QANTAS: Anatomy of a Crisis #2 – Eight Crisis Strategies

A strategy is ‘how’  we deliver objectives over the longer term (tactics in the shorter term). It  focuses on issues of resources, processes, people etc.

As we stated in QANTAS: Anatomy of a Crisis #1, we think the QANTAS crisis team has nailed it in the Objectives.

Same with Strategies. They pulled on a showdown quickly and effectively. Most of the drama was over a weekend to minimise damage. And they will win.

There was always going to be criticism and QANTAS would have anticipated that – passengers were going to be inconvenienced. But to us that was balancing stakeholder strategies.

But first there are two critical strategies:

1. Optimise the Crisis PR team to ensure it is top deck:
   1. Experience – everyone’s an expert in a crisis, from their armchair; very few have the actual road miles;
   2. Cool heads under pressure – we have no friends in a crisis, only critics; it’s taxing;
   3. Endurance – 24/7 for the duration;
   4. Media experience;
   5. Social media experience;
2. Have an excellent and rehearsed Crisis PR plan.

Then we look each stakeholder:

3. QANTAS management and senior staff
   1. How do we ensure they informed and onboard.
   2. How can we maximise the potential for staff to be our ambassadors? Also, morale is important.
4. Passengers
   1. How to we optimise a constant information flow: clear,consistent, concise, constant.
   2. Where possible, how can we ensure sweeteners for the serious inconvenience, without appearing to waste money or ‘suck up’.
5. Unions
   1. How do we manage information flow;
   2. How can we ensure the long term relationship is not terminal;
   3.  if it is terminal, how do we ensure we have an alternative.
6. Canberra’s Labor government (Gillard, Albanese)
   1. How do we manage information flow;
   2. How can they can assist us through this crisis; or, if we decide they can’t or won’t, how do we ensure we continue to have a workable relationship after the event;
7. Canberra’s coalition opposition (Abbott)
   1. As above;
8. Media:
   1. QANTAS already has excellent channels into the media; manage information flow;
   2. Ensure our relationship is optimal/superb.

In summary, in crisis PR we, the public, only see the efforts the company is making to communicate with us, through the media. However, there are a host of other strategies the company has to consider, besides talking to us.