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MANAGING MEDIA
Bottom line: make sure media
Developing strategies
organisation’s reputation, if handled the
Talking of surprises, there are incidents
right way, it can also have a positive
management is part of your risk
that you can more or less predict are
effect.
management and business continuity
going to happen, and which come as
“The reason we spend millions of
planning. Doing so could prevent a
little surprise, such as employee
dollars in budgets on having marketing
crisis developing into a disaster for your
wrongdoings or the behaviour of
and communications is because we
reputation — not to mention your share
overzealous security officers.
know ultimately it’s about your interface
price.
Nonetheless, security departments
with your customers and your
frequently offer a flatfooted response.
consumers and your stakeholders,” says
“Have a media strategy handy, so that when [something] happens, you
Kelleher. “It’s crucially important that you not
LEARN MORE ABOUT DEALING WITH THE MEDIA
know who to go to, how quickly they’ll
only see a security incident or issue as
be able to respond, and how they will
something that is going to have a
Security professionals looking for
respond. You can work out the actual
damaging and detrimental impact on
practical advice and experience in
detail of what happens later. But don’t
your business or organisation, but also
media management can attend a
ignore the fact that you’re going to need
view it as an opportunity to enhance the
special workshop conducted by
a strategy for it,” says Kelleher.
reputation of your business or
Rod Cowan at this year’s Security
organisation.”
2010 Conference.
“Every organisation, in its business continuity arrangements, should have a
Pharmaceutical companies, for
Conducted over four hours, the
media strategy. It does not need to be
example, having had highly publicised
workshop will explain how to
in depth. It just needs to identify some
product recalls due to product
develop a media strategy, what to
key points.”
tampering, have worked with authorities,
Those key points include:
then redesigned their packaging to
• Who will manage media responses
ensure products couldn’t be tampered
to an incident; • Who will be in the potential pool of identified spokespeople; • How staffing and other arrangements
with, and followed up with a marketing campaign. “[The pharmaceutical companies]
To ensure the session helps you in your context and to give a hands-on experience, numbers are limited — so book early.
have come out of that with their
will be organised and managed
reputations enhanced and greater
throughout the duration of that
confidence in their products than
incident; and
possibly they had to start with. So you
• What the key messages your
say and how to say it.
should look at it as an opportunity to be
organisation, business or agency
able to do some good for your business
should be considering in responding
or organisation’s image, and not as
to an issue are.
something that’s incredibly damaging,”
As much as a crisis can damage an
says Kelleher. *Rod Cowan is an independent contributing editor and can be contacted at mail@rodcowan.net.
SECURITY 2010 CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 1-3 SEPTEMBER 2010, SYDNEY CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE
Security2010 C O N F E R E N C E & E X H I B I T I ON
1–3 SEPTEMBER 2010 For more information visit www.asial.com.au
38 //SECURITY INSIDER JUN/JUL 2010
SYDNEYCONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE