While you’re sitting comfortably in your chair, reading this post, you may have forgotten that the blue marble you call home is orbiting a giant ball of fire at 67,000 miles per hour in a galaxy that’s hurling through space on a collision course with its closest neighbor, Andromeda.
These facts were probably the last thing on your mind. The point, however, is that whether you choose to realize it or not, chaos is all around us and many things are beyond our control.
But there are some worst-case-scenarios your business can prepare for.
The assortment of crises your company could face include cyber attacks, data breaches, terror attacks, natural disasters, economic downturns, leadership scandals, uncertainty due to the political climate, and so on.
Events like these can affect your company’s finances and reputation. So, if you’re not prepared, your business may never fully recover. And that’s where crisis management comes in.
The rise of crisis management
Crisis management as a field of study picked up speed after Johnson & Johnson’s 1982 nightmare when their Tylenol medication was tampered with and ended up killing seven people in the Chicago area.
After finding out about the shocking development, J&J’s representatives recalled all Tylenol capsules and immediately issued a warning to the public via paid advertising on television.
Despite the severity of the situation, the company’s handling of the disaster became a master class in effective crisis management and communication.
Now, TV may have been the undisputed champ for content consumption back in the day, but the internet snagged that throne in 2019.
In this new era, online video can act as a useful tool in crisis management and help to quickly disseminate information to stakeholders when something goes wrong.
Not convinced? Keep reading.
The case for using video as a tool in crisis management and communication
According to a Cisco report, videos will make up 82% of all IP traffic in 2021. And considering how the medium became humanity’s saving grace during COVID-19 the prediction seems to be on track.
Now, let’s take a look at how organizations can use video to tackle a crisis.
Crisis management training via video
Training videos are a scalable way to onboard recruits and up-skill employees. So it would be a great way to inform and train your team about your company’s crisis management plan.
Here’s an example:
Related: Training Videos: A One-time Investment with Massive Returns
Crisis communication using video
Emails, press releases, conference calls, and blog posts can all be used effectively in case of a crisis. But videos give you a chance to convey your message more memorably.
Take a look at the examples below and you’ll see what we mean.
How the best brands tackled crises with video
1. Marriott’s COVID-19 response (2020)
A message to Marriott International associates from President and CEO Arne Sorenson. pic.twitter.com/OwsF14TZgb
— Marriott International (@MarriottIntl) March 19, 2020
In the COVID-19 era, face-to-face communication means video.
The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit during this time and the CEO of Marriott International, Arne Sorenson, acknowledged this fact.
In a video addressed to associates, Sorenson said:
“COVID-19 is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. For a company that’s 92-years-old—that’s borne witness to the Great Depression, World War II, and many other economic and global crises—that’s saying something. But here are the facts…”
He continued with integrity, transparency, and ended his message on a hopeful note.
Read more: Asynchronous vs Synchronous Video for Internal Communication
2. Southwest Airlines tragedy (2018)
In 2018, Flight 1380 had to make an emergency landing after serious engine trouble. Unfortunately, one person died as a result.
The airline’s CEO, Gary Kelly, immediately responded with a sincere apology to the victim’s family.
All advertising was pulled from social media channels and passengers were offered support and counseling resources.
The airline had not encountered a situation like this before but preparation helped them respond to it with speed and consideration.
3. JetBlue’s winter nightmare (2007)
In 2007, JetBlue proved that a PR crisis caused due to an operational disaster could be resolved with online video.
To diffuse the situation, David Neeleman—the CEO of JetBlue at the time—appeared in a video uploaded to YouTube and talked about the events that transpired.
He apologized and shared what the company would be doing to make sure a similar event does not reoccur.
This rapid response helped the airline repair its reputation with customers.
The takeaway
If you’re going to incorporate videos into your crisis management and communication plan, then do so like the pros we talked about earlier.
Here are a few important points to remember when you’re crafting your video message:
- Be transparent and available
- Get your story straight
- Ensure consistent messaging
- Put the victims first
- Don’t point fingers
- Respond quickly
Wrapping up
Video is now a staple for most companies and the medium has proved to be useful even in difficult situations.
If you haven’t experimented with video content for training and crisis management, it’s about time you gave it a shot.
Get in touch with us if you’d like to explore how video can help your business, we’d love to talk strategy.
Schedule a free consultation call with our video strategist