well. That is, abuse of power can occur when your public relations skills are excellent. To be clear, Berlusconi’s corruption is not overt. He did not rig the elections. But his monopoly on the national media and his granting himself immunity from criminal proceedings has allowed him to stay in politics for longer than any other modern-day Western society would allow. As Allesandro Campi, a professor of political science at the University of Perugia told the WSJ, “he’s planted a seed deep in the public imagination.”

What are his secrets to success you might ask? Follow these steps and you, too can win like Berlusconi:

1)       A fresh look – For a 77 year old politician, Berlusconi looks remarkably relaxed. Like a guy you’d want to vacation with on the Amalfi Coast or throw back a few glasses of vino with. Chalk that up to a skilled plastic surgeon, a fresh tan and a sparkling smile. The International Journal of Press/Politics published a study in 2010 that said the better the politician’s looks, the higher the frequency of television news coverage. And it’s not just voters who value good looks, journalists do, too, they say.

2)      A busy media appearance schedule – Staying visible in the media has kept Berlusconi at the forefront of the public’s mind and has given him the chance to speak his message, on his terms. What? You don’t own your country’s media? Then you may need to enlist some help with scheduling media appearances.

3)      A targeted message – Despite all that euro zone racket, Berlusconi has learned from the most recent Prime Minister and technocrat Mario Monti that following the European prescription of austerity doesn’t win brownie points with voters. What do voters care most about? Jobs and their personal finances. Alas, a refund of a property tax collected by outgoing PM Monti will go to all citizens under Berlusconi’s plan. The bottom line is that most everyday Italians aren’t prioritizing their nation’s debt-to-deficit ratio or the risk facing international investors’ bond safety when deciding how to vote. Berlusconi’s craftsmanship in honing that message was key to his comeback.

4)      A good blame game – Why is Italy in the mess it’s in? It’s all Monti’s fault! He was far too austere. Disregard the fact that Berlusconi was essentially forced to step down when the euro crisis struck Italy. He couldn’t take the pressure, so Monti stepped in and enact necessary reforms. Why were all of these magistrates trying to accuse him of corruption or sexual scandal? They were politically-motivated and jealous of his position, of course. While most people believe Berlusconi’s character to be less than rosy, he hasn’t been proven guilty of any crimes under the law!

Berlusconi is a character who aims to please, and that he has done for Italian voters very well. We recommend you take some of pointers, but please, don’t lose your integrity.

1. Be honest: While it’s not OK to keep quiet, especially during a scandal, it’s definitely not OK to lie. After taking preemptive measures to test their own meat, IKEA admitted there was an issue with the meatballs. Mistakes are made all the time, and it’s a matter of making sure you’re honest about them that ensures your trust with consumers.
2. Take immediate action: Rather than sitting back and relaxing, or waiting for the storm to blow over, IKEA withdrew its meatballs served in 21 European countries, in addition to identifying its meat distributor. IKEA took action to assure its customers knew they were taking steps to remedy the immediate problem.
3. Take long-term action: While IKEA may be under scrutiny like a lot of other companies serving meat to consumers, the company could take this scandal and turn it around to make it work in its favor. IKEA could take a stand against the improper management of suppliers, who are feeding people this mislabeled meat. For example, as a company uniquely scattered across Europe, they could advocate for stricter EU regulatory rules.  Doing so could seize an opportunity to turn their image as victim of food corruption into EU-wide leader in food-processing standards. That would certainly provide a huge image boost.

When a scandal breaks, you can’t hide from it. Innocent until proven guilty doesn’t exist in crisis communication, and telling the truth with tact and precision, and taking action for meaningful change is how your PR representative should go about the situation. Especially in this case, honesty is the best policy.

Well as AdWeek so smartly pointed, Nike’s endorsement bad luck is really a numbers game. This company has contracts with an overwhelming number of professional athletes with considerable influence over consumers. So when one of these contracted athletes is involved in a scandal, percentages say there’s a pretty good chance he or she will be a Nike endorser (see Michael Vick, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods).

Consumers don’t blame Nike for Oscar Pistorius shooting his girlfriend or Tiger’s transgressions for that matter. What they do expect is that the company does the right thing once a scandal happens and handles its crisis communication the best way possible. Nike usually does take action quickly, as it has done with other scandal-stricken athletes. The public sees those moves as the right thing to do. Nike recognizes that and so do most smart marketers. And that’s not necessarily branding acumen. It’s just common sense.

1. Identify the problem: With the company rapidly declining, researchers at RIM had to recognize that a small screen, BBM and a lack of creativity was not going to keep them afloat amongst their competitors. They needed to dig deeper to identify a new market differential.

2. Build a new story: Not only did they change their name from RIM to Blackberry—an ode to the product that catapulted the brand to success, but they also created a new tagline “One Brand. One Promise.” And arguably the most newsworthy, the company appointed Grammy Award winning artist Alicia Keys as the new Global Creative Director of the company.

