He also suggests that preparation be made for a response through social media upon any comment made and the organization’s ability to represent it.
“People have got to think about humanity and how to reflect what has happened … Do you have something you can say in this world that actually matters? And expresses that authenticity,” he continued.
Checking in
While making a grand statement may seem a natural choice for many executives to be seen to at least be thoughtful about the ramifications of this war, it could be just as powerful, if not more so to directly speak to those potentially affected and to clients or customers who may have concerns about any impact.
The same is true for marketing campaigns that are either live or those that are set to go live.
Persuasion Communications founder Jane Austin, who advises many of the largest advertising agencies operating in the U.K. said that companies could quite easily find themselves in hot water should they not be more discerning than ever about their marketing output.
“Audiences are likely to be feeling more sensitive right now and while you can’t ignore a war, you need to make sure you’re not making a simple mistake with bad timing or looking as though you are profiting from tragedy,” advised Austin.
Having policies, systems and processes in place to check and agree any communications from anyone within a company is a failsafe that may prevent disaster – especially across social media channels as well as those who have access to the admit section of a company’s own website.
We’re all saddened and scared by violence, but using those emotions to raise your profile is distasteful.
—Jane Austin, founder of Persuasion Communications
Austin highlighted the need for executives to question the level of their involvement, describing it as a personal decision for agency leaders should they have an office or employees based in the region.
“It’s worth checking in with your teams to see how they are feeling too, everyone is likely affected by the distressing reports and imagery of any conflict,” she added.
For those who do find themselves on the sharp end of social media’s ire, Borkowski advises to “double down” and stand by it or to produce a “well crafted statement” should there be genuine remorse for the initial communications. And if the statement is being weaponized against the company, then it is best to close down all social channels until a decision on how to proceed is reached while focusing on internal communications to explain the circumstances to staff.
“They articulate an apology of not understanding the complexities and actually talk about how rash they might have been in offering a statement without understanding truly what is going on,” he continued.
Finally, using this situation as an opportunity for attention is probably the worst reason for making any statement or issuing a viewpoint. Just looking at social media, not least LinkedIn, in the initial days of the attack throws up some examples. Austin advises anyone following any form of narcissistic tendency to pause and refrain from following through.