Crisis Communication Plan

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Crisis Communication Plan For Yuengling Brewery

Nicholas G. Guldin

Crisis Communication

Professor Hayes

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Table of Contents

Introduction & Example Crisis 3 Missions Statement, Vision & Core Values 4 Purpose of Plan 5 Emergency Response Leadership Structure/Crisis Team 6 Media Tips for CEO 7 Plan Activation 8 Command Centers 8 Emergency Management 8 Communication Plan 9 News Release 9 Opening News Statement For CEO/Potential Questions 10 Description of Website Layout 11 Social Media Strategy 12 Employee Training Documents 13 Training For Preparedness Program 13 Sample Training Agenda 14 Sample Email To Employees 15 Media Forms 16 Media Interview Request Form 16 Media Information Request Form 17 Fact Sheet 18 Media Contact Sheet 19

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Introduction This is a crisis plan to be used in case of a crisis at Yuengling Brewery. This plan contains the necessary documents to assemble a crisis team and spokesperson, notify employees, create a statement, control the media, create and operate a crisis website and operate social media. A specific crisis was created as an example in order to construct this plan. No matter the circumstance, documents from this plan can be used in case of a crisis. Example Crisis In an effort to be more eco-‐friendly, Yuengling decided to create and produce new cans that use less aluminum and steel. The cans were used in a shipment of 500,000 cases of Yuengling Lager to distributors in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland areas. While the cases were being stacked in stores, cans began to explode due to the weight of the other cases on top of them. Stacks of beers fell injuring three employees of these distributors and five customers. The beer distributors in these states notified the company. Over half of the beers in this shipment were lost.

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Mission Statement D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., America's Oldest Brewery, is a family owned and operated brewery built on strong heritage and traditions with a commitment to producing the highest quality Lagers, Porters and Ales for our wholesalers, retailers and consumers.

Vision

D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., will continue to strengthen its position as one of the fastest growing breweries in America.

Core Values

• Commitment to excellence • Superior service to our wholesalers, retailers, and consumers • A positive work environment for our employees • Respect for all individuals • Honor our heritage and traditions

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Purpose of Plan

This plan is to aid the crisis communications team for Yuengling Brewery in case of an emergency. All documents, contact sheets and communication strategies can be found in this document.

This plan is based off of the example crisis explained above. Yuengling Brewery must create a crisis team to respond to the exploding cans. This team will appoint a spokesperson and create an opening statement for this spokesperson to recite at a press conference with the media. This team will also construct an initial release that will be sent to the media explaining the current situation and what our plans are to fix this issue.

The team will post the release on the company website and notify its customers of the current crisis. It is important to create a social media strategy to get our message out on sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Those in charge of social media will also cross-‐post information on these three sites.

All Yuengling employees will be immediately briefed on the situation and participate in a crisis communication crash course session. This will give all employees an idea of the magnitude of the situation and their role in softening the impact it may have on the company at large.

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Emergency Response Leadership Structure/Crisis Team

CEO: David G. Yuengling – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0001 Director of Comm: Peter Durant -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0003 Director of Marketing: Donna Paul -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0004 Director of Sales: Frank Slatton -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0005 Public Relations Manager: Kathy Fureal -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0006 Public Relations Associate: Tom Burkow -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0007 Public Relations Associate: Chad Small -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0008 Public Relations Associate: Tina Lewis -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0009 Public Relations Associate: Cynthia Fow -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0010 Employee Contact List CFOO: Chris Berkhout – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐523-‐0012 Vice President: Bob McNeil -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0002 CIO: Trevor Wallace – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0013 Sales Representative: Charlie Spencer – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0017 Sales Representative: Sal Pal – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0018 Sales Representative: Todd Broschu – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0019 Sales Representative: Scott Treib – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0020 Sales Representative: Ellen Paige – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0021 Brew Manager: Pat Lasik – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0022 Brewer: Zack Thomas – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0045 Brewer: Paul Fried – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0045 Brewer: Cahd Ochocinco – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0067 Brewer: Basil John – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0087 Brewer: Bill Childs – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0097 Marketing: Fonzy Furillo – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0024 Marketing: Destiny Aid – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0027 Marketing: John Pecklo – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0028 Marketing: Cathy Forge – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0029 Marketing: Lisa Thomas – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0030 Marketing: Nick George – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0031 Accounting: Karen Jol – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0080 Accounting: Russell Paul – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0080 Accounting: Ryan Stuart – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0080 Accounting: Jordan Madeja– [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0080 Accounting: Kevin Regan – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0080 Accounting: Rory Meagher – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐554-‐0080

