At a time when hackers are getting smarter, a data breach can strike at any moment. If you do not communicate appropriately about this, you will incur irreversible image damage. What is the best way to respond to the media in the event of a crisis?
A crisis is characterized by three aspects: big impact, great urgency to act, and a lot of uncertainty. A data breach is a crisis that has all three characteristics and is common. This is how CBS got the first six months of 2024 almost 10,000 reports from data breaches inside. Remarkable: 88 percent of these organizations thought they were well prepared for a data breach, for example by preventively locking personal data.
In 89 percent of the data breaches, the names of employees, customers or other stakeholders were leaked. 62 percent also involved contact details, such as addresses and phone numbers. If this personal information is on the street, this can have significant consequences for employees, customers or other stakeholders. And what's more, all eyes are on you.
The media is often quick to find organizations in the event of a data breach. As an organization, you can do three things: fight, flee or stand still. Research by TNO shows that in nine out of ten crisis situations, denial is the first response. But in just as many cases, people later had to confess that there was indeed a crisis. A shame, because the absence of a response alone causes reputational damage. And the phrase “Organization xxx indicated that it did not want to comment” also fuels suspicion.
Our advice: speak up in the event of a crisis. In the social media era in which we live, the preferred response time in the event of a crisis is 24 minutes. How do you go about this?
Have one experienced colleague speak to the media, for example the CEO or communication manager. Don't let your colleagues talk to the media; otherwise, you run the risk of different explanations about the situation coming out. And if anything fosters suspicion, it's conflicting communication from one party.
research shows that crisis victims are looking for explanations to reduce their stress level about the crisis. That's why it's good to communicate what you know about the problem, what the consequences are and how the problem will be solved. Avoid words like “probably” and “we think”, as this creates ambiguity. Remember: if you don't give an explanation, someone else will do this and it may happen fake news. Then you are even further away from home.
research Utrecht University shows that people have fewer negative feelings about an organization when this organization apologises for a crisis. Apologies can therefore be effective in the event of a crisis that raises a lot of anger. And anger can certainly arise as personal information out in the open are.
Good preparation is half the work. That is why we recommend explaining what risks your organization faces, what the worst case scenarios here are, and how to solve these scenarios. Because count on critical questions in the event of a crisis, for example:
It gives you peace of mind if you already have a large part of your communication on paper during a crisis. It is best to process this in a crisis communication plan.
Your work is not about sending out into the world after one press statement. Keep giving updates even if there is no update. Keep all communication channels open and stay accessible. This prevents speculation and shows that you are involved. This reduces the chance that trust in your organization will be further damaged.
Want to know more?
We are experts when it comes to crisis communication. Are you dealing with a data breach or other IT-related incident? Download our white paper”Learn how to use PR” and immediately use the practical tips to maintain trust in your organization.
Need personal advice? Give us a call at +31 20 765 75 70 or email us at info@nxt.agency.
