http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/business/22crisis.html
The link above is to a great article in today’s NY Times regarding crisis management PR. I wholeheartedly agree that in this day and age, coping up to the crisis quickly and sincerely is the best option whenever possible. Tiger, BP, Toyota and Goldman Sachs all unsuccessfully tried to minimize their mistakes, blame others, cover up, etc. Eventually the truth comes out and the only way to minimize the damage is to own up to the truth. Further, it seems in all of these cases, either there was no strategy in place at all, or egomaniacs made decisions because they were in denial about the seriousness of the issue. Tiger had a press conference because eventually he had to do something, but he did it in a way that made him look insincere and without remorse. Same for Toyota, BP and Goldman Sachs. Regardless, if reaction to a crisis takes place too long after the crisis hits, it is like trying to stuff the genie back in the bottle. The public formulates its consensus quickly these days, and if a brand wants any role at all in influencing that consensus, it needs to move quickly and decisively.