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Communicating During a Crisis
February 12, 2010
22April 13, 2023 2
Introductions
Josh Morton, Account Supervisor
A food & nutrition company.
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Today’s agenda:
• Review preliminary concepts
• Introduce the scenario
• Formulate responses
• Share strategies
• Discussion
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In a crisis…
…You can respond using any number of media, but it’s important to step back before you jump in.
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What are the most important factors in crisis response?
- Speed
- Intelligence
- Messaging
It’s not the medium, it’s the message.
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You can’t ‘control your message,’ but you can control what you say.
And how you say it, when you say it, can influence the conversation about you.
Principles of Messaging
• Define your stakeholders– Consumers, suppliers, government,
• Anticipate questions– Informational, challenging
• Develop answers– Ease concern, show compassion, give
guidance
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JOHN COWBOYBEEF
Your Role: Communications DirectorJohn Cowboy Beef
-Established 1910
- Family-owned
- Fifth largest beef company in the U.S.
- Supply to high-end steakhouses
- Premium line of ground beef, frozen burgers
- Flawless record of safety
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You
The Scenario:
vs.
E. coli
The Scenario: Multi-State Outbreak of E. coli
• The CDC and USDA’s Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) are investigating a
multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7
• Investigators have found 20 people ill with
matching strains of E. coli, most had consumed
or handled ground beef from two restaurants
supplied by John Cowboy Beef
• USDA is requesting JCB issue a Class I recall of
200,000 lbs of ground beef (Class I is a
reasonable probability that eating the food will
cause health problems or death)
• Cases identified in Illinois, Indiana, New
York and Connecticut
• JCB has received 50 calls in the past
week from worried restaurant managers in
7 states (including the four under federal
investigation)
• No deaths have been identified thus far
The Scenario: Multi-State Outbreak of E. coli
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E. Coli O157:H7- Outbreaks often are caused by food that has the bacteria in it, typically from animal manure (cattle)
- Every year at least 2,000 Americans are hospitalized, and about 60 die as a direct result of E. coli infections
- A recent study estimated the annual cost of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses to be more than $405 million
- E. coli can be spread by eating undercooked meat and poor hand washing
- Symptoms are typically easy to see
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Health Tips: E. coli
- Listen to information from public health officials on what foods to avoid
- Cook ground beef to 160 degrees
- Keep raw meat away from other foods
- Wash your hands!
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Time to write the messaging.
Identify Your Audience
• Who are our stakeholders?– Consumers
– Restaurants
– Government (USDA/CDC)
– Employees
– Media
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Anticipate Questions
• Informative:– What should restaurants do?
– How did this happen?
• Challenging:– What are you doing to solve the problem?
– What are your safety/sanitation practices
like?
– When did you know about the
contamination?
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Develop Answers: Key Messages & Message Mapping – Focus on Consumers/Media
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Develop Your Messaging
- Consumers/Media
- Government Agencies
- Restaurants
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Develop Answers: Key Messages & Message Mapping – Focus on Consumers/Media
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Now, how will we communicate and where?
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Discussion
222April 13, 2023 22
Thank You!
Josh Morton
A food & nutrition company.
www.foodminds.com
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