9-1-1 what's your emergency? Sure we'll send help in about 2 months.

You don’t have to be a doomsday prepper to be prepared for the worst. Many strategic communication professionals are faced with a sudden communication crisis within their organizations. An unprepared crisis communication specialist could seriously harm the reputation of the very organization their job is designed to protect. Like life insurance and automobile insurance a good plan in the event of a crisis can be the insurance that gets you back to normal as quickly as possible.

There is crisis management going on every day on all level variations. Recently the theme park Sea World has been weighing heavily on my mind after the documentary “Blackfish” premiered on CNN in October of 2013. Myself and my family have been long-time supporters of Sea World parks and enjoy yearly visits to one of the parks (usually San Antonio, but more recently Orlando after our relocation). Even before I really got into the mindset of a strategic communicator I thought it very odd that Sea World remained silent on the issue. For several months there wasn’t a word in response to the documentary that could be downright murderous to their parks and their entire operation (which largely involves rescuing animals and rehabilitating them as well). I learned that Sea World

had an opportunity to be a part of the documentary, presenting their side and their defense. Sea World declined to participate. Even to my untrained eyes and ears this seemed incredibly odd to me and gave the impression of guilt on behalf of Sea World Parks and Entertainment. Now that I’m better equipped to recognize and deal with crises like these, I know that Sea Worlds period of silence was the equivalent of social suicide.

On October 18, 2013 the documentary Blackfish premiered on CNN. It didn’t take long before the documentary had gone viral (not since the “To Catch a Predator” series had I seen a program on a channel such as CNN garner so much attention). “"Blackfish," is a documentary film about the multiple incidents, including the three deaths, that prompted the ongoing court case between Sea World, and OSHA, the "Occupational Safety and Health Admissions". These 3 deaths, which included 2 Orca trainers, were caused by Sea World's infamous bull Orca "Tilikum." Through a series of interviews with former Orca trainers that worked with, or around Tilikum, and other problematic captive Orca, the film tries to find an explanation for what happened” (Plot Summary by JFlor on IMDb). In trying to find an explanation the documentary paints Sea World parks and their behind the scenes operations in an incredibly negative light that set animal rights activists on a frenzy in protest of Sea World. The documentary spoke of abuse and shortened life spans. It spoke of the conditions in which the Orca whales and other animals are kept and how they compare to what they truly need in the wild. The documentary addressed the diets of the animals and how it was insufficient in meeting the nutritional needs of these gorgeous wild animals. All in all the documentary painted Sea World in a very negative light. As soon as it was released all eyes turned to Sea World for a response but instead there were crickets.

More than two months went by with no response whatsoever from Sea World parks. “Blackfish” grew and gained an even bigger following. Everybody from celebrities to soccer moms were refusing to support Sea World parks any longer. Many musicians cancelled planned appearances at the park after watching “Blackfish”. Finally, on December 20, 2013 Sea World spoke on the issue in the form of an open letter that can be read here: http://seaworld.com/en/truth/truth-about-blackfish/ . Titled “The Truth About Blackfish” the letter slams back hard against the documentary, touting it as pure propaganda that is so unfounded it shouldn’t even be called a documentary. The response was thorough but did not get the reaction that Sea World parks had hoped for.

Why didn’t people jump back on the Sea World bandwagon? Why wasn’t their response good enough? In the world of crisis communication timing is everything. Sea World should not have waited so long to defend their practices and their parks. Sea World was aware of the documentary at its inception, being that they were offered a chance to take part in it with their own side. If they chose to opt out of participation (as they did), a statement should have been issued right then from the parks with an explanation. Something saying that they are aware of a documentary being made, why they chose not to participate in the documentary, and a summary of their practices like that given in their open letter could have gone a long way in saving face for the company before it had even been tainted in the first place. By the time Sea World responded to the allegations made in “Blackfish”, it was too late. “Blackfish” created a spark that had turned into a full blown wildfire by the time Sea World decided to respond. Many believed a letter wasn’t enough to prove innocence and that longtime fans were owed more.

