It seems that the Communications department at Carnival Cruise had a busy week after an engine room fire left the Carnival Triumph without power or sanitation. Yikes! This incident highlights how companies are turning to social media to communicate to the public, particularly during times of crisis. It today’s world, it is essential for companies to be on top of communication platforms to survive. I dedicate this blog post to looking at how Carnival Cruise handled external communication, and their use of social media to do so.
Where they quick to respond?
Were their key messages present?
And most of all, were they successful?
The incident with the Carnival Triumph occurred on Sunday February 10, leaving more than 4,200 passengers sleeping for five days on sewage-soaked carpets and open decks, and with very limited food supply. Carnival Cruise was quick to respond to the crisis via their Facebook and Twitter platforms. Throughout the incident Carnival would post new information every few hours with updates about Triumph’s status, the passengers and the logistics. The fire occurred on Sunday morning, and by 7:30 p.m. a wall post to Facebook described the incident, the conditions, and the steps being taken to fix the issue, along with how they planned to reimburse guests. Carnivals quick communication response using Facebook was absorbed positively by Facebook fans who showed their support for the Cruise line and prayers for the guests to make it home safely. Carnivals’ strong communication techniques through social media highlights the positive influence timely communication can have an audiences, regardless of whether the information is negative. In this way Carnival positioned themselves as being quick to respond, the updates portrayed Carnival as in control of the situation and taking the incident seriously.
The press conference, on the other hand, was an area where Carnival lost marks on reputation. It was delivered by CEO Gerry Cahill, and held two days after the incident. First of all,
two days = too late.
Holding the press conference two days after the incident did not reflect “quick response,” by the communications team. Instead it made the company looked unprepared, unsure of what to say, and scared of criticism by the media. Had the press conference been held 24 hours after the fire, the company would have been perceived as being invested in the situation and open to communication with the public. This would have strengthened their reputation and perhaps reduced the negative media coverage they received from the press.
Additionally, Cahill needed much better media training, and a better structured speech. Cahill’s speech jumped around the key messages with little structure or flow. Today, the CEO’s image is becoming increasingly important in representing the company brand. Cahill seemed to be getting lost in the story, and the key messages were lost. This reflected negatively on Carnival as they could not deliver their message quickly and concisely. Had Cahill started by stating the Carnival’s key values, apologized for failing to follow through on their values, describing the current state of the cruise and the steps taking place to get guests home safely and quickly, Carnival would have had the audience on his side. He could have then gone on to thank crewmembers and the guests for their outstanding bravery and handling of the issue. Cahill could have then ended with the procedures taking place to ensure this doesn’t happen again and how they plan on compensating their guests. Jumping from idea to idea instead left the audience confused and critical of his speech.
Regardless of the press conference Carnival’s strong social media and overall crisis management placed them in a positive position. Although they have received negative media coverage this week, I would argue that this is almost unavoidable during times of crisis communications. Their timely response to the issue, and strong communications techniques smothered helped to smother the flames, and stop the story from getting hotter. Now that the guests are safely home, the fire is out and it will hopefully be smooth sailing for Carnival.
Wishing Carnival all the best in the weeks to come,
Miss. Young and Chatty
P.S. Check out Carival’s Facebook and Twitter page to see how they handled the crisis.
Young and Chatty 