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Media Tips For CEO (Courtesy of Crisistraining.net)

• Decide on your purpose o What do you want to accomplish with your statement? Inform people

of what has happened? Calm them? Alert them to further danger? Whatever is your purpose decide on it before you begin to speak.

• Know what you cannot say o What you say may be limited because the police are investigating or it

might be confidential personnel or classified information, which cannot be discussed publicly, even in a crisis. Be clear on what you cannot mention before you face your audience.

• Show concern o Express sympathy for those affected by the crisis as well as concern.

Ex. We apologize to those distributor employees and customers who were injured. All of these cases with the eco-‐friendly cans have been pulled off the shelves in order to prevent it from happening to anyone else.

• Provide relevant information o What happened, why, when, where, who was responsible, what are

you doing to address the situation, are some of the issues you need to address. When you do, do not guess. Share only what you're certain about and don't speculate to be impressive.

• Be truthful o Don't try to mislead to create the impression that you are in charge

and above all, do not lie. Reporters will find out and expose you. Your people will not trust you and in one fell swoop, you would have damaged your own credibility and that of the organization.

• Admit mistakes o Take responsibility for what has occurred quickly, even when you are

not sure that your organization was at fault. • Admit that you don't know everything

o Especially to the media. As a crisis unfolds, you will not have all the information the media wants. Let reporters know that you do not have all the facts and assure them that you will share them as soon as you do. And then keep your word.

• Cooperate with the media o Answer the questions from the media because if you attempt to avoid

them they will look for answers in places that might not be favorable to you or your organization. Always project a positive image of yourself and your organization.

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Plan Activation Command Center The Pottsville Brewery will serve as the command center for the crisis team. This will allow everyone to come together in an effort to work as a team to correct this issue and create the necessary strategy. This will also serve as the location for the press conference. The brewery in Tampa, FL will be notified of the situation but are not involved in the issue because they have not yet produced beer in the eco-‐friendly cans. Pottsville Brewery address: 501 Mahantongo St. Pottsville, PA 17901 (570) 628-‐4890 Tampa Brewery address: 11111 N. 30th St. Tampa, FL 33612 (813) 972-‐8500 Emergency Management CFOO: Chris Berkhout – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐523-‐0012 Vice President: Bob McNeil -‐ [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0002 CIO: Trevor Wallace – [email protected] -‐ 610-‐524-‐0013

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Communication Plan News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nicholas G. Guldin Tuesday, April 23, 2013 [email protected]

Yuengling CEO Apologizes To Those Injured By Eco-Friendly Cans, Pulls All Cases Off The Shelves

Pottsville, PA⎯ David G. Yuengling, CEO of Yuengling Brewery, recently apologized to those customers and distributor employees who were injured during the accidents involving their new eco-‐friendly cans in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. All cases filled with beer using these cans have been pulled from the shelves and D. G. Yuengling & Son will immediately stop production of these cans. “We want to express our deepest apologies to all those who were injured in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland areas,” David G. Yuengling said. “We are doing everything we can to discover why this occurred and want to make sure that it never happens again.” Yuengling created these eco-‐friendly cans, which used less aluminum and steel, in an effort to be more environmentally responsible. Five hundred thousand cases using this can design were packaged and sent to beer distributors in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. When the cases were stacked, they exploded due to the pressure and fell on eight different individuals. Thankfully, only minor injuries occurred. “Yuengling is a family owned and operated brewery built on strong heritage and traditions,” Yuengling said. “Our customers are part of our family and their safety and well-‐being have always been our top priority.” The production of these cans has stopped and Yuengling has claimed they will seek out new ways to be more eco-‐friendly in the future.

