SOCIAL MEDIA & CRISIS

‚EVERYBODY IS TALKING‛

Brendan Hodgson
Senior Vice President, Digital Communications
Hill & Knowlton
brendan.hodgson@hillandknowlton.com
blogs.hillandknowlton.com/brendanhodgson
THIS IS NOW...
THIS IS NOW...
THIS IS NOW…
Facebook: 300M users
Wikipedia: 60M visitors / mth
Youtube: 75B videos streamed
to 375M viewers in 2009
Twitter: 25M users in 2009
4th most popular online activity:
Social networks & blogs (more than email)
900k+ blog posts are created within a single 24hr period
Social Networks: 55.6M US adults – or just less than 1/3rd of the
population –visit social networks at least monthly
AT THE SAME TIME...

“We are living through

the largest increase in
human expressive
capability in history.”
Clay Shirky
Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations.
JANUARY 15, 2009
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
3:49 PM ET *– first image appear on Flickr (within approx. 10 min of incident)

* All times are approximate

US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
Circa 4:00 PM ET – traditional media reports begin feeding online
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:05 PM ET –
US Airways site
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:07 pm – Online media coverage reaches 30+ articles/feeds in within
minutes of crash
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:12 pm – Within 30+ minutes, video pulled from online media coverage is
posted to YouTube
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:16 pm ET – Twitter moves into overdrive with hundreds of tweets on the
crash
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:21 pm ET – Multiple photostreams appear on Flickr
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:22 pm ET – Up to 90+ articles online within 40+ min
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:23 pm ET – US Airways site 45+ minutes after incident
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:24 pm ET – Continued addition of photos to Flickr – 17+ added within the
hour
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:25 pm ET – Already mass coverage internet-wide, (‘000s of mentions
across blogs, media, forums etc.)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:25 pm ET - Twit pic / iPhone – first mention of citizen photos through
twitter
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:30 pm ET – The definitive image of the crisis: the original twitter post as
provided by Silicon Valley Insider
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:30 pm ET - US Airways Site (intermittent service outages)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:30 pm ET – Site ads are removed from main corporate site
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:33 pm ET – more images – Citizen and media-generated - begin
aggregating across key sites
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:38 pm ET – First statement hits US Airways site
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:38 pm ET – First statement hits US Airways site
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:40 pm ET – News articles hit 400+
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:42 pm ET – Already more than 20+ videos on Youtube – primarily news
coverage (no original video coverage)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:45 pm ET –FAA site / no mention of incident
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:45 pm ET - already 180+ comments on national/major media article (USA
Today)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:45 pm ET – Wikipedia tracking at speed of media
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
ONGOING – Live video streaming of passenger rescues / commentary / 3rd
party experts etc.
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
4:50 pm ET – Story leads on home page of virtually every major media
website
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
5:00 pm ET – 2nd statement from US Airways posted to site
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
5:00 pm ET – 2nd statement from US Airways posted to site
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
Approx 5:00 pm ET – Dark Site launched
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
5:00 pm ET – updates continue to
feed through major blogs / blog
publications
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
5:01 pm ET – personal impact statements – how they or people they know
have been directly affected
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
5:01 pm ET – 3rd party sites feed critical data related to incident (e.g.
FlightAware’s tracking of the plane)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
5:09 pm ET – live streamed video press statement from CEO
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
5:25 pm ET - 350+ comments within nearly 2 hours of incident
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
5:45 pm ET – approx. thousands of blog mentions within 2+ hours
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
5:55 pm ET - diversity
of observations from
Twitter – re. media
calling for eye
witnesses, spread of
images, ambulance
chasing lawyers, media
analysis etc.
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
6 pm ET - third statement posted by US Airways
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
6 pm ET - third statement posted by US Airways
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
6:10 pm ET – ex-US Airways employee Twittering on accident – mis-
identified as spokesperson / inadvertent brand-jacking(?)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
Approx 6:30 pm ET – ‚Ambulance chasers‛ move online (3 hours after
incident)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
6:30 pm ET – Fourth statement – transcript of CEO’s media statement posted
online
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
6:30 pm ET – Fourth statement – transcript of CEO’s media statement posted
online
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
Approx 6:31 pm ET – Message posted to NYC.gov site
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
6:35 pm ET – Pilot’s web site (found and disseminated via Twitter)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
Approx 7:00 pm ET – more photos emerge from citizen journalists
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
As of 8:30 pm ET- US Airways FB group comes to life with messages
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
Day 2 – More than 39 Facebook groups celebrating the pilot
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
Twitter Traffic
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
Blog traffic (compared against recent Mumbai Attacks/bombings)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
Search trends (US Airways)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
DARK SITE
(As of Jan 19)
US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549
DARK SITE
(As of Jan 19)
OTHER INCIDENTS
OTHER INCIDENTS
OTHER INCIDENTS
 WHAT THIS MEANS...

