Another week and just when you thought those well-meaning articles around consumer trust, confidence and transparency had finally been put to rest, here we are again. The meat industry is in a tail spin this week as yet more revelations emerge every day on the extent of the horse meat crisis. As meat suppliers acted quickly to remove any suspect produce from their stores, The Food Standards Agency and the government have also acted with great speed to examine this break down of trust between consumer and supplier. On one of our Crisis Management training courses we would always suggest dealing with a crisis by reacting quickly, demonstrating concern and compassion and ensuring urgency to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. It seems that in this case everyone involved did follow the crisis manual.
Now amidst all this doom and gloom is the flip side to this particular story. The local butcher. The airwaves and papers will be filled in the days to come with your local meat purveyor flying the flag for locally sourced, reasonably priced cuts of meat. Plus they will say - they can be trusted –‘what you see is what you get’. Only this morning on BBC Breakfast there was a young 5th generation butcher extolling the virtues of buying meat from a local supplier rather than a supermarket.
But whilst this is an extreme example of using a current story to promote your own product or service – it illustrates a point. At Media First, we work with our clients to help them to understand the importance of using the ‘hook’ of a national story to promote their own organisation. All of our tutors currently work for the print and broadcast media so they have an up to date knowledge of the press agenda.
The story or ‘hook’ doesn’t have to be negative either. Whether the story be about banking, health, education or construction, (or anything else that attracts the media!) regional news organisations are always looking for the local angle to illustrate the wider picture. Case studies and human examples are what all regional journalists crave. Alternatively offering up one of your spokespeople as a commentator is a great way to add gravitas to your brand by becoming an authority on an issue and so becoming not just a representative of your company but for the industry as a whole. Once journalists know that they have access to a user friendly spokesperson who can give them what they want they will return again and again for comment. It’s all about seeing the media as a facilitator – the means through which you can engage with your audience quickly and effectively to enhance your reputation.
For more information on Media First's Crisis Management Training click here