Crisis/Issues Management

Many years ago, before our agency started working with one of our pharmaceutical company clients, that company bought into a national radio advertising package that included ads on the "Rush Limbaugh Show." After that ad package ended and our client was no longer an advertiser on that particular radio program, Mr. Limbaugh made some polarizing comments that insighted a number of activist groups to call for a boycott of all show advertisers.

Even though our client was no longer an advertiser, their name ended up on many of the boycott lists and company representatives began receiving hundreds of letters, emails, and phone calls filled with outrage and contempt.

With my leadership, a team was quickly assembled and a strategy developed to quickly quell the vitriol. The first step was to get our facts straight and develop a series of key messages or talking points that addressed the situation.

We then used those messages to prepare a statement that we could share on an as needed basis with both media and concerned consumers. We also developed a list of  any potential questions we could be asked about this situation (good or bad) and answers to those questions.

Finally, we personally reached out to every single person who had contacted the company and explained to them that our client was not an active advertiser on the "Rush Limbaugh Show" and had not been for a number of years. We did not condemn Rush Limbaugh, we just let it be known that we were unfairly targeted with the boycott.

Almost all people we contacted were grateful to us for taking the time to reach out personally. They thanked us for clearing up the misinformation, and promised to let others know that we were not to be a part of the boycott.

All of the above action was completed within 48 hours of the potential crisis surfacing, and any significant impact of the proposed boycott was averted.