ABSTRACT
Most marketing books do not even mention crisis management as a marketing weapon. Not all marketing strategies are offensive in nature. Crisis management, usually involving multiple functions within an organization, is vital to marketing. Marketing, as the generator of sales/revenue is usually the most injured when a crisis occurs. A management crisis is an immediate and unexpected event that threatens the investments of shareholders, the ability of the organization to function/survive, and potentially the loss of all revenue. Crisis management is the management of the operations during the actual crisis (in the midst of the event) and the management of the business/corporation before, during, and after the crisis. 1 Most crises require “outside-in” and “inside-out” management. The management of your business/organization needs to include even the perception of crisis as a major event to be managed. A situation that is left unaddressed jeopardizes the ability of a company to function and ultimately hurts the brand. A crisis can happen at anytime and to anyone. Organizations that have experienced a major crisis include: AT&T, Boeing, Exxon, Gerber, TWA, Pan Am, Johnson & Johnson, Union Carbide, Johns Manville, Coca-Cola, and even the United States government. Thousands more could be listed. What strategies should be ready and put in place when a crisis occurs? Who is in charge? What are the responses? Who is the spokesperson? All of these questions and more should be scripted and addressed in a crisis management plan. Following is a review of the major parts of a crisis management plan and the strategies in each.
