scholarly journals Crisis Communication Preparedness Practices Among U.S. Charitable Organizations: Results From a National Survey

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402110145
Author(s):  
Ryan P. Fuller ◽  
Antonio La Sala
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Organizational Crisis ◽  
Crisis Planning ◽  
Charitable Organizations ◽  
Major Stakeholder

Organizations should prepare for crises, through identifying crisis concerns, having written crisis communication plans, and designating teams for crisis planning and response, for example. Nonprofit organizations, which represent an important sector of U.S. society, are no different in needing to prepare, but to date, a review of their crisis communication preparedness is lacking. Therefore, a national online survey of 2,005 U.S. charitable organizations was administered to determine nonprofit organizations’ adoption of an anticipatory perspective of crisis management. The anticipatory perspective shifts the organization’s focus from reaction to crises to anticipation of them. According to the survey, 75% of organizations reported at least one organizational crisis in the 24 months prior to taking the survey (circa 2017–2019). Loss of a major stakeholder was the most common organizational crisis that had occurred and the greatest future concern. Most nonprofits (97.5%) reported implementing some crisis communication preparedness tactics. Importantly, charitable organizations can enact communication preparedness tactics without significantly detracting from program delivery. Moreover, given the general concerns within the sector, nonprofit organizations should prepare specifically for loss of a major stakeholder and technologically created crises such as data breaches and negative word of mouth on social media.

Fashion bloggers' discourse on brands under corporate crisis: a netnographic research in Portugal

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Casais ◽  
Lucilene Ribeiro Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Crisis Events ◽  
Brand Crisis ◽  
Corporate Crisis ◽  
Crisis Situations

PurposeThis paper focuses on the analysis of fashion blog activity regarding brands under corporate crisis situations and discusses how these opinion leaders may be agents of corporate crisis management.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyzed four influential Portuguese fashion blogs regarding eight fashion brands that had experienced a corporate crisis situation. In total, five of the selected brands were mentioned in 2.846 posts of blog content, whose discourse was deeply analyzed.FindingsThe absence of express reference to brand crisis suggests that fashion bloggers tend to ignore these crisis events or divert the readers' attention to the brands' more positive aspects. This result opens the discussion whether fashion bloggers downplay corporate crisis in brand equity or whether it expresses strategies of brand crisis communication through digital influencers.Originality/valueThough social media may be a source of negative word-of-mouth, social media influencers have been considered important partners of corporate crisis communication in particularly challenging times. Many studies have focused on the role of social media influencers in crisis management, but there was a dearth of research on the specific case of blogs. This study contributes to the understanding of fashion bloggers as agents of brand communication, particularly regarding crisis management and their role on brand activation and positive electronic word-of-mouth, even under crisis situations. This contribution paves the way for future research on whether this is a spontaneous phenomenon or the reflection of possible partnerships between companies and fashion bloggers for the management of corporate crisis situations in the context of fashion brands.

(In)Sincere Demeanor and (In)Sincere Language in Crisis Communication

2021 ◽  
pp. 0261927X2110457
Author(s):  
David E. Clementson ◽  
Tyler G. Page
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Attribution Of Responsibility ◽  
Default Theory ◽  
News Interview

Perceptions of a crisis communicator’s sincerity drive reactions to an organization’s response amidst a scandal. However, a spokesperson can nonverbally appear sincere while deceptively evading questions and can appear insincere while actually speaking sincere truths. Applying truth-default theory to crisis communication, we assess people’s reactions to a spokesperson varying in sincerity through demeanor and language. In an experiment ( N  =  801), adults from across the United States were randomly assigned to view one of four versions of a news interview. The stimuli present the spokesperson replying to questions with sincere or insincere demeanor and sincere language (conveying relevance and clarity) or insincere language (evasion and obfuscation). Results indicate that sincerity in demeanor and language interact to affect (a) account acceptance, (b) negative word-of-mouth intention, and (c) attribution of responsibility. But sincerity in language largely overrides behavioral impressions. Discussion concerns considering evasion and obfuscation as demeanor cues, when violations of relevance and clarity in language undercut a spokesperson’s believability.

