What do you do when a century’s worth of success is threatened by one atrocious incident? If you’re Maple Leaf Foods, then you stand up and take responsibility and you do it with sincerity and humility.
The Canadian producer of meat products reacted swiftly during the weekend after its Toronto plant was blamed for the outbreak of listeriosis that health officials say caused the death of six people. Maple Leaf Foods produced a television commercial featuring CEO Michael McCain sitting on a couch, hands cupped, speaking straight into the camera and apologizing to Canadians whose consumer support made his company the nation’s largest meat processor.
The response was hailed by at least one analyst, who predicted the company will rebound. “I think that as they’ve acted extremely responsibly, after a short while the consumers will forget about it. … They’ve got a very short memory,” John Winter of John Winter and Associates told the Canadian Press on Monday.
Maple Leaf Foods saw its share price drop for five consecutive days following news of the outbreak and it’s sure to face a lawsuit from at least some of the more than 300 victims who have been stung by the case of severe food poisoning. The situation may not be over yet, although the company reports it has thoroughly sanitized the culprit facility. The families of the listeria victims who lost their lives have yet to speak out and when they do the public relations’ chore will intensify. But for now PR professionals and business analysts can evaluate the company’s response to its troubles and acknowledge the effectiveness of its response.
Crisis communications isn’t something to shy away from. It’s like life insurance: you may not want to think about the worst-case scenario but you better prepare for it nonetheless.
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