CARMA’s Post

I'm a long time corporate communications junkie, and some of my favorite people in the world work in the dark arts of messaging and business narrative. All that said, sometimes we are our own worst enemies. We're so desperate not to make our bosses look bad when things go wrong that we come up with euphemisms that are almost worse than saying what actually happened in the first place. It's been happening for years, but seems to have escalated in the wake of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's divorce that was positioned as a "conscious uncoupling." Step forward Latam Airlines, whose recent issues on a flight led to 50 people being treated for injuries, 12 people being taken to the hospital, and one being in a serious condition. Maybe it's just me, but surely this kind of thing needs to be seen as more than just a "technical event"? A technical event is the wifi not working on the flight. Not 50 injuries. A technical event is your first choice of inflight meal being unavailable. Not 12 people being admitted to hospital. A technical event is yet another backed up toilet. Not one person having serious injuries as a result of your flight. I'm all for trying to ensure that a business's reputation is managed effectively. But sometimes you've just got to tell it like it is.

What makes an ad speak to American audiences? Let's break down an ad for Delta Airlines to see why this one works for the U.S. market: “Over 5,000” = Shows, instead of tells “We’re big”. And big is something that appeals to Americans. A solid number has more impact than a bland statement like “The biggest airline in America”. “Trails blazed” = Language that evokes being brave explorers and pioneers. Americans like to think of themselves this way, due to the country's history. Using specific numbers = Studies suggest that this specificity increase click through rates by 400% (Source in comments) "Keep Climbing" = The tagline invites people to continue going higher, which resonates with the American penchant for personal development, always improving, always trying to do more & better. Compare this to their competitor, Air France (image in comments). How does the Air France ad speak differently to French clients? (Other than the language used, of course! 😅) P.S. In tomorrow's newsletter, I look at 4 other U.S. companies and how their marketing messages resonate with American audiences! Curious? Sign up at https://lnkd.in/enUHgnJn

So, who has been directly affected by this in their work and had to deploy their crisis comms plan? Do you even have a crisis comms plan? Or a communication strategy? Even if we aren’t directly responsible for an issue we still have to be providing great comms to our audiences in times of uncertainty, difficulty and chaos. Oftentimes, people don’t want a solution but they do want a response even if you can’t help or do anything about it. How do you get out critical messaging when you have no internet? This is why we must always anticipate the worst and plan for every eventuality. https://lnkd.in/gThdyYpu

Check out my group members post about our final project for our Strategic Tools for Marketers class! We learned how to use marketing tools like conjoint analysis and perceptual mapping to create a plan to reposition Spirit Airlines to become a strong competitor in the airlines market.

BearCom understands just how significant communication can be to hospitality professionals. Our blog explores the best two radios and accessories for success in the hospitality industry. 🛎 #Communication #HospitalityProfessionals https://lnkd.in/eF7k2n4e

Thanks, Nathan Jolly and Mumbrella for pulling these thoughts together - I love that we've got differing thoughts, but the core is the same. Communications and stakeholder offerings have to be on the mark and easily understood for everyone they affect. Which sometimes means more comms than in an ideal world, but fit for purpose comms never goes wrong. For me, I always monitor community reactions across digital platforms. Some people say that facebook communities and their commentary are "lowest common denominator" (why are helicopters flying in our street?) but I don't see it that way at all. I see it as a group of people brought together by a common and laser focus on one issue, event or place. In this instance, I was monitoring the commentry on the Qantas points community to see how it rolled out. There was speculation before and lots of chatter, so when the announcement was made the community were ready to comment. Usually you’ll see a few different types of posters 📱 the community leaders who will be up and about early sharing information and ideas - as well as commentary. 📱 the agitators, they post a one word sentence statement and watch it blow 📱 the change resistors - they post negative commentary and questions until they feel comfortable with change or the issue 📱 the community champions who even if they don’t understand all the nuance, they’ll still defend and show loyalty 📱 the community members who need support to understand the issue or be explained to but are keen to have the right information. 📱 the real world introverts, the long time listeners, the lurkers. They’ll take all the information in but may not engage. Its not the be all and end all - but it you’ve got a community that is activated and motivated by an issue, its a good tool for testing and proving. Its a good monitoring tool and it never ever hurts to have your own monitors or activators in the group. Jaid Hulsbosch Dr Neryl East CSP Phoebe Netto great to be in your company. Steve Hui - love to hear your thoughts too. I think you need a degree in physics, economics and logistics to understand points systems. https://lnkd.in/gzzdMDaF

A lesson I want to share with you all from my previous time in media and public relations. We must view reputation as a cost and it is worth many many times more than any possible financial gain. Warren Buffett famously said: “Lose money for the firm, and I will be understanding. Lose a shred of reputation for the firm, and I will be ruthless.” Did Alan make Qantas shareholders lots of money? YES. Was it done ethically? NO. It cost Qantas and its shareholders 20x more in reputational damage compared to what they made selling dodgy tickets. I’ve worked with PR clients in the past who have had a crisis where something bad has happened. We handle the media, tell them to take accountability, apologise and help them repair their reputation and the trust of their stakeholders through demonstrated change. It can cost millions in consulting fees to fix (plus the cost of the actions needed to restore stakeholders trust in you). My simple point: Reputation and transpearacy over money every time. The cost of repair (if at all possible) is enormous compared to any meager financial gain. Do the right thing always.

Business Travel News Europe released a recent spotlight report on TMCs addressing a number of areas in the buyer/supplier relationship. The report calls out that: "One word that comes up regularly from both sides of the TMC-buyer debate is transparency." This is exactly one of the key Culture components that FESTIVE ROAD found in our TMC Partnership Performance research. We asked buyers about the aspects that make up a high-performing TMC partnership, which fall under Culture, Capabilities and Commercials. The research below shows the gaps between expectations and delivery across Culture and Capabilities and what we see in our work on TMC Strategy, Sourcing and Implementation. if you're interested in benchmarking your TMC/buyer partnership, you can use the link below to complete our TMC Partnership Illuminator. The BTN Europe Series can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ggUTcbsH #createbetter

United Airlines Hit a Sour Note: How One Musician’s Viral Anthem Turned Customer Service Into a PR Disaster Video credit: u/Cpt_Soaps #DaveCarroll #UnitedBreaksGuitars #CustomerServiceFail #ViralVideo #BrandReputation #CustomerExperience #SocialMediaImpact #CrisisManagement #PublicRelations #DigitalMarketing

This is one of the reasons every brand needs a Crisis Management plan as an integral element of every PR campaign #CrisisManagement #publicrelations #marketing #hospitalitypr #cruises