How the News Media Responded
Today, I’d like to examine the Kryptonite response printed in the mainstream media’s articles from three national news organizations who were the first to break the story nationally. I have isolated just the Kryptonite responses from each article. While it is not possible to control what a newspaper or another news medium says about a situation, it is instructive to see how this particular story was treated by three top tier news media. Because a journalist can “frame” his or her story in the manner he or she thinks best tells the story, it is necessary for an organization in crisis to stick to a couple of very specific key messages and repeat them as often as possible. Savvy politicians have become masters at sticking to their talking points/key messages sometimes ignoring the reporter’s question altogether or circling back to their key message without actually answering the reporter’s questions. The hope is that the organization controls the story, sounds like it is being proactive in solvng the problem and concerned about its affected customers.
In addition to staying focused with your message, in crisis communication, it’s important to also be available to the news media, especially top tiered news outlets. Note the number of words that Kryptonite got compared to the entire story.
Associated Press Online
The 599-word Associated Press Online story that ran Sept. 16, 2004 included a 95-word Kryptonite response (isolated from the full text of the article):
Bike Lock can be Picked with a Pen
“A spokeswoman for the Canton-based company, the country’s largest bicycle-lock manufacturer, said it plans to accelerate the introduction of new versions of the lock because of the complaints…
“Kryptonite spokeswoman Donna Tocci said in a statement that the design still provides ‘an effective deterrent to theft,’ but that the company is developing new products using a pen-proof, disc-style cylinder.
“We are accelerating the delivery of the new disc cylinder locks and we will communicate directly with our distributors, dealers and consumers within the coming days. The world just got tougher and so did our locks.”
The
The Boston Globe also ran a 756-word article Sept. 16, 2004 on the front of its business section. The following 219-word segment was taken directly from the article “Cyclists: Bike Locks Easy Prey for Thieves; Kryptonite Promises More Secure Product”:
“Kryptonite, which has about 30 employees and is a division of Ingersoll-Rand Co. of Bermuda, won’t discuss the specifics of Brennan’s complaint or say exactly when the company started receiving reports of problems.
“But executives acknowledged the concerns, and in a statement issued last night they wrote that ‘The world just got tougher and so did our locks.’”
“Specifically, Kryptonite said it has moved up some dates in its plans to introduce upgraded version of the locks in question. These are the company’s ‘Krytolok’ and ‘Evolution’ lines of U-locks, selling for $30 to $55. They now use tabular keys, but the models the company planned to introduce at the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas in October will use ‘disc-style cylinders’ in which cuts in the key are angled, which it calls a more secure design.
“Now the company will speed delivery of these devices to distributors, said Tim Clifford, Kryptonite’s director of sales. It’s more expensive
‘“Unfortunately, this takes the thunder out of the launch at Interbike, but we’ll do what’s right by the bicycle community,’” Clifford said
“Later, Brown, the mechanic, suggested the vulnerability might only be in some older versions of the locks. Kryptonite executives weren’t available to discuss the idea…”
The New York Times
The New York Times ran a front page 1,142 word article entitled “The Pen is Mightier than the Lock; A Ballpoint Trick Infuriates Bicyclists” on Sept. 17, 2004. The following is a 68-word excerpt isolates Kryptonite’s response:
“In a statement sent by e-mail yesterday, the company said that it was aware of the problem and was moving quickly to get locks featuring a different mechanism to bike shops and that it was designing a program to let users of compromised locks to upgrade to new ones.
“Donna M. Tocci, a spokeswoman for the company, stressed that locks made by other manufacturers shared the same vulnerabilities.”
My Response to the Media Coverage
I think the analysis of these three national media stories shows that Kryptonite’s initial statements (see yesterday’s entry) were too vague and did not focus on the concerns of its customers. The key messages that its customers’ security concerns were top priority and that Kryptonite was quickly resolving the problem did not come through clearly.
The Sept. 16, 2004 Kryptonite written statement starts off stating how invincible the Kryptonite bike locks had been for the past three decades while in reality some of its lock designs could be easily defeated with a plastic pen. The written statement left the impression that there was no written crisis plan anticipating a total product failure since the details of the customer upgrade program were not available to the public.
The Associated Press story claims the affected locks are still “an effective deterrent to theft.” If I was the owner of a very expensive bike with one of the affected locks, I’d be unconvinced and upset. Just speeding up delivery of a new product model is not reassuring.
The Boston Globe article one of Kryptonite’s executives seemed more concerned about losing the company’s market “thunder” for its new product line than for its customers who are stuck with locks that don’t protect their bikes. The phrase “The world just got tougher and so did our locks” really rings false when considering the company doesn’t have a publicly announced plan to solve the problem quickly.
The New York Times article notes that Kryptonite was responding to media requests via e-mail which is ok except in a crisis – especially with a national newspaper. Public relations managers need to prioritize its top tier media (those especially with a national reach) and work with them often. It is best to interact in person or over a telephone to increase the chance of being able to fully explain the situation and answer all questions completely. This article contained only a 68-word response out of 1,142 words. It is always a mistake, I think, to shift the blame during a crisis, no matter how unfair a situation may seem for the organization. When Tocci said that Kryptonite locks weren’t the only bike locks affected by the design flaw it sounded like Kryptonite was not taking full responsibility for its problem and making that the priority. While factual, I’m sure Kryptonite lock owners were not reassured. She should have stayed focused on resolving the problem for her company’s customers.