Loss of journalistic control over

Information market
Everybody is “talking”

Increased opportunities to reach

stakeholders beyond traditional
media filters
Barriers to broadcasting /
narrowcasting no longer exist
WHAT THIS MEANS...
Speed by which The impact of new
issues escalate into media on traditional
crises media

Increased “noise” & Role of employees:

Commentary “Brand Guardians”

Misinformation & Unprecedented

Speculation Transparency

Importance of Your “Google Effect”:

web footprint: The impact of digital
timely, credible, permanence on
transparent reputation
Are you prepared?
WE NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE
NEW REALITY...
AND START ASKING THE RIGHT
QUESTIONS?
1. Where are you vulnerable to social media use? How do you mitigate risk?
2. How effective is your current monitoring?
3. How, when and where should you engage these new ‚influencers‛?
4. How could you be more effectively using digital technology & social media to
deliver your messages?
5. Do you have sufficient policies in place to guide the behavior of your employees /
contractors etc.?
6. Mainstream media is still important. So how does social media change your overall
strategy?
7. Does your current response structure support this need for greater speed and
transparency?
8. How do you ensure that you remain current on this changing landscape?
FIRST PRINCIPLES

Authority & Integration & Buy-in &

Speed & Visibility
Credibility Amplification Leadership

„ Monitor social „ Communicate „ Do not ignore „ All team members

media space frequently traditional must understand
channels ‟ new dynamic
„ Deploy Dark Site „ Be transparent support them (legal, HR etc.)
within minutes
„ Be human „ Lever partners „ Policies to guide
„ Communicate (emergency employee
when you need to „ Exploit online
strengths ‟ video, response etc.) behaviour\
‟ not when media
dictates images, text etc. „ Make content „ Comms must lead
distributable / learn
„ Know who / how
and when to reach „ Have
out to contingencies

67
WHERE DIGITAL FITS
Monitoring / Auditing (media/direct)

CIM Focus Traditional Media

Print

Communications Channels / Tools

Broadcast
Media
Specialized/Trade
Employees
Direct (In-Person)
Governments Telephone
In-person meetings
Customers
Employee Newsletters
Partners / Suppliers Collaterals / Info kits

General Public Direct (Online)

Dark Sites
Activists / NGO’s
Blogs / vlogs / podcasts
Other Influencers Social Networks
RSS / SEO etc.

Monitoring / Auditing (online)

THANK YOU
Questions?
BRENDAN HODGSON
Senior Vice President, Digital Corporate and Public
Affairs

A senior vice president with Hill & Knowlton’s Digital Communications group, Insert photo
Brendan provides strategic counsel and project leadership on all facets of digital
PR and social media activation, including social marketing, online advocacy, crisis here – resize if
and stakeholder relations, issues management, corporate and public affairs. His necessary to fit
value is his ability to develop effective online strategies that integrate with
traditional communications and public affairs methodologies. this space
Brendan’s 10 years experience in digital PR and public affairs, community
building, employee engagement, and online issues and reputation management
encompasses a variety of sectors and issues, including campaigns for clients in
the aerospace, technology, not-for-profit, government and energy sectors.

Past assignments include developing and executing digital PR and social media
strategies for clients such as Motorola (blogger outreach, Facebook strategy, viral
marketing campaigns), Intel (online community management ‟ electronic
gaming), Hewlett-Packard (blogger outreach, Facebook strategy), Petro-Canada
(social media strategy, online crisis communications), Bruce Power (social media
strategy), EnCana (social media best practices audit), WestJet (internal social Hill & Knowlton Canada
media activation, online crisis communications) and Molson (corporate blog / 55 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1100
blogger outreach). Working with his team of digital PR practitioners, Brendan has Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L5
Tel 613-786-9953
also led online advocacy campaigns for the Canadian Association of Income Fax 613-238-3658
Funds and EADS (parent corporation of Airbus), developed strategies for the brendan.hodgson@hillandknowlton.ca
corporate web re-designs for the State University of New York at Potsdam, and
the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, and counselled
organizations across North America on social media and digital risk management