Had Sea World been ready with a crisis management plan before tragedy struck things might have gone differently for them. It is imperative to prepare for the worst case scenario when your organizations reputation (and actual livelihood) depends on the ‘what ifs’. Now Sea World is still facing massive backlash. There are job postings popping up in places they never needed to be before because they can’t fill spots in some of their non-animal performance positions. The public uproar got too loud and Sea World only responded with a whisper. As a strategic communication and/or crisis communication professional it is imperative to act timely and thoroughly in the wake of controversy.

How convenient, I WAS looking for that!

You’re browsing online for baby clothes (ok, have you realized by now that almost all my examples are mommy related? It’s what I do).  A few hours later you’re perusing your Facebook page checking out pictures of family members and friends and laughing about the latest Geico hump day camel meme (Hey Mike…) and there it is… the exact outfit you were looking at earlier. It’s displayed right in the side bar drawing you back in. Some might consider it a sign from some divine force that you really should go ahead and buy the outfit (after all, what baby doesn’t look cute in a dinosaur romper?). Some might just find it interesting. But most will recognize that they have been the target of the newest craze in advertising:  targeted advertising.

Advertising is not just a hit or miss thing anymore. Gone are the days where a newspaper ad for a product is only seen by a few people who find it relevant to them. Digital advertising has evolved and is smarter than ever before. Digital advertising is now targeted specifically to desired crowds based on browsing history, interests, and even geographical location. That baby clothing ad wasn’t coincidental, it was specifically targeted to you (ahem… me) because based on my browsing history the formulas that are used by advertising agencies knew it was likely something relevant to me.  Companies that aren’t using online targeted advertising are seriously missing out on the revenue that it could be bringing in for them. Business is booming. Despite the overwhelming success of online targeted advertising, there are some pretty pronounced critics.

Well look at that! While researching ways to opt out of
online targeted advertising the website just happens
to know that I was shopping for a Diono Radian carseat
at Kohl's a few days ago. It also conveniently suggests a
post about using iCloud (which is something I use daily
to find my iPhone when I inevitably misplace it).

Is online targeted advertising innovative or invasive? There are arguments on both sides of the matter. Many find the kind of information obtained and stored by these companies to be an invasion of privacy, and sometimes they might be right. Should information from my personal Facebook page (that has strict privacy settings that only allow friends, and in some cases only very close family to see my posts) be transmitted to agencies for the sake of an advertisement? After all, I and many others have gone to great lengths to ensure the privacy of our information and yet there it is, sent off to the vast land of internet information. The scariest part to me is that each of these strategic advertisements isn’t unique. They aren’t drawn on a case by case basis based only on my most recent history, but rather my browsing history over time is kept and filed away. Over time someone could probably know a lot about me. In the last year I’ve searched so many things and visited so many websites. A file of mine could reveal that my husband is deployed and exactly where he is located. Depending how detailed the encryption it might even be able to turn up his exact APO address where I’ve been sending him packages (with labels printed online through the United States Postal Service). They might be able to turn up medical history or that my son is about to undergo a second surgery for his poor continuously infected ears. I imagine my file would read that I’m in school (in fact, since being a student I’ve been the target of a good bit of educational advertisement). Around October my file would probably start turning up pregnancy related websites. In November they would know what my children were getting for Christmas. By January my file would read that our 4^th baby is also ^th boy (yes, FOUR boys… save me now!). Most people don’t realize just how much their browsing history would give away about their lives. All that aside, there’s still the question of ethics. Is this ok or is it invasion of privacy? 

going to be our 4

While it is probably a little bit of both, online targeted advertising is not something forced on people. Do they take advantage of the fact that most people are unaware of their options to opt-out of targeted advertising? Of course, but being unaware doesn’t make it their fault. There are many ways to keep from being targeted by online advertising. Browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer have options in the settings to tell websites that you do not want to be tracked (which is news to me and something I will be using as soon as I’m done here!). There are also ways to go about opting out directly from the advertising agencies themselves (http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ lets you opt out of over 60 companies tracking for advertisements). No method will be 100% effective, and if that’s a concern for you there are also browser add-ons to up your security or you can use private browsing sessions (that store no cookies or history) to do your online business. 

