Developing an effective crisis media plan

O Neill, P. (2003) Presented at the Public Relations Industry Summit, Sydney, 2003

Irrespective of their purpose or the structure, an organisation's reputation or brand is one of their most important assets. Organisations constantly strive for greater brand recognition using public relations and advertising strategies; however, the coverage by the media can be disappointing. It is therefore ironic, that when a crisis erupts and the media comes knocking on their door, the first reaction can be "No comment"! Every organisation has the potential to be scrutinised by the media and the public and should be prepared. A media plan, as part of an organisations crisis management plan, will ensure that the agency will be able to build on the positive publicity generated by incidents that attract significant media interest.

This paper will examine the advantages of developing a crisis media plan, the issues involved in formulating a plan and its relationship to the crisis management plan. While this approach was developed for the emergency response environment, many of the strategies have relevance to other organisations. Every organisation needs to take every opportunity to promote their brand and a properly managed crisis can provide such an occasion.

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