Talking Turkey over Swine Flu

An Ontario turkey grower, Hybrid Turkeys, has reported the first case of turkey-born H1N1 influenza in North America.

Releasing bad news always comes with a hearty case of the “Oh, Crud!’s” for the communicators.  As someone who’s had to face a hostile or alarmed media audience more than once, my heart goes out to the person responsible for breaking the news.

This is a classic case of a company which hasn’t done anything wrong, but is now instantly thrown into the spotlight.  Not only are their products being questioned, so are their practices, procedures and policies.  It gets even worse if you are one of the ‘afflicted competitors’ – your products get questioned despite the fact you clearly haven’t done anything.

There’s just no getting around it – people are having a few bad days in the turkey industry.  But what can the different players do differently, in order to keep their pain to a minimum?

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Ontario Turkey Farmers – Don’t ignore the problem
Given the timing of the announcement (just as we head into the seasonal ‘turkey rush), this is a great time for OTF to welcome the spotlight, and reassure customers that “turkeys are absolutely safe to eat.”  But unfortunately, 18 hours after the initial news release hit the media, their website is silent.  Ignoring aproblem isn’t going to make it go away.   If nothing else, even a link to the news releases prepared by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture or the grower, Hybrid Turkeys, would help, and is a quick, easy fix.

(UPDATE – as of 11am, TFO has updated their website.  And in a fantastic piece of messaging (see below for the alternative,) the key message is a great one: Turkey meat is safe.) Kudos to the Turkey Farmers of Canada.)

Ontario Government – Don’t deny a negative with a negative
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a link on their main page to a news release.  And they come close to solving a critical consumer question – but they fail in delivery.  The easiest, deadliest trap for any communicator is denying a negative allegation with a negative answer.  (Remember “I am not a crook,” or “I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky?” )

What they said: “Food safety is not at risk. No birds or eggs from this facility have entered the food chain.”

What they should have said: “Eating turkeys continues to be safe.  The turkeys from this facility will remain on this farm, and out of the food chain, in order to guarantee consumer safety.”

Why are negatives so deadly?  Negatives confirm the original allegation in the mind of the questioner.  A negative statement is far more memorable than apositive – and that’s exactly what you don’t want when you’re dealing with a crisis of confidence.

Hybrid Turkeys – Playing too close to the chest
I understand why Hybrid doesn’t want the media poking around their barns.  But not disclosing the location of the barn in question does two things, and neither of them are particularly good… a) it gives the media something to ‘whack’ the company with, and b) it casts every facility in their operation under the same cloud.

Here’s a harsh reality:  Nothing upsets a reporter quicker than discovering a news source is withholding information.  Understandably, Hybrid doesn’t want ‘unclean’ tv crews poking around their facilities.

Rather than just not disclosing, Hybrid can create their own “B-Roll” footage – broadcast quality background material showing the facility in question.  Show rows of neat, orderly, happy turkeys.  Show some of the biosecurity measures in place.  A two minute video clip can be made available to reporters, along with the following caveat: “We understand you would like to show the facility in question.  Strict biosecurity measures are in place to protect both the health of the animals, as well as the health of ordinary people.  We respectfully request that non-authorized visitors refrain from visiting the operation in question.  In lieu of your visit, we are pleased to offer background footage of the facility, and are more than happy to answer any of your questions.

Being proactive like that gives the appearance of openness, without the hassle of unauthorized visitors.  It also lets Hybrid release information under THEIR control.

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All in all – not a bad job at all.  But implementing a few simple ideas improves a volatile situation, and makes the tough pill just a bit easier to swallow.