Starbucks’ crisis communications plan, to shutter all 8,000 U.S. stores the afternoon of May 29 for bias training for some 175,000 employees goes “far beyond the playbook,” CommCore CEO Andrew Gilman told the New York Times. It is a definitive statement to customers, shareholders and most importantly to employees about how the company and its people should act. It exceeds what would be considered a typical crisis communications response from any company with a customer relations issue such as the incident at a Philadelphia Starbucks in which two African-American men were arrested for trespassing while waiting for a friend to join them.
Of course, there is the financial impact estimated at $7 million to close so many stores for a period of time. But this is much more than balancing revenue against good will:
- Starbucks is heavily invested in a progressive brand image and mission statement. It cannot afford an extended nationwide image and trust problem that has dragged it into the heart of a revived the national conversation about race relations in general.
- The training will hopefully have a long last impact on the employees, their attitudes and how they treat customers. Starbucks is now saying it wants to be held accountable and live up to its image and brand promise.
The situation is a stark reminder of how social media can turn a local situation into a national brand crisis. Not long after the Philadelphia incident, an African-American man posted a recording of an employee of a Los Angeles Starbucks refusing to let him use the restroom immediately after allowing a white man access.
As part of a Crisis Communications plan, CommCore Consulting looks for points that we can make for other organizations:
- There is no longer a purely local incident anymore when it affects a national brand, especially one that serves the public. When crisis communications planning, always assume that what happens in Vegas may no longer stay in Vegas, thanks to social media.
- Today’s heightened political, cultural, and social tribalism virtually ensures that someone, somewhere, will try to use a seemingly isolated incident as a national or even global soapbox for their grievances. The potential for #metoo must now be considered an axiom of any crisis communications plan.
- Just because an organization responds correctly doesn’t mean your brand has escaped without harm. Any crisis communications plan must include what we call the three Rs: Respond quickly, Repair the damage, and then work long-term to Restore Reputation.
Your Crisis Communications Plan
CommCore Consulting counsels on sensitive issues in responding to a crisis. Our Pressure Test combines instruction on the basics with on-camera exercises, media training videos, advanced instruction and critique. Whether you’re in the middle of a crisis, see trouble coming, or want to be prepared, CommCore is the crisis communications firm that enables your team to handle every crisis well.
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Check out the profile the New York Times wrote on CommCore’s crisis communication capabilities.