Online targeted advertising is bigger and better than ever and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Either you’re comfortable with that (and sometimes glad, I’ve found plenty of nifty things through targeted ads!) or you take the extra effort to prevent yourself being targeted.

Get to the top by communicating with the bottom.

Most people view leadership in business as a dictatorship. The boss barks the orders and the worker ants get to marching to get things done. This is a sad reality in all too many business models. Why is it sad? Shouldn’t people know their place? Well, yes... and no.

Imagine a workplace where the boss barks the orders and nothing else. Would you feel comfortable going to them with an issue or concern? Would you feel like they even wanted to hear it or like your concerns held any weight at all? Probably not. This kind of leadership model does not promote open communication and can all too often lead to miscommunications that could fester into harmful issues for the business or organization at play. Often times those worker ants see more of what’s actually going on in the business or organization and are valuable tools to identify problems and voice ideas on ways to change or improve the current methods being used. When a boss is strictly at the top of the pyramid it can not only cause miscommunication, but affect the attitudes and morale of employees which has a direct effect on the level of efficiency at which they work and the level of productivity reached. The flipside of the steep pyramid model of leadership is the too casual “we’re all equals here” type of management. While this type of work environment can certainly be fun, a leader who doesn’t distinguish themselves as such will have a hard time reigning in their employees when it’s crunch time. So how do you establish yourself as a leader while still engaging your employees in the leadership process?  Here are a few tips:

Be an open and truly listening ear.

            Open door policies are wonderful and promote open communication between employees and the leadership of your business or organization. When somebody comes to you with an issue, complaint, or suggestion don’t just hear them. Listen and follow through. Let them know that you’re addressing them and keep them updated along the way when resolving an issue if possible. If it’s something you can’t necessarily address right away or a suggestion that won’t particularly work for your business be open and honest about why and the logistics of your decision, don’t just say no. This type of open communication will create a sense of comfort within your organization that lets your employees know that they can go to leadership for any reason and not have to be afraid or feel embarrassed.

Correct problems when you see them.

            This can be one of the not-so-fun parts of the job, but it’s absolutely necessary. Where it becomes a matter of leadership is in the delivery of the correction. Don’t just spout off orders and tell people they’re wrong. Explain what it is that isn’t working with their current methodology and then explain to them the importance of the change you’re proposing. Build them up. Let them know that you’re correcting them not only to make your operation run more smoothly, but to help them be better at their job. When they’ve taken appropriate measures to correct the issue, make sure you acknowledge it. Lift them up and let them know they’ve done a good job.

Build up your piggy bank by getting EVERYONE’S 2 cents.

            This one goes hand in hand with being a listening ear, but deserves its own shout out. Don’t always wait for people to come to you with suggestions or issues. Go out and get opinions from your employees. Hold meetings where everybody is free to put in their 2 cents on whatever issue you’d like openly and freely. This will also instill a sense of importance into your employees and let them know that you care about their input even when there’s not a particular issue.

Trust that your employees are capable of doing their job.

            As a leader in business you have a lot of things to get done. It’s nearly impossible to personally oversee every single project going on under your roof and still be productive yourself. Trust your employees. You hired them because you felt they were the right fit for the job, so once you have given them an assignment trust that they know the right way to get it done. This will instill confidence in your employees and lessen your level of stress.

Engage your employees in building plans of action.

            Rather than just saying “this needs to get done and this is how we’re going to do it,” get your employees input. Have a meeting and say these are our goals and this is what needs to be the outcome, so how are we going to work together to get there? When your plan of action is employee generated it’s more likely to be enjoyable for them and something they feel they can achieve. It also makes it easier for everybody to stay on the same page with the project when that page is one they wrote themselves.

And finally, in the words of the great Aretha Franklin, R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

            Respect goes a very long way. Respect your employees and in turn they’ll respect you. An air of mutual respect breeds open communication and quality productivity that is beneficial to everyone.

You have to give it, too!