By Declan Wyatt
For Anheuser-Busch, the bill came to more than $400 million. For Boeing, the cost was hundreds of millions in lost market cap. For Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, the damage was two university president resignations.
These industry leaders share a common, perhaps ignominious distinction in 2024: they have all faced full-scale public relations crises within the last year.
“The worst phrase I ever hear is, ‘any press is good press’,” said Nathan Miller, founder and CEO of Miller Ink, a strategic communications and crisis management firm in Los Angeles. “Bad press absolutely exists—and it causes profound consequences for companies of all kinds.”
When navigating public relations crises like the conservative backlash following Bud Light’s partnership with a transgender influencer or the grounding of Boeing 787 Max airplanes a now infamous incident on an Alaska Airlines flight, companies are often their own worst enemies.
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The journey to safety, Miller said, is perilous, and fraught with potential missteps and unforced errors. Lies, untruths, and spins can only worsen the situation, and split-second decisions can chart the course of careers.
“Whether you’re a large corporation, a mom-and-pop business, a nonprofit or a charitable foundation, during a crisis you make multiple decisions at once that will dramatically define your future, often with no time to carefully consider the options,” said Miller, who has managed hundreds of high-profile crisis cases.
The PR crisis is not a new institution in American media. Since the birth of print news, companies have hired experts and sought strategies to jockey for favorable coverage and avoid the pitfalls of negative coverage. But the crisis has taken on a new salience over the last half-decade, Miller said, threatening damaging and potentially existential consequences for companies and individuals across a range of industries.
While these situations are diverse in scope and circumstance, Miller said they share a common characteristic: the breakneck pace at which they move. This poses the biggest challenge to executives, he continued.
“The phone is ringing off the hook. Protestors are camping out in your driveway. Reporters are demanding statements immediately. Your board members are circling. Amidst all this chaos, will you have the time to sit down and write a carefully worded statement and think through a long-term plan?” said Miller.
The answer, Miller said, is almost always “no.” That’s why he recommends that organizations proactively develop a crisis response plan to align actions, coordinate messaging, assign roles and draft statements before such a plan is ever needed.
Even if this plan sits on a shelf for years without being used—an ideal situation for a crisis manager like Miller—companies can rest easy knowing they have a playbook to stave off the kind of cancel culture campaigns that have rattled many of the country’s most prominent companies, institutions, and leaders over the last decade.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 24: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun speaks to reporters as he departs from a ... [+]
Where to start?
First, map out all the likely scenarios that could create a crisis for your or your organization, said Miller. Depending on the nature of your business, these could include a hack or data breach, an HR issue, a disgruntled employee, labor dispute or even a natural disaster.
Write down each scenario, Miller said, and think through the actions that you could take to mitigate negative press in each situation. Consider the people you would need to contact, the messages you would want to relay and the approvals you would need to obtain.
“It’s like a wargame,” said Ryan Painter, a communication strategist based in Los Angeles who said that these exercises help companies identify and address their weak points.
“Spelling out this process ahead of time will make real-time decision-making much easier and prevent costly mistakes,” he said.
Next, organizations should consider how they would like to tell their story during the crisis. This begins with identifying target audiences, said Miller. Think through the individuals or institutions whom your organization would need to reach. Then, identify the best channels for reaching them.
“Don’t just let anyone speak on the record about your organization,” said Joey Good, a media strategist in Orange County who’s managed dozens of high-profile matters. Rather, Good said, designate one or two spokespeople who will be authorized to speak for your organization. Ensure they have been vetted and media trained—and can commit to always staying on message.
The final development stage of your crisis response plan is drafting holding statements. These are short, pithy statements that tastefully address the given situation within the frame of your narrative. They should be developed and approved proactively, as soon as possible.
When a crisis strikes, reporters will not delay publication of their pieces to wait for your company to cobble together a statement, Miller said. Having a statement on hand that’s already been scrutinized and approved greatly improves the likelihood that you’ll be able to shape the story around your preferred narrative.
But a plan is only as good as its execution. Companies should regularly train their staff on official crisis communications policies and procedures. Miller said they should consider annual media training sessions or even hold simulation exercises to pressure test the strength of the plan and the staff response.
Miller’s firm, Miller Ink, has worked with hundreds of corporations, nonprofits and individuals experiencing crises. From pet stores facing negative influencer campaigns to a luxury vehicle manufacturer under attack from a popular YouTube channel, Miller has seen the kind of long-lasting reputational damage these situations can inflict.
His biggest recommendation for companies looking to avoid these situations is perhaps his simplest.
“Don’t wait until it’s too late.”
