On August 25th it was revealed that some packets of Nurofen Plus contain not headache tablets but an anti-psychotic drug designed to treat conditions such as schizophrenia. A situation like this requires rapid and effective crisis communication even if, as early reports suggest, the brand itself is not at fault.
Crucial to effective reputation protection is providing lots of information and reassuring your stakeholders. In today’s world, that is most often achieved through online and telephone communication. But Reckitt Benckiser has appeared slow to activate these communication channels.
Hours after the MHRA had issued its announcement about the issue, there was:
-no information on the Nurofen website
-no information on the Nurofen Facebook page
-no information on the Reckitt Benckiser website
-no one manning the consumer helpline
The morning of the 26th a short statement had been posted on the Nurofen website, but information and reassurance was still in short supply. The danger is that consumers turn to others for advice rather than Nurofen itself, a risky proposition in terms of reputation protection.
When there is no information available online regarding the issue a consumer would usually turn to an available. However the Nurofen helpline shut at 5pm and the incident was reported by the BBC news at 6pm, reaching more stakeholders and lacking crucial support to protect or reduce the potential damage to Nurofens reputation.
Organisations which want to reassure their customers and retain their loyalty during and after a crisis need to communicate with them. That means being geared up to communicate via company websites and social media and having the capability to operate your customer helpline 24/7 if necessary. Failing to do this leaves customers in the unknown, potentially fearful and with your reputation in the hands of the commentators who are prepared to provide information.
For example The Daily Mail wrote: ‘It is thought militant activists carried out the sabotage operation with the intention of damaging Nurofen Plus’s makers… The company may have been targeted because it tests some products on animals’.
A spokeswoman for Virgo Health, said the agency is ‘not happy’ with the Daily Mail’s line and denies the company uses animal testing.
On the 26th after a statement was release on their website, Nurofen later announced a recall of all stock in retail outlets: a more expansive communication approach is now surely essential...too little too late perhaps?
This case is a perfect example of how businesses must be geared up to communicate swiftly and expansively if they want to retain control of their future in a crisis, with online communication being a priority.
The Nurofen plus case is still a shady one with mixed messages from official and unofficial sources, leaving stakeholders confused with who to trust.. It seems that even large corporations are still failing to grasp the important, critical stages of crisis management and communication.
- Kayleigh Grierson (@KayleighPR).
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