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Opening Statement For CEO David G. Yuengling will be appointed the spokesperson to represent the company in this crisis. In times of crisis, especially those where people were injured, it is important to have the CEO visible and available to show that he/she is taking responsibility for the incident. It brings about a sense of comfort to the victims and it also shows they care about the situation: I want to take this moment to apologize on behalf of every Yuengling employee, along with myself, to all those who were injured in the recent events dealing with our new line of eco-‐friendly cans. These cans were created using less aluminum and steel in an effort to become more environmentally friendly. We never expected any event like this to occur. Yuengling is a family owned and operated brewery built on strong heritage and traditions. Our customers are part of our family and their safety and well-‐being have always been our top priority. We want to make everyone aware of the fact that all of these cases filled with these eco-‐friendly cans have been recalled and that the production of these cans will stop immediately. Potential Questions Why did these cans malfunction like they did? What was the extent of the injuries? What states were the eco-‐friendly cans distributed to? Does Yuengling have any other plans to go eco-‐friendly? Did Yuengling take a big financial loss due to this mass recall? Is Yuengling offering to pay the medical costs for those who were injured? How many were injured? Will Yuengling attempt to create another eco-‐friendly can or bottle?

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Description Of Website Layout For Crisis Page Due to the severity of the crisis, or lack thereof, an entirely new website will not be dedicated to the crisis. Rather there will be a tab on the original website that will lead to all the necessary information dealing with the crisis.

• When the crisis hits, the Yuengling website homepage will adjust by making the first picture of the rotating banner a picture of David G. Yuengling with the message that claims, “I want to take this moment to apologize on behalf of every Yuengling employee, along with myself, to all those who were injured in the recent events dealing with our new line of eco-‐friendly cans.”

• There will be a “Read more…” link that will lead to a page on the website where the press release will be, a video of the press conference, icons that lead to our social media and a video apology created specifically for the website.

• There will also be a “We want to hear from you…” link that will open a comment box where people can share their opinions about the crisis and what Yuengling can do better. These comments will not be viewable to the public.

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Social Media Crisis Plan Yuengling will be active on three social media sites to disperse our apology for the crisis and the injuries. Each site will be used differently to get our message out. Facebook:

• An immediate post will go out apologizing to those who were injured and announcing the immediate recall of the eco-‐friendly cans.

• Once the documents are created and the website is prepared, another post will go out with a link to the particular page on the Yuengling website that addresses the issue.

• When the press conference occurs, it will be recorded and put on YouTube. Once it is put on YouTube, another Facebook post will go out with a link to the video.

• For the next three days (72 hours) a post will go out every 24 hours with an apology and link to the page on the website that addresses the crisis.

• After three days, all posts dealing with the crisis will stop in an effort to decrease its longevity.

YouTube:

• Once the press conference is recorded, the video will be uploaded to YouTube.

• Once a video is created with a personal apology from CEO David G. Yuengling, it will also be posted on YouTube with proper tags.

Twitter:

• An immediate post will go out apologizing to those who were injured and announcing the immediate recall of the eco-‐friendly cans.

• Once the documents are created and the website is prepared, another post will go out with a link to the particular page on the Yuengling website that addresses the issue.

• When the press conference occurs, it will be recorded and put on YouTube. Once it is put on YouTube, another post will go out with a link to the video.

• For the next three days (72 hours) a post will go out every 24 hours with an apology and link to the page on the website that addresses the crisis.

• After three days, all posts dealing with the crisis will stop in an effort to decrease its longevity.

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Employee Training Documents Training For Preparedness A crisis management plan cannot be implemented properly unless all employees know what the plan is and what is expected of them in the event of an emergency. In regards to staff training, it is important that each employee, from the brewers to the interns, knows their role. The training should include practice scenarios. A guide and a sample agenda are included in this document. Training and activities should be designed to meet three distinct needs:

1. How to prevent certain types of crises 2. How to respond when crises occur 3. How to deal with the aftermath of a crises.

