Topic: Marketing
It might still be a tad early to say it, but the Maple Leaf Foods Inc.’s handling of the listeriosis outbreak, from a crisis communications perspective –and, since in this kind of case words and actions must be in total sync, in terms of actions too- has been nothing short of masterful. I don’t think they could possibly have managed the situation any better.
Obviously, I have no insider information to say this. But certainly, that’s the consensus view of senior people in the Toronto public relations community I’ve talked to in recent weeks (and I’ve talked to a lot of them). In fact, no one I’ve spoken to has a disparaging word for the issues management efforts from Maple Leaf and its advisors, primarily it seems Fleishman-Hillard, lead by CEO Linda Smith.
One doesn’t want to glib about these things, but when you consider the death toll from this food poisoning outbreak -17 confirmed as of this writing- has exceeded those from Walkerton or SARS, the tone of the extensive media coverage has been far more measured and calm. That’s no accident.
Openness, accountability, fast response, and precise communication in all channels (the company’s postings of product recalls on its website were particularly effective) all worked to reduce the potential for misinformation and hysteria on the part of the media and public.
Issues watchers could sense this was going to get big from the moment the first stories started to emerge in mid-August. I took note that it was Smith, the senior lead on the Maple Leaf account for years, was the “company spokesperson” right from the get go. I wondered at first if that wasn’t a signal that uneasy company management was trying to distance itself from the mess. But it turned out it was more of a strategic move to save the top brass for when the going really started to get tough.
A few days into the crisis, CEO Michael McCain stepped forward with that measured TV and online video and became available to the media in extensive press briefings. He convincingly conveyed the message that the company was concerned, engaged and taking appropriate action with the safety of consumers as the first priority. The follow up video this month, and the purchase of a sponsored link for the Maple Leaf Action Plan on the top of the Google search engine, once the apparent cause of the contamination was found have reinforced that.
There’s no double going to be more twist and turns in this story, and the repercussions of the outbreak are going to echo for the entire food industry for years to come.
Let’s hope, however, that Maple Leaf ultimately emerges as strong as ever, and that the company and its advisers show the same frankness and bravery in sharing the entire story of how they handles this crisis. This is one for the text books.
Posted by sutter or mckenzie
at 11:08 PM EDT
Updated: Tuesday, 16 September 2008 11:16 PM EDT
