From all the study we know that Heineken has done very well marketing, and marketing is connecting to public relation real tight. Here we are going to introduce the public relation of Heineken.
From the article I read on the Internet, there are 3 lessons we could learn from Heineken:
1. Expect the unexpected and create an escalation plan.
2. Talk like a human.
3. Defend ‘til the end!
1. Expect the unexpected and create an escalation plan.
Part of the inherent risk in having a social media presence is that you’ve created a sounding board for the disgruntled. If you believe the Heineken press release (and I do), it was impossible to know that a photo existed of their branding at a dog fighting event. Therefore, it would have been impossible to plan an immediate response when the image went viral.
Social media managers can only create a solid response plan for the unexpected. Last week, Heineken could have listed 1,000 possible scenarios that it could potentially have to respond to, and it’s doubtful that the dog-fighting scenario would have come up.
What social media managers can do is teach clients and their managers and executives that these things are possible. They’re part of the risk you take on with social media. Decide who will be on the team that tackles the crisis and who has what type of responsibilities. In Heineken’s case, there was someone to identify the crisis, someone to craft an immediate response, someone to investigate what happened, and someone to craft a formal response. Then you have to get it all approved by legal and implement it. Knowing who has these responsibilities will expedite the process.
In a PR crisis like this, timing is everything. The faster you can respond, the faster the crisis dies down.
No one will be talking about this story next week. In that regard, Heineken has done a good job. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement.
2. Talk like a human.