love. without the handles.

Our Mission

Create a social media plan for Popchips to implement within the first 72 hours

of the ‘racist’ ad crisis.

Social Media Challenges

Social Media is the “new normal.”

Citizen journalism and influential “many-to-many” communication.

Uncontrollable and unpredictable spread of information and rumors at rapid rates.

Social Media Challenges

Changes the way brands develop personal relationships.

Uneven distribution of literacy skills and access to technologies across populations.

Monitoring trends and success is an inexact science.

Our Crisis Containment Plan

for

Major distinction between REAL crisis plan Popchips delivered & ours: our advice for Popchips to post a video apology

All strategies and tactics listed in the crisis containment plan are our group’s original work

Supplementary strategic support

Context

Crisis Containment Plan Components

Campaign Objectives:

Restore Popchip’s positive image by diverting 50% of negative attention to positive awareness.

Ensure the long-term reputation has not been tarnished by increasing positive opinion about Popchip’s reaction by 10% amongst influential Tweeters.

Maintain the healthy sales growth of Popchips products.

List of Key Stakeholders:

Indian community, specifically those active on Twitter

Influential lifestyle, gossip and entertainment bloggers

Popchips loyal ‘snackers’

Verlinvest (Popchip’s newest investor) and Popchip’s celebrity investors (i.e. David Ortiz and Sean Combs)

Format for Notifying Stakeholders:

Social Media Platforms The brand will communicate with stakeholders through Twitter (@popchips) and Facebook.

Popchips Official Blog Facebook posts and tweets will link to the official Popchip’s blog (www.popchips.com/blog) that features a video apology from CEO Keith Belling.

E-mail Popchips will contact top investors & Popchips loyal ‘snackers’ via e-mail to explain the crisis plan so as to ensure continued support.

Telephone Hotline Brand representatives will be on-call 24 hours/day during this 72-hour crisis management campaign as a supplement to the e-mail to investors and avid Popchips ‘snackers’

Media Spokesperson(s):

Popchips CEO Keith Belling will be the media spokesperson and the “face” of the crisis campaign.

Back-up Spokespersons: Pat Turpin, Co-founder and President of Popchips Brian Pope, Communication Chief Officer of Popchips

List of Key Media:

Influential publications that reported on the crisis

Key Issues:

Should we pull or edit the commercial?

Should we apologize and how much responsibility should we take?

European Commission’s 2012 TV commercial, “Growing Together”

VW’s 2013 Super Bowl commercial ad, “Get Happy

Acura’s casting crisis

Apple’s faulty Maps app

Key Messages:

We put our snackers first, no matter their race or ethnicity, and embrace all types of shapes, flavors, and colors.

We take full responsibility and apologize to anyone we offended.

Moving forward, we will practice more sensitivity in designing our campaigns as we attempt to represent all demographics and lifestyles.

Strategies:

Be cohesive on all social media platforms

Communicate, respond and react on a needs basis

Focus on monitoring the tolerance level of our stakeholders in regards to the crisis

Let the Popchips ‘human’ show, being as visual as possible!

Tactics:

Assign a team of “social-media monitoring strategists.”

On-going tactics:

Radian6.com will be used to analyze noteworthy metrics.

Determine the number and importance of the people discussing the crisis, and if the crisis is generating further conversation.

1-Hour Mark:

Tactics:

Hold a mandatory meeting with Popchips’ C-suites and the Allison Brod PR team.

Draft an e-mail to send to investors and Popchip’s loyal ‘snackers.’

3-Hour Mark:

Video Belling delivering the official video apology.

Remove the video from all social media sites.

Tactics:

24-Hour Mark:

Send e-mail to investors that includes a telephone hotline number for further questions.

Use Popchips official Twitter account and Facebook page to tweet and post the link to the video apology on the Popchips blog.

Keith Belling, top Popchips executives and Ashton Kutcher shall post apologies on their personal Twitter accounts.

Belling begins personally responding to Tweets that the campaign’s “social-media strategists” report are receiving a high volume of attention

Belling will reach out to top 3 influential figures reporting or blogging about the crisis: - Anil Dash - Das Racist - Hasan Minhaj

Tactics:

48-Hour Mark:

Ashton Kutcher posts a video on YouTube personally apologizing for offending any of his fans.

Popchips reacts to Ashton Kutcher’s apology in another video of its own, voicing their appreciation for his humility and self-responsibility.

Set up a live-Tweet session on Popchip’s Twitter account, inviting those who were offended or hurt by the ad to talk it out with Popchips directly.

Tactics:

72-Hour Mark:

Check up on social media conversations, analyze social media mentions and monitor Popchips’ online reputation in relation to 24 hours previous.

Evaluation

Evaluate quarterly sales post-crisis and compare them to the previous quarter’s sales numbers.

Works Cited

Katy Perry www.foodland.com Popchips www.popchips.com Twitter www.dependablelimousine.com Facebook http://logo-studio.blogspot.com/2011/07/facebook-logo-vector.html Bloggr http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/File:Blogger_logo.png Social Media Collage http://edudemic.com/social-media/ Keith Belling http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/entre/2010-04-12-popchips12_ST_N.htm Brian Pope https://twitter.com/BrianPope Media Logos from individual websites