3. Launch it for the world to see: Blackberry held a launch event in New York City where they unveiled all of the new bells and whistles, including a new operating system, the Blackberry Z10 and the Blackberry Q10 phones.

As the new Global Creative Director, Alicia Keys articulated her relationship with Blackberry in a rather unconventional way: She compared it to an ex-boyfriend. She noted how much she loved her Blackberry phone, then got fed up and broke up with it, only to return in hope for a more promising future. As silly as that may sound, Keys hints at a valid point. Companies go through their ups and downs, but understanding the value of rebranding strategies is one of the only proven ways up. This may be the final piece to the puzzle for Blackberry, but all we can do is wait and see.

Is this the right step for Blackberry, or will the brand continue its rein as the technology of the past? We want to hear your thoughts!

But that’s not to say that’s worse than when he does choose to speak to press. His clear obstinacy to answer questions comes through in his rhetoric. Take a look at one of his postgame interviews and you’ll undoubtedly see at least a couple of his five strategies highlighted by the WSJ in action:

1) it’s the questions fault
2) when in doubt, speak gibberish
3) a question for a question
4) “um, no”
5) “well, maybe, possibly, kinda”

These tactics send the wrong signal to viewers, fans and sports pundits, leaving many to ask questions such as, “is he a sore loser?”

Despite his wanting to control his environment, his unwillingness to cooperate with media could backfire quite easily. If only Jim could learn the art of blocking and bridging, rather than just blocking, he could be a much more likeable, sympathetic, even admired figure. So you might be asking, what in the world does bridging and blocking have to do with an interview? This is a tactic in which the interviewee’s every response should address the intent of the question and transition to key messages supported by the story.

While Jim dodges the tough questions using what we call the personal opinion pitfalls, he doesn’t bring the topic back to his main point, leaving him open for more questions that could lead to a sticky situation. But arguably his biggest media pitfall is his taste for senseless jargon! There’s nothing like trying to decipher what, “Just gobble, gobble, gobble turkey from jive turkey gobblers,” means (seriously, that is not a made up quote!). Having a skeleton of answers for generic questions, and sticking to them, could save him from reverting to his own dialect of gibberish.

When you step in front of the media, are you going to score a touchdown or fumble?

Yesterday, during the Super Bowl press conference, she took center stage to publicly address the elephant in the room, eliminated skepticism and controlling her story. This response is an impressive demonstration on how to shift public perception from a negative into a positive.

1. Validate Concerns: From the start of the press conference, all anyone presumably wanted to discuss was Beyoncè lip-sync-gate. But before they got the chance, she asked everyone to please stand. Beyoncè validated the audience’s concerns about her talent by addressing their doubts head on.
2. Show Action: As she began belting out an incredible, acapella rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, Beyoncè eliminated any remaining skepticism in her abilities through direct action. As an added bonus, she also successfully eliminated the cloud that was hovering over her upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance.
3. Control the Narrative: Without letting the situation get any more out of hand, Beyoncè took control. Her decision to start the press conference with a performance, rather than another canned statement provided plenty of positive buzz for the superstar, completely reversing the media tide. And if you listen closely, everything down to her word choice was intentional, rather than introducing the negative term lip-syncing into the conversation, she opted to use the phrase “backtracking.” The lessons from Beyoncè just keep coming!

The major lesson here is how a crisis can end up working to your advantage. It’s not something to run from, but rather something to be addressed straight on. I can guarantee you, few halftime performers have ever gotten this much press PRE performance!
Tell us who you think won this big game? Beyoncè or the media?

1. Plan Early and Often: Coca-Cola shows a plan to fight obesity with changes like creating lower calorie options and smaller portions. The commercial engages the audience by asking them to get involved, and the key to this is the purchase of Coca-Cola products.

2. Keep it Simple: A major part of Coca-Cola’s plan is the idea that it is making consumers’ lives easier with its efforts of creating smaller portions, as well as making caloric intake easier to see and understand. Coca-Cola goes to great lengths to ensure its products easily fit into the consumer’s life and wedges another positive quality into the human mind.  

3. Tug on their Heartstrings: The commercial starts off with a powerful narrative of Coca-Cola’s storied 125-year history, using images of the brand bringing families and friends together. The brand also establishes a relationship with the audience, reminding the viewers of how Coca-Cola’s brand holds a special place in the hearts of many.

In addition to the points above, one of the most impactful parts of the commercial is Coca-Cola’s story involves a call for action to its consumers. Every advertisement has a message, but Coca-Cola spells it out to the audience in an effort to ensure the company is viewed as a problem fixer, rather than the problem starter.

Our CEO, Hugh Braithwaite, had conflicting views, looking at the campaign from the perspectives of a father as well as a PR pro. “As a father, I am a little skeptical that they are doing this for any other reason than to sell more product,” says Hugh. “But as a PR professional, I think it was the right move.”

Check out further insights in the article on PRWeek and let us know what you think. Do you agree with what Coca-Cola did? Should they have approached it differently? Let us know your thoughts!