O efeito do Brand Equity na intenção de compra do consumidor: o papel moderador do boca-a-boca positivo e negativo

Revista Foco ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Allan Vinícius Sakiyama ◽  
Ana Maria Campos Manoel ◽  
Ana Paula Merenda Richarde ◽  
Juliano Domingues Silva
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Positive Word ◽  
Electronic Products ◽  
Positive Word Of Mouth

Este estudo investigou o brand equity, entendido como “valor de marca” e sua influência na intenção de compra do consumidor. Ademais, este estudo também se propôs a analisar o efeito moderador do boca-a-boca (positivo e negativo) na relação entre o brand equity e a intenção de compra do consumidor, mais especificamente, na compra de produtos eletrônicos de alta tecnologia. O estudo empregou metodologia quantitativa e para testar as hipóteses propostas, realizou-se um survey online com 115 consumidores que adquiriram produtos eletrônicos. Os resultados dessa pesquisa apontam que a percepção de alto valor do brand equity da marca aumenta a intenção de compra do produto eletrônico quando o cliente recebe boca-a-boca positivo, mas não diminui a intenção de compra quando recebe boca-a-boca negativo. Portanto, implicações práticas aos gestores de marketing sugerem que o brand equity é uma estratégia fundamental para combater o boca-a-boca negativo, bem como potencializar o boca-a-boca positivo e assim ampliar as vendas. This study investigated brand equity, understood as "brand value" and its influence on the consumer's purchase intention. In addition, this study also proposed to analyze the moderating effect of word-of-mouth (positive and negative) on the relationship between brand equity and consumer intention to purchase, more specifically, in the purchase of high-tech electronic products. The study used a quantitative methodology and to test the proposed hypotheses, an online survey was conducted with 115 consumers who purchased electronic products. The results of this survey indicate that the perception of high brand equity value increases the purchase intention of the electronic product when the customer receives positive word-of-mouth and does not decrease when the customer receives negative word-of-mouth. Therefore, practical implications for marketing managers suggest that brand equity is a fundamental strategy to combat negative word-of-mouth, as well as to enhance positive word-of-mouth and thus increase sales.

How social media strategies of nonprofit organizations affect consumer donation intention and word-of-mouth

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1775-1786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Feng ◽  
Lanying Du ◽  
Qian Ling
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Electronic Word Of Mouth ◽  
Perceived Trust ◽  
Donation Intention ◽  
Positive Effect

Our purpose in this study was to validate the role of consumers' perceived trust and satisfaction in the internal mechanism of the effect of nonprofit organizations' social media strategies on consumers' donation intention and electronic word-of-mouth. We developed an online survey that was completed by 242 followers of the One Foundation nonprofit organization on social media. Responses were analyzed with a structural equation model. The results showed that both dissemination and interactivity had a significantly positive effect on consumers' perceived trust and satisfaction, which subsequently influenced their donation intention, and electronic word-of-mouth. Disclosure had a positive effect only on trust. Practical implications for managers of nonprofit organizations are discussed.

Uncertainty management in organizational crisis communication: the impact of crisis responsibility uncertainty and attribution-based emotions on publics' further crisis information seeking

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen-I Lee ◽  
Xuerong Lu ◽  
Yan Jin
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Uncertainty Management ◽  
Organizational Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
External Attribution ◽  
Crisis Responses ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAlthough uncertainty has been identified as a key crisis characteristic and a multi-faceted construct essential to effective crisis management research and practice, only a few studies examined publics' perceived uncertainty with a focus on crisis severity uncertainty, leaving crisis responsibility uncertainty uninvestigated in organizational crisis settings.Design/methodology/approachTo close this research gap empirically, this study employed data from an online survey of a total of 817 US adults to examine how participants' crisis responsibility uncertainty and their attribution-based crisis emotions might impact their crisis responses such as further crisis information seeking.FindingsFirst, findings show that participants' crisis responsibility uncertainty was negatively associated with their attribution-independent (AI) crisis emotions (i.e. anxiety, fear, apprehension and sympathy) and external-attribution-dependent (EAD) crisis emotions (i.e. disgust, contempt, anger and sadness), but positively associated with internal-attribution-dependent (IAD) crisis emotions (i.e. guilt, embarrassment and shame). Second, crisis responsibility uncertainty and AI crisis emotions were positive predictors for participants' further crisis information seeking. Third, AI crisis emotions and IAD crisis emotions were parallel mediators for the relationship between participants' crisis responsibility uncertainty and their further crisis information seeking.Practical implicationsOrganizations need to pay attention to the perceived uncertainty about crisis responsibility and attribution-based crisis emotions since they can impact the decision of seeking crisis information during an ongoing organizational crisis.Originality/valueThis study improves uncertainty management in organizational crisis communication research and practice, connecting crisis responsibility uncertainty, attribution-based crisis emotions and publics' crisis information seeking.

