PROPAGANDA’s Post

What the Nicola Bulley Review told us about Linking Ops and Comms   A central theme during my Crisis Communications Training courses is the importance of linking operational response during an incident and communications response. The Nicola Bulley case is a really good example of how during a major incident an organisation has to look in different directions to ensure an effective response to the challenge facing them. The report by the College of Policing into Lancashire Constabulary’s handling of Nicola Bulley’s disappearance highlighted very clearly that the operational response, the investigation and the search, were professionally conducted and thorough. The criticism within the report was focused upon the communications response and the impact that failures in communications had upon the media, the reporting, the perceptions of the wider public and ultimately reputational damage. Operations and communications are inextricably linked, two parts of the same whole. The mask of the Roman God Janus, pictured, is an excellent illustration of this. Operational action without communication leaves a void to be filled with rumour, speculation and factual inaccuracy. Communication without operational actions is just PR froth. Both ops and comms actions are needed and they support each other. Crisis situations are challenging because when something goes wrong the temptation and often the default position is to say as little as possible. Least said, soonest mended.  The College of Policing’s report identified this as a factor in this incident where partially because of a lack of trust of the media and partially because there was no obligation to, Lancashire Police chose not to engage and share information with the media. This created the information vacuum which meant lost the narrative and led to criticism of the force. During an incident it is important to control the narrative. This is achieved by recognising the need to engage and communicate with stakeholders and, given these situations are most often bad news, that in itself can be a challenging decision to make.  However, by providing a constant flow of factually accurate information, timely updates and insight will establish you and your organisation as the central point for information about the situation. It allows your voice to be heard above the crowd and prevents some of the wild theories that tend to emerge when facts are in short supply.   It is important not to assume that those with an interest in what is happening know what you know – they don’t. They have to be told and as the organisation dealing with what is taking place, you are best placed to do that. Be brave, be bold, take a deep breath and communicate!

Menu Servings for Me as a PR Crisis Consultant Nearly a year in the PR crisis world has made me appreciate myself and the amazingly excellent NEXUS team. I am happy and honored to be presented with various experiences on Nexus Risk Mitigation & Strategic Communication. Many have asked me,  "Ais, aren't you afraid of handling the crisis? You have heard of the various problems the company is experiencing, right? Are you dizzy?" hohoho, of course not. I enjoy this job. Glad to be allowed to penetrate anything without fear, hahaha to be more precise, using intention and recklessness, it turns out that I can taste everything. Starting from coming to locations with various stories to coming to prison, I have experienced it. At NEXUS, we heard many stories and sequences of the crises experienced by many companies in Indonesia and even multinationals; we sat together sipping coffee lattes while devising the concept of "how to win and get out of a crisis." There is a process that we usually analogize as a step in a love relationship. The formula is Physical, Vision, and Heart. In the first meeting, we call this an introduction. In the second meeting, the opening and discussion began to insert a sense of knowing their vision, whether they were on the same vision as us; we usually call this approach or PDKT. If they start expressing love with us, the third meeting is a sign that the relationship is flourishing. The reason is that in a crisis, we must have an aligned formula to not complicate the crisis. This job taught me many things about working as a PR crisis consultant. "Is it obligatory as a PR to know many things?" this one is different. We are served various menus during the day, and we are always full of smiling at night. "It means?" asked my friend, So, like this... We call this a powerful ninja technique. In the morning, we met a client in the pharmacy sector, which led us to study pharmacy. In the afternoon, we met with a client involved in a legal case. In a few minutes, we switched to learning legal terms. In the afternoon, we met one of the people who wanted to postpone pleasure for future success. Being a magic ninja in a PR Crisis consultant must be mastered because we are the ones who will treat them. We are the ones who will provide a sense of security and defuse the issues that can shake their institutions. At Nexus, I also met great people with incredibly cool minds. I'm lucky and grateful for God's grace because it has brought me to NEXUS. Meeting them enriched my knowledge as a 6th-semester student with high curiosity. Last, thank you for all the unique experiences and trips. I always look forward to stories and journeys from various fun menus. I can't wait to explore more experiences on NEXUS. I'm excited to start my new journey as a full-time employee!

👉 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙨 PR Worx again took home the coveted Crisis Management PRISA Prism Gold award for its work with confectionary giant Richester Foods, for a second year. “Unfortunately, there is no way to predict if past crises might resurface and wreak havoc on a company’s reputation. The best in crisis communications not only manage the initial crisis effectively but also continue to work tirelessly for months and sometimes years afterwards to fortify their client’s reputation and mitigate the impact of any delayed aftershocks on the brand,” notes Madelain Roscher, CEO of PR Worx. With a successful track record of over 21 years, few PR firms can rival PR Worx’s accomplishments over the past two decades, positioning it as the undisputed frontrunner as the Best Crisis Communications Agency year after year. 👉 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 Not all #pr agencies are created equally, and crisis communications simply isn’t an attractive undertaking for most agencies, according to Roscher. “As crisis management is such a niche offering, most agencies simply lack the skills, experience, the nerve and the tenacity to manage the many complexities, the sacrifices, and the potential backlash inherent to crisis communications. Most simply don’t want to face the repercussions, which sometimes outweigh the reward. “We have never shied away from a challenge. PR Worx built its reputation on tackling the difficulties that others avoid, and as a result, we consistently reap the rewards and earn the awards for our efforts.” Crisis management and traditional media sometimes find themselves at odds during times of brand dilemmas. While the media aim to publish information of immediate public interest within minutes of a crisis unfolding, and social media users spread information (factual or fictitious) at breakneck speeds, crisis communications agencies attempt to contain and extinguish the spread of the fire with the same urgency and veracity. “We have faced fierce opposition and fended off relentless attacks from a handful of rogue stakeholders with their own agendas over the years. Yet, we have remained steadfast in our mission to defend our clients whose voices are often suppressed for various reasons. 👉 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡. “Similar to how lawyers defend their clients and are duty-bound to do so to the best of their ability, the same allowance and respect should be extended to the #publicrelations industry. We will continue to advocate for the right of both individuals and businesses to defend themselves on various platforms, and the right of public relations agencies to aid them. In doing so, we believe that #PRWorx will continue to be recognised within and outside the industry as Africa’s trailblazers of the crisis management sector,” concludes Roscher. #crisiscommunications