CSR: Be responsible without bragging

Today even more voices have been raised and loudly demand from companies to pay greater attention to CSR and to behave as good corporate citizens. Corporate social responsibility is about sustainability and corporate integrity and for that reason it should be a core component of the corporate strategy. Gaining people’s trust protects corporate reputation and trusted companies are more likely to survive a potential crisis. However CSR shouldn’t be used as a public relations or marketing tool, because in that case it might backfire. Quite a few companies have been accused of ‘green-washing’ after promoting their CSR activities to enhance and exaggerate their ethical virtues. If companies want CSR to be effective in the long-term, then they shouldn’t brag about being decent.

Some might wonder then what is the point of being a good corporate citizen if no one knows about it? PR practitioners are at this point the key to help companies communicate the changes in an organisation’s policies concerning ethical issues that surround the business, in an effective way. Making people aware of a company’s CSR policies and implemented activities is necessary and completely acceptable; however it should be done without exaggerations and bragging, otherwise being responsible will be critisised and perceived as being driven by self-serving motives. It is true that CSR activities most of the times take time to show actual results, but letting these actions talk for themselves can be more appealing to peoples’ minds. The public will think positively about you and they will be the unbiased messengers of your business. Besides ‘word of mouth’ publicity is even more valuable in these situations.

Communicating during a corporate crisis

There is no recipe that can guarantee success when a company faces a crisis situation; however there are some key elements that can really help a corporation turn crises into an opportunity. It is important initially to define the problem (awareness) and take into consideration all stakeholders. A company should be prepared to deal with the worst cases scenario, centralize the information flow and communicate effectively.

Standing against the media during crisis can be a big misstep; the battle will be lost. Media need a ‘cause and effect’ story to which their audience will feel related and a corporate crisis is always newsworthy. Being combative at time of crisis can really destroy corporate reputation. Any irrational response or wrong statement, when loosing control, can give media a good story, which most probably will have a negative impact on the brand. The way a company chooses to communicate with the media might determine the outcome of a crisis. It is necessary to select a spokesperson to represent the brand with confidence, showing true concern about the situation that has occurred and consideration towards the people affected. Since the beginning of the crisis the company should send clear messages to all of  its stakeholders, demonstrate competence and maintain control of the situation when talking to the media.
Evidently, good communication skills during crisis can support a company's reputation, whereas poor communication or complete lack of it can damage the company's business.

This is the proposed 5Cs model that is being introduced in Tench R. and Yeomans L.’s book ‘Exploring Public Relations’ (2006, 2nd edition). This model is based on the experience of senior crisis managers, who believe that it can be effective during corporate crisis.