Alley Business Communications, LLC

I loved walking the Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day a few years ago. Now, it's disappointing to see Komen has violated so many fundamentals of PR.

The firestorm of criticism that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation inflicted on itself this week demonstrates the fact that a number of negative PR situations result from poor decision-making and lack of strategic thinking.

If you haven’t heard, on January 31, Komen announced it would quit giving money to Planned Parenthood to fund breast exams and other preventive services, most of which go to low-income women who don’t otherwise have access to care. Komen says the decision was based on its new policy against funding any organization under congressional investigation (which Planned Parenthood technically is), while critics argue that the group is bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists.

I’m not going to comment on the politics of the decision, but no one can argue with the fact that Komen’s actions have set the online community ablaze – the topic is trending at No. 3 on Google – and the organization now finds itself in a bona fide Hot Mess. From a PR standpoint, the decision – or at least, the way Komen went about it – was painfully poor.

How can you avoid this type of situation with your organization? The answer is complex, but here are some fundamentals:

1)   Before you make a potentially controversial decision, listen to your stakeholders.

Talk to your customers. Run focus groups. Conduct market research. Utilize the extensive social media monitoring tools available to track conversations on Twitter, Facebook and other platforms. There are a lot of means, but the end goal is to get a handle on what your stakeholders value, and what they are going to think about your decision.

Moreover, if you are receiving feedback from different audiences, understand which group represents your core loyalists and focus on meeting their needs.

In this case, most the of message board comments, tweets, and Facebook posts echo two guests who called into WNYC's Brian Lehrer radio show yesterday: women who are longtime fundraisers and participants in the Komen 3-Day walk, and who will give elsewhere as a result of this announcement.

Conversely, another guest called in to the show to applaud Komen’s decision. It’s excellent that the breast cancer organization picked up a supporter, but there was one piece noticeably missing – the woman didn’t mention that she was already one of the Komen faithful.

If this woman represents those who pressured Kom

en to distance itself from Planned Parenthood initially, will she fill the shoes of those 3-Day veterans who now refuse to walk? It’s a big gamble.

2)   If you make an unpopular decision, prepare to back it up.

Perhaps Komen did fully understand that this announcement would anger its base, and decided to proceed anyway. With proper PR strategy, it is certainly possible to live through the announcement of unpopular decisions, but the process takes preparation, ownership, and communication.

Before a decision is announced, develop a clear plan of attack – identify spokespeople, develop messaging, and practice responding to tough questions. Communicate to appropriate core or internal audiences first, so your chief constituents can deliver messages in unison.

3)   Take ownership of your stance and neutralize potential criticisms.

Listening activities will provide a clear picture of potential complaints. Own those, and take steps during the preparation phase to address them.

For example, prior to its announcement, Komen should have recognized that many would balk at the idea of cutting breast health services for low-income women. The organization should have formed a clear plan to replace the services it once funded at Planned Parenthood, such as partnering with other organizations and providers who serve a similar demographic.

This step could have helped reinforce Komen’s commitment to breast health for women of all socioeconomic backgrounds, and provide something proactive and positive to talk about.

4)   Communicate often, and communicate honestly.

You can’t drop a bomb and wait for someone else to clean up the mess. If you make a big announcement, spokespeople and representatives must be available to provide your organization’s side of the story. Dead air is space for your opponents to fill.

The idea that a spokesperson wasn’t available to discuss the situation with Shari Roan, one of the top health reporters at the Los Angeles Times, is unacceptable. Komen waited hours to address the issue via its Facebook and Twitter pages, and even those statements were grossly underpowered, considering the vitriol flung at the group. Planned Parenthood, meanwhile, did an exceptional job of jumping on the issue and sharing its message (that's another case study for a separate post).

Additionally, ensure there is some meat to your message. Identify the arguments your opponents will make, and take steps to frame the discussion with substantive information before they have a chance.

Komen should be clearly outlining the reasons behind its decision in a straightforward, truthful manner; its faithful have poured blood, sweat and tears (literally) for the brand, and they deserve an honest conversation.

My hope is that all groups involved in this issue will recover and continue with their admirable work of supporting women’s health. In the meantime, we can watch and continue to glean important lessons.