Initial training should focus on an awareness of the management plans including various roles and responsibilities. Employees need to understand what they can reasonably be expected to do and not to do; some discussion of issues of confidentiality and liability may be needed. Training typically includes a review of procedures for the management of specific types of crises, including use of emergency kits and equipment in regards to safety protocol. Training for Crisis Response Team Members needs to be extensive and in-‐depth. A list of essential content and sample agenda are provided below: Essential Content for Training Crisis Team Members

1. Crisis definition and theory. 2. Types of possible crises. 3. The importance of proper communication. 4. Giving everyone the facts and dispelling rumors. 5. Proper ways to deal with the media. 6. Crisis team members should meet frequently to evaluate progress of crisis

management. 7. Conduct crisis team meetings to process and review crisis team activities

with emphasis on how to prevent or better manage crisis events. 8. A checklist of crisis steps should be developed to guide the team’s actions.

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Sample Training Agenda For Crisis Response Team

I. Introductory Background On Development of Management Plan

II. Crisis Management Plan

a. Purpose of Plan

b. Overview of Plan

c. General Review of Roles and Responsibilities

III. Impact of Crises

a. Reputational damage

b. Injury

c. Financial loss

d. Angry public

IV. Communications

a. Working with the media

b. Rumor control both internally and externally

c. Social media

d. Information on website

V. Closing

a. Discussions

b. Questions

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Sample Email To Employees This is an internal communications piece to send out to all employees at Yuengling. They must be aware of the issue and informed of the details. DATE Dear Yuengling Employees: It has come to our attention that the eco-‐friendly cans we recently started using are defective. We have received word from distributors in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland areas claiming that when the cases were stacked, the cans began to explode because they could not handle the weight. Stacks of cases fell and injured eight people. We want to assure all of you that these were only minor injuries and that these eight people will be ok. This is a terrible mistake on our part and the production of these cans will stop immediately. Thankfully, this was our first shipment of these cans and it will also be the last. As always, our customers are our top priority. When our product negatively affects just one of them, it has the potential to taint our image in the eyes of many others. We must do everything we can as individuals and as a company to make our reputation the top priority. If any of you have questions about this issue, please feel free to email me. Sincerely, D. G. Yuengling CEO

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TEMPLATE MEDIA INTERVIEW REQUEST FORM Media Interview Requests (SIDE ONE) Interview request for: _______________________________________________________________________ Media outlet and reporter name: ___________________________________________________________

• TV • Newspaper • Magazine • Radio • Other: _________________________________________________________________________________

Phone/pager: ________________________________________________________________________________ Deadline/data of interview: ________________________________________________________________

• Live • Taped

Location and logistics: ______________________________________________________________________

• In person (requested location? At station/onsite?) ______________________________ • By phone

Topic and story context: ____________________________________________________________________ Anticipated length of interview: ____________________________________________________________ Context for information request (what is the story about, how is it being framed, who else are they talking to in obtaining information?): _________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Message taken by: ___________________________________________________________________________ Date and time of request: ___________________________________________________________________

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TEMPLATE MEDIA INTERVIEW REQUEST FORM Media Interview Requests (SIDE TWO) Media outlet and reporter name: ___________________________________________________________ Phone/pager: ________________________________________________________________________________ Deadline: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Specific question(s): _________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Context for information request (what is the story about, how is it being framed, who else are they talking to in obtaining information?): _________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Message taken by: ___________________________________________________________________________ Date and time of request: ___________________________________________________________________ Q and A recorded in FAQ document: _______________________________________________________

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Fact Sheet • Information about the crises

o Extent of injuries o How many were injured o What states were they injured in o How were they injured

• Eco-‐friendly cans o Why did we make them o Why were they beneficial o What were they made out of o Where were they distributed to o Are they still in production

• Information about Yuengling o Mission o Vision o Core values o Who’s on the crisis team o Locations of both breweries in the U.S.

