‘Failure to Communicate’ Leads to Trouble

The classic 1967 film Cool Hand Luke spawned a memorable quote: “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” If companies wish to avoid brand damage, their internal departments must communicate and collaborate with each other frequently and seamlessly.

PR and marketing can’t operate in a vacuum — they have to be closely tied to an organization’s sales and overall business goals. Communications teams should be privy to all company initiatives and developments and have complete access to management.

When highlighting success stories in PR and marketing campaigns, organizations can’t assume that all customers will offer glowing endorsements of their services. PR and marketing professionals should always consult their colleagues in sales and management to make sure only satisfied customers are featured in advertisements and PR content. Communications teams, in addition to performing due diligence in this area, can also put crisis communication plans into place in order to help organizations respond to customer dissatisfaction.  

Furthermore, PR and marketing professionals are in a position to facilitate more effective interaction between organizations and their customers. They can utilize social media networks and other online channels to ensure that employees have a better idea of where their companies stand with individual customer satisfaction.

PR and marketing teams shouldn’t commence campaigns without receiving input about customer feedback from other divisions within their organizations. The recent controversy surrounding an Allstate TV commercial illustrates how this type of internal communication breakdown can lead to adverse publicity.

Staten Island residents Dominic and Sheila Traina, whose home was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy and may