Commentary

The Media, The Message: Communicating In Or Out Of A Crisis

Hundreds of print, online, and broadcast stories have been filed about the recent Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) crisis. Naturally, I had as much interest in the juicy gossip about the leaked e-mails and the (temporary) cancellation of “The Interview” as the next person. But as a PR professional, I looked at this through a more specific lens: What does it teach us about the way entertainment companies and personalities communicate — before, during, and after a crisis?

You’d assume that people who create media for a living would know how to present a positive image of themselves to the media. Clearly, that’s not always the case. I do a lot of media training with my clients, and I’d say the Sony execs could have used a touch-up on their message-delivery skills. And if other entertainment companies are smart, they’re booking media-training sessions for their executives as we speak.

I recently interviewed Brad Phillips, the president of Phillips Media Relations, a media, presentation and crisis communications-training firm with offices in New York City and Washington, DC. Phillips is also the author of The Media Training Bible and the Mr. Media Training blog, both of which I highly recommend to everyone in this business. The book provides “101 things you absolutely, positively need to know before your next interview” in an informative and entertaining format, and features many real-world interview examples and how to handle them. His blog, which includes video demonstrations by Phillips, reinforces the book’s concepts in a more condensed version.

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During our conversation, Phillips provided his assessment of the SPE crisis as well as tips on media training.

Q: What was your perception of the way Sony handled the crisis?

A: From an outsider’s perspective, it looked as if chaos, not strategy, was ruling the day at the studio. They were ambiguous about the release of the film, for example, and did not seem to have a guiding principle. One day they appeared to say they would never release the movie and the next day they were distributing it via VOD. And by demanding that news organizations not run the material that was hacked from their computers, they just made journalists want to run it all the more.  

Q: What about Amy Pascal’s apology for her remarks about President Obama? Did it help her? What’s the right way to apologize?

A: When a person says, ”I’m embarrassed by those comments and they don’t represent my views,” the public understandably asks, “Then why did you say it?” So I’d say that apology fell flat. In general, if you are clearly in the wrong, you have to apologize quickly and sincerely, and offer no excuses. 

Q: What are some tips you can give my readers about projecting a positive media image?

A: First, I’d suggest holding a crisis-management session. Start with a “vulnerabilities assessment,” where you are war-gaming potential liabilities. The first question is, What could come out? If you can’t answer that, there’s not much PR people can do to mitigate the damage.

The second tip is: Comport yourself as if every single thing you say and write is going to be made public, whether it’s an e-mail or a cell phone call at the airport. This was always true, but never to the degree that it is today.

Q: And aside from crisis situations, what are some general tips for success with the media?

A: One, have a message: “These are the three most important things we want the world to know about our company and our brand.” Find different ways to get across the same message; in the book, I give several examples of how to do this. I find that spokespeople are usually great with their message points at the beginning of an interview but then lapse into conversation mode. Then what comes through in the story may be a secondary point that isn’t as important to you. 

Second, Body language is important, especially on television. TV diminishes your energy, so you have to over-compensate. Think about how you act when dear friends from 20 years ago are coming over for dinner, and you’re excited to see them — that’s the energy, charisma and warmth you want to convey on camera.

Third, Really know your audience. Not just “potential customers” — that’s too broad. Visualize a specific person. Is it a man or a woman? How old are they? What do they do for a living? Even give them a name like Kevin or Mary. Later, when you’re doing mock interviews in your formal media training session, you can ask yourself, “Would my words resonate with Kevin and Mary?” 

If you try to reach everyone, you reach no one. If you reach that one person effectively, you reach everyone else effectively.

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