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Media Contacts

First Name

Last Name Outlet Media Type Email City

WJAC-TV Television Station [email protected] Johnstown

A.J. Meyer WBLF-AM Radio Station [email protected] State College

Erik Lane WKVA-AM Radio Station [email protected] Burnham

KDKA-AM Radio Station [email protected] Pittsburgh

WBAX-AM Radio Station Scranton

WRTI-FM Radio Station [email protected] Philadelphia

Paul Smith WPMT-TV Television Station [email protected] York

WZWW-FM Radio Station [email protected] State College

WGAL-TV Television Station [email protected] Lancaster

WISR-AM Radio Station [email protected] Butler

WBRE-TV Television Station [email protected] Wilkes-Barre

Sally Hale Associated Press

News Service/Syndicate Bureau [email protected] Philadelphia

David Rockwell WTTC-AM Radio Station [email protected] Troy

Tim Halloran WWDB-AM Radio Station [email protected] Bala Cynwyd

WPXZ-FM Radio Station [email protected] Punxsutawney

WECZ-AM Radio Station [email protected] Punxsutawney

WSEE-TV Television Station [email protected] Erie

WDAD-AM Radio Station Indiana

Justin Broka WKZF-FM Radio Station [email protected] Manheim

WPEL-FM Radio Station [email protected] Montrose

WNBT-AM Radio Station [email protected] Wellsboro

Olga George KDKA-TV Television Station [email protected] Pittsburgh

WHYY-TV Television Station [email protected] Philadelphia

Dan Holzman WSAN-AM Radio Station [email protected] Whitehall

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WWCH-AM Radio Station [email protected] Clarion

WHAT-AM Radio Station Bala Cynwyd

Tim Vincent WWBE-FM Radio Station [email protected] Selinsgrove

WOYK-AM Radio Station Elizabethtown

Joe Thomas WKRF-FM Radio Station [email protected] Pittston

Joe Thomas WBZU-AM Radio Station [email protected] Pittston

Tina Johns WLEM-AM Radio Station [email protected] Emporium

John Imler WZSK-AM Radio Station [email protected] Everett

Ken Hawk WISR-AM Radio Station [email protected] Butler

KQV-AM Radio Station [email protected] Pittsburgh

WHJB-FM Radio Station Greensburg

Allan Carpenter WJET-AM Radio Station [email protected] Erie

Chris Forshey WRTA-AM Radio Station [email protected] Altoona

David Lent WFRM-AM Radio Station [email protected] Coudersport

Kellie Green WFGY-FM Radio Station [email protected] Hollidaysburg

Tim Shaw WKQW-AM Radio Station [email protected] Oil City

Jim Riley WBWX-AM Newspaper Scranton

Tim Lambert WITF-FM Newspaper [email protected] Harrisburg

Curtis Dreibelbis WJUN-AM Newspaper [email protected] Mexico

Charles Carver WATS-AM Newspaper [email protected] Sayre

WPIC-AM Newspaper Hermitage

WVPO-AM Newspaper Stroudsburg

Drew Gordon WCPA-AM Newspaper [email protected] Du Bois

Brian Hughes WARM-AM Newspaper [email protected] Wilkes-Barre

Jim Jefferson WJPA-AM Newspaper [email protected] Washington

Lisa Kline WCHA-AM Newspaper [email protected] Chambersburg

Wade Sutton WJST-AM Newspaper [email protected] New Castle

Bob Bumbera WXPN-FM Newspaper [email protected] Philadelphia

Ben Lawrence WANB-AM Newspaper [email protected] Waynesburg

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Eugene Sonn WHYY-FM Newspaper [email protected] Philadelphia

Ty Miller

American Urban Radio Networks Newspaper [email protected] Pittsburgh

John Lipez WBPZ-AM Newspaper [email protected] Lock Haven

Keith Bagley WAYC-AM Newspaper [email protected] Bedford

Bill Mead WTKT-AM Newspaper [email protected] Harrisburg

Jeff Shaffer WVSL-AM Newspaper [email protected] Selinsgrove

Brad Christman

Radio Pennsylvania Network Newspaper [email protected] Harrisburg

Charlie Weston WVAM-AM Newspaper [email protected] Hollidaysburg

John Finn WWPA-AM Newspaper [email protected] Williamsport

Dow Carnahan WCNS-AM Newspaper [email protected] Latrobe