Crisis Media Training for consumer brands – what does Dettol’s experience tell us?
This time it’s Dettol that could do with crisis media training for consumer brands. The well-known British disinfectant product is in trouble over a mini drama it recently released in China.
In the short film, a man rejects his girlfriend because of her past romantic history, preferring a woman who has had no previous partners and is therefore “pure”. As happens in good storytelling the wrongdoer gets his comeuppance. The micro drama ends with his new girlfriend calling out his misogyny and dumping him. As she throws his socks into a washing machine, a voiceover tells the audience: “A toxic man is just like these germs – you need Dettol to eliminate them completely to feel at ease.”
IIn a post apologising for the advert, parent company Reckitt said it had intended the promotion to “challenge unequal gender attitudes and promote healthy, confident views on relationships and lifestyles.” However, it explained, clips circulating online had distorted this message. It added that the promotion had been produced by a third-party agency, but that it took “responsibility for any negligence in creating and reviewing the content of the advert”. Reckitt went on to say that: “We are well aware that true protection also lies in safeguarding the dignity of every individual and their right to be treated equally.”
However, the film has still prompted severe criticism in conventional and social media. By Tuesday, the topic had earned more than 80million views on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Helping marketing and PR departments
As the leading provider of crisis communications training for consumer products, we help brands navigate and respond to controversies like this one. More to the point, in our general Media Training courses for consumer brands, we can help their marketing and public relations departments to identify potential risks and controversies in a marketing message.
In this case much of the trouble has arisen because of cultural differences and nuances. Some viewers might consider the man’s attitude in this story to be quite common among Asian men. Regardless of whether that perception is accurate, the ad was always likely to attract global attention very quickly. There are plenty of examples of brands which haven’t translated well in overseas markets. One of our favourites is the Vauxhall Nova. When the car giant thought of launching this popular model in Spain it was pointed out to them that in Spanish “no va” means “doesn’t go” – not a great name for a car.
So how Reckitt handled this crisis? They’ve done well to issue a statement. Some companies feel that saying nothing is a better way of letting a negative story die a natural death. We can understand this instinct. However, as we point out in our crisis communications training courses for consumer brands, the danger is that you look cowardly and uncaring – or, even worse, arrogant and contemptuous.
Taken out of context
The extract of the comment quoted in the media looks generally okay. We say “extract” here, because one of the things that we point out in our crisis Communications workshops for consumer brands is that journalists are unlikely to quote an entire statement. This is mainly because we simply don’t have the time and space. However, if a statement is too long, journalists may quote sections that the brand does not consider the most relevant or important. Worse still, they may present those clips out of context. Therefore, it’s important that any response is short and punchy.
“We recognise that it has offended many people, especially women,” a Reckitt company spokesman said, adding that the promotion was the work of a third-party agency. “We take responsibility for any negligence in creating and reviewing the content of the advert.” Why not just say that you’re sorry for the offence you’ve caused? The point about it being a third-party producer seems to be irrelevant – either you’re responsible or you’re not.
General Media Training courses for consumer brands
It’s therefore essential that if you’re a PR consultancy or media relation’s team doing a media day that you are aware of any other issues not just related to your brand, but other things happening in the same sector. You’ll need to have answers ready for them and you spoke to people need to be able to move back to talking about the key message. The risk here is that they either end up getting drawn into this controversy or a clam up and appear embarrassed and defensive. As we say in our general Media Training courses for consumer brands, preparation is the key to doing a good media interview. As well as identifying your key messages, you should identify other issues that may arise, prepare responses to them, and move the discussion forward.
Crisis communications courses
The Dettol story will probably die over the next few days – unless that is, something new comes the light. Either way, Reckitt, like other companies behind well know products must be ready to handle crises and controversies. That’s where our crisis communications training for consumer brands can help. Come and talk to us about how we can put together a crisis communications course bespoke to your needs and budget. You can follow us on LinkedIn here.
