Comments on: Kryptonite II – I blinked and missed it

By: Nettalkers » Blog Archive » Crisis Communication Report Card: How HP Handled Charges of Racist Computers

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:59:22 +0000

[...] and HP’s use of social media for two-way communication is exemplary. As seen from the Kryptonite bicycle lock case study, we know what can happen if you choose to ignore customers’ reactions on the [...]

By: Learning the hard way: Bloggers court case. | PiKE's Thinking ...

Learning the hard way: Bloggers court case. | PiKE's Thinking ... — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:43:24 +0000

[...] a different situation but it reminds me of the Kryptonite Lock PR fiasco which has become a case study in PR textbooks and frequently quoted on the Internet. Briefly the [...]

By: Luke

Luke — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:12:48 +0000

Joey,
You make some great points. “Pick your battles” is an excellent PR mantra (really, a good life motto, as well). Everyone knows that reacting in some physical way (new distribution issue, replacement programs, recalls, etc) takes more time than communicating. But you have to get a message out. Crafting that message properly is, of course, the trick.
Now if you get caught with your pants down (no reference to your underwear, mind you), sometimes you don’t have the ability to properly craft a clever, appropriate, effective message on the spot. But as soon as you do, get the message out.
Like I wrote in the original post, talking about this is easy, but when you’re in the moment and your sky is falling around you – I’ll bet it’s a little harder to stay focused and be cool. That’s where experience comes in, and a little forethought before the deal goes down (can we say Crisis Communication Plan?) Check out this great read from Steve Rubel about this topic.

By: Joey Dennewitz

Joey Dennewitz — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 05:03:22 +0000

When attempting to put into context what is really going on here, I think back to what we are taught when dealing with a crisis BI (Before Internet). Lets say you have a room full of media for a press conference during a crisis. Empathy, Relate, Structure, Plan of action, Call to action. Cold Facts. No speculation. Timeliness. Take all these things and apply them to the blogosphere. The traditional news media doesn’t stop becuase the PR dept. is still thinking, so even though Kryptonite Locks attempted to solve the problem, I don’t think ‘Better Late, than Never’ is appropriate here. Especially when you take under consideration this is NOT the traditional news media and you have to multiply sensationalism, reach and impression by double and divide time by half.

In the motorsports realm, we have message boards that we contend with on a daily basis. Rumors run wild, speculation gets tripled and alot of the wrong messages have been disseminated. I’ve watched a number of sanctioning bodies and local racetracks deal with their online rumor mill in a number of ways, the best being still up for debate. One way is to respond to each and every false information post. Another way is to shut the board down completely. The ARCA Series uses a moderator in a way that is e-mailed to an admin, and then posted. Personally, I’ve picked my battles. If something is potentially harmful to a sponsor in a public light, I have defended. If they are debating the color boxers I had on when I won a race, I have laughed it off.

In realization that msg boards are different that blogs, I still see a similarity in crisis situations. The fact still remains, if the PR staff is effective, they are accepting and seeking out feedback from their publics. If and when a crisis such as Kryptonite arises, you still have to be timely and effective with your message.

Thanks again for the presentation in PRSSA on Wednesday!

~jd