Michael McCain, CEO and President of Maple Leaf Foods deserves kudos for a number of important decisions over the last few weeks as his company dealt with the fallout of deaths linked to his company’s products. He surrounded himself with smart PR people. He listened to what they had to say rather than hide his head in the sand. And he delivered a remarkably frank and personal television spot. The question on the minds of many in marketing and communications is, of course: “Is it enough to save the brand?”
The real strength of the crisis communications campaign related to the Listeria outbreak lies in its visibility. If you’ve watched any television at all in this country over the last two weeks, you’ve seen the spot. You’ve likely seen it enough that you now have a pretty clear sense of its tone (sincere, empathetic) and its content (our best efforts failed and we’re sorry).
Chances are, you’ve talked to friends, colleagues and neighbours about the spot as well — which is precisely what makes it so powerful. The spot and related print and online efforts to reach out to the public are almost as prevalent as the media’s coverage of the outbreak and its tragic impact. The discourse among the public is both about the outbreak and about the company’s very public response.
What strikes me most about the messages here is how they personalize the company. The message on the company website sets the tone: “On behalf of the 23,000 people of Maple Leaf Foods who live a culture of food safety, we offer deep and sincere sympathy to those who are ill, or who have lost loved ones.” This is a campaign about people, loved ones and deep and sincere sympathy — gutsy language that too many organizations shy away from. In the TV spot, an uncomfortable McCain even uses the personal pronoun - “I” - to express his sympathies. It’s a strong appeal to the credibility of the spokesperson and the emotions of the audience - in Aristotle’s rhetoric, an appeal to ethos and pathos.
Which leads us nicely to what may be the missing ingredient in the campaign - a touch of logos or appeal to ration and logic. Somehow, the company needs to make it clear to consumers that it is taking concrete steps to reduce the risk of this happening again. Sincerity and sympathy have their place here, but so too does science and prevention. The latest release on the company’s website helps but the language has changed from clear and concise to more technocratic: “At this stage, Maple Leaf Foods is looking to complete additional disassembly of equipment in the facility as well as conducting additional testing that will likely involve pilot runs of product not destined for commercial sale.” That kind of information presented in a way the people who buy these products will understand, remember and talk about with friends is what’s needed here.
In the end, put me down as someone who thinks the brand will survive this crisis. They’ve been visible and largely effective in their crisis communications. They had a lot of goodwill heading into this crisis, and they’ve received a good amount of testimonials from credible sources on the fact that they meet or exceed government standards for food safety. Their work in motivating consumers to once again place the product in their fridge and their kids’ lunch boxes will really only begin once the plant reopens.
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February 25, 2010 at 8:03 pm
[...] an earlier post, I suggested that the response to the listeriosis crisis by Michael McCain, President and CEO of ...