Analysis: Hotpoint – Day 1 of the Ultimate Test in Crisis Communications
by Warren Madlin, Director at MadlinHanna Consulting
At 11:00am this morning (June 23rd) Detective Chief Inspector Fiona McCormack of the Metropolitan Police revealed that the fire in Grenfell Tower last week started in a Hotpoint fridge freezer.
Hotpoint owners Whirlpool are no stranger to this kind of situation – one of their tumble dryers caused a 2016 tower block fire just 10 minutes down the road in Shepherd’s Bush - but this time it’s different, 79 people are feared to have lost their lives. Today marks Day 1 in the response of a global super brand at the very centre of a national tragedy.
The immediate press release – “our most profound condolences”
Within minutes of the police statement this morning ‘Hotpoint’ was trending on Twitter and every news outlet had the brand name in their leading headline. When the spotlight is at its brightest, too many brands shy away from comment under the guise of avoiding a knee jerk reaction.
The whole of the UK will hear the news and go searching for Hotpoint’s response – and they have provided an answer.
News breaks on Twitter – but is it the best platform for corporate reaction?
As of this moment, both official handles (@HotpointUK and @WhirlpoolUK) have yet to post.
But this is not surprising. Twitter is useful for commentary during ongoing and unfolding situations and is expertly used by the emergency services in such an event. However, 140 characters is not a sensible format for an official company statement. That said, we fully expect the channels to be utilised within the coming days
Dark sites – do you need one? And when should you use one?
Hotpoint’s UK website currently has no reference to the investigation. You will however spot an ‘Important tumble dryer safety notice’ that has been in place since the 2016 fire.
Crisis communications experts will often advise their brands to create a ‘dark site’ – it’s a page that is used, in place of your homepage, should you find yourself in the centre of a crisis and normally contains a simple reactive statement. Malaysia Airlines rapidly changed their front page in response to both of their recent disasters.
Expect an updated Hotpoint website imminently (hotpoint.co.uk).
In house team vs. external agency advice
Hotpoint UK, and in fact the whole of Whirlpool UK, use London-based Shine Communications to handle all press enquiries. However, they are a consumer/product promotion-focused PR agency so we expect the resources of additional crisis specialists to be called upon in this scenario.
Whirlpool, given their size, have a surprisingly small in house team – but so long as the external agency have trusted relationships with key internal decision makers, this should not be an issue.
Long-term action
The handling of the initial response to a crisis becomes redundant if long-term action is not taken. The fire at Grenfell Tower, in the Met’s own words, is one of the most complex investigations they have ever handled. Hotpoint are central to the investigation but by no means alone – equal emphasis in the police statement was given to the failure of the external cladding.
Time will tell exactly what caused such devastation in North Kensington last week, and once we know it is vital that Hotpoint and all other parties take action to ensure this never happens again.
Donations
We echo the sadness and shock felt across London and further afield at the huge loss of life and livelihood in a city that few of us imagined could ever be home to such a disaster. We encourage readers to help by donating to the British Red Cross’s London Fire Relief Fund here:
MadlinHanna Consulting is a recruitment consultancy specialising in corporate affairs, covering public affairs, corporate communications and financial PR. Contact us on 020 8088 4102 for more information or a confidential conversation.