Contemporary PR Theory and Practice-Individual Essay

Role of Public Relations Strategy in Crisis Management
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Role of Public Relations Strategy in Crisis Management
Introduction
Public relations (PR) are a key concept in crisis management in an organization. How organizations handle their major challenges or respond to a disaster makes the difference between success to gain public trust or a full-blown PR nightmare. Any organization needs to have a crisis management plan on standby, especially for the big corporates, to be able to respond to any challenges that can attract public criticism. A good PR strategy helps in building the reputation of the company irrespective of the nature of the problem faced.The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted communication strategies for most organization, and they were required to take into consideration procautionary measures and safety protocols. The hardest-hit organizations were those in the airline industry. Aer Lingus Airlines being one of them. The company made the right promises in the middle of a pandemic stating that the safety of their clients was their top priority. However, they faced a public backlash when a passenger posted a photo of an overcrowded cabin, an indication that they failed to keep their promises.
Description of Aer Lingus Airlines
Aer Lingus is the flag carrier of Ireland. The company was originally owned by the Irish government but was privatized between 2006 and 2015 and is now an owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). The carrier serves destinations in Asia, North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Europe and serving so millions of customers annually. In the middle of a pandemic in Europe, the company issued a statement reassuring customers that they would comply with pandemic safety protocols and 1.5m social distancing guidelines. However, on 4th May 2020, a passenger posted a picture of their overcrowded cabin, indicating that the company disregarded the social distancing and safety measures contrary to their promises. The photo went viral, painting a negative picture of the company as prioritizing higher profit while disregarding passenger’s safety. The situation led to a momentaneous PR crisis (Torossian, 2020).
Aer Lingus PR Strategy
Implementing Covid-19 safety protocols on the flight may be difficult. However, the company made a promise in the middle of a pandemic, and keeping these promises was very significant. Failure to do so attracted a PR Crisis. The company employed PR as a key strategy to handle the situation and maintaining it good reputation.
The key PR strategy the company used was corporate communication. How and when the company communicates during a crisis is very vital in keeping a good image. The company provided an immediate response by assuring the public that safety is their top priority. The management gave their justification of why social distancing in the airplane was impossible. According to BBC News article published on 5th May 2020, the chief executive officer stated that social distancing was impossible to realize due to the burden of economic cost. He further assured customers that the air condition systems on the airplane that recycle air in the cabin serve the purpose of social distancing. Communication by the executive was goal-oriented to give confidence to the passengers that the company gives priority to their safety and is on track to make some changes. (Bonner,2020).
Aer Lingus employed use of social media as a response strategy. Social media is very fast and reaches many audiences at a go, unlike traditional media. Social media has now become a significant part of any PR strategy. Using social media has proved to be relevant, consistent, and engaging, which is why big companies like this one prefer using them. According to RTE News, published on 5th May 2020, the company used Twitter to immediately respond to the alleged overcrowding in the airplane. It was a strategic move to use instantaneous platforms like Twitter to clarify the issues before further public uproar. Twitter platform was also used to announce changes in flight schedules and departures as a way of managing flight disruptions and creating awareness for passengers to avoid overcrowding at the terminal. Those safety guidelines that were expected to be observed by passengers were also announced through Twitter (RTE, 2020).
The company also used a trained spokesperson strategy. This strategy amplifies key messages by giving expert opinion leading to the credibility of brand position. A trained spokesperson allows the organization to respond swiftly to the demands of the media. They help to maintain the reputation of the company. The chief executive officer, Jonathan Hinkles, acted as a spokesperson of Aer Lingus company to give a response statement on slow non-compliance to Covid-19 guidelines. He clearly stated their position on measures being considered such as disinfection of planes, compulsory facemasks, and social distancing requirements in planes and airports. (Bonner,2020).
Comparison to Other Airlines
Pandemics similar to Covid-19 rarely happens and often take centuries. The Covid-19 posed threat to the aviation industry by almost bringing it to its knees. Many governments closed their borders and only allowed cargo planes. Most of the airlines grounded their flights for the safety of travelers. The most amicable solution was for the flights to carry a few people; however, the flights needed more passengers who pay higher prices to survive in the market. Since February 2020, a lot of airlines were struggling to keep up with the Covid-19 guidelines. Therefore, the PR teams were required to build the reputational impact of measures to keep the airlines running. Different airlines around the world adopted various measures with their PR teams in order to adapt to the situation. Below is a glimpse of how some of the airlines handled the crisis compared to Aer Lingus.
The Turkish Airlines handled the situation little bit different as compared to Aer Lingus. The Aer Lingus promised the government that it would follow the Covid-19 protocols and, thus remained in the operation. On the other hand, Turkish Airlines issued a statement of protecting their customers by canceling flights. The flights were canceled up to April 17th which was further extended to May 20th, 2020 (Asaf, 2020). In both the airlines, the PR teams provided updates that channeled to enhance the safety of passengers. The two airlines also adopted the spokesman strategy whereby a company’s position is communicated through official statements.
Qatar Airways issued ...