An important aspect to a public relations professional’s career is having the ability to combat bad publicity for their clients.
While the definition of public relations is one that is susceptible to change, during my undergrad program I have been exposed to one that is bold and elaborate. According to Dr. Koji Fuse public relations is: “The value-driven management function that helps establish and maintain mutually beneficial, long-term relationships between an organization and its external as well as internal publics through continuous two-way communication to serve both the organization’s and the publics interest in the democracy toward this goal. Public Relations practitioners must thoroughly research the organization and its environment, develop carefully thought-out strategic plans, implement the plans, and evaluate the program progress and outcomes for the organization and its publics to mutually adapt to each other. “
Within this definition there are the aspects that address why you must be able to combat bad press.
- Mutually beneficial relationships
- Long-term relationships
- Two-way communication
- Interest in democracy
When an issue is brought up with a client or internally, the key aspect to remember as a professional is to back your client to best of your ability without disclosing information that could further harm them. When speaking about your client and the alleged issue you must:
- Acknowledge the concern
- Cover the client-express that no assumptions can be made
- Let your publics know you are working on the issue
- Remind your publics of your client or organization’s standards/policies
*You should never shy away from media during times of bad publicity because “no comment” is the “worst comment.”
Petco’s grooming services has recently faced allegations that shed an extremely negative light on their company. Two customers in Hawaii picked their dogs up after a scheduled grooming to find that not only had their animals received a proper hair clipping, they also had body parts clipped. One dog’s ear was partially missing and another’s tail was clipped. Needless to say the customers were unhappy and sued Petco.
Combating these negative allegations fell into the lap of Petco’s PR/spokesperson. While a chunk of an ear and a clipped tail would be obvious to anyone; it was the job of their spokesperson to let the public know they were investigating the situation and could not make any assumptions. They had to defend the company, but also let their customers know they were working on the issues and reminded them about Petco’s standards.
I would like to say that a part of being a PR professional is somewhat like being a lawyer. While sometimes you may know that your client is in the wrong, you must defend them to the fullest and advocate the good they do. It is the job of a PR professional to maintain the long-term and beneficial relationships with their clients, just as it is the job of a lawyer to do all they can to prove their client is innocent.
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