An Empirical Investigation into Personal Characteristics' Effect on Choosing Complaint Channels

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-208
Author(s):  
Hannes Boepple ◽  
Janine Göttling ◽  
Marie-Christin Papen ◽  
Florian U. Siems
Keyword(s):  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Channel Choice ◽  
Valuable Customer ◽  
Word Of Mouth Communication ◽  
Customer Reaction ◽  
Managerial Perspective ◽  
Selection Of

For companies, complaints are a valuable customer reaction to dissatisfaction. They enable the company to respond to customer issues to prevent them from changing supplier or spreading negative word-of-mouth communication. Previous research identified various influencing factors of complaint behaviour. However, it has been scarcely considered which aspects influence the selection of the complaint channel (e. g. telephone, social media). Therefore, a 1x2 experimental study (n = 244) was conducted. Results reveal effects of personal characteristics (aggressiveness, argumentativeness and social anxiety) on complaint channel choice. A moderating effect of failure severity was also partially found. From a managerial perspective, it is recommended to provide various complaint options. This would allow the disappointed consumer to choose an adequate complaint channel depending on his or her personality.

Democratic Disarray: Organizational Messaging Coherence and the Local Echoing Press During the 2020 Iowa Democratic Caucus

2021 ◽  
pp. 000276422110108
Author(s):  
Eric C. Wiemer ◽  
Joshua M. Scacco ◽  
Brenda Berkelaar
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Public Communication ◽  
Organizational Crisis ◽  
Party Organization ◽  
Timely Manner ◽  
Presidential Nomination ◽  
Des Moines ◽  
American Elections

The Iowa caucuses are the inaugural event of the American presidential nomination process. When the state Democratic Party failed to report the 2020 caucus results in a timely manner and manage the consequences, the crisis situation threatened the legitimacy of the party and the integrity of the results. This research presents an in-depth case of the Iowa Democratic Party’s public communication response regarding an event described by the Des Moines Register as “hell” and a “results catastrophe.” Specifically, we were interested in how the Iowa Democratic Party responded to the crisis event and the extent to which the party organization was successful in disseminating favorable messaging about the caucus process to the local press. Drawing on organizational crisis management and echoing press perspectives, this analysis uses network and qualitative analytic approaches to assess message development, dissemination, and ultimately adoption. A local event with national implications presents a critical case in investigating how a political party, due to its institutional role in American elections and unique organizational structure, struggled to respond to the crisis.

The Value of Brand Fans during a Crisis: Exploring the Roles of Response Strategy, Source, and Brand Identification

2021 ◽  
pp. 232948842199969
Author(s):  
Hayoung Sally Lim ◽  
Natalie Brown-Devlin
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Experimental Design ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Brand Identification ◽  
Communication Source ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Selection Of

Using a two (crisis response strategy: diminish vs. rebuild) × three (source: brand organization vs. brand executive vs. brand fan) experimental design, this study examines how brand fans (i.e., consumers who identify with a brand) can be prompted to protect a brand’s reputation during crises and how the selection of a crisis spokesperson can influence consumers’ evaluations of the crisis communication. Being buffers for their preferred brands, brand fans are more likely to accept their brand’s crisis response and engage in positive electronic word-of-mouth on social media. Brand fans are more likely to evaluate other brand fan’s social media accounts as a credible crisis communication source, whereas those who are not brand fans are more likely to evaluate brand and/or brand executives as credible. Findings provide theoretical applications in paracrisis literature pertaining to social media but also practical implications for brand managers to strategically utilize brand fans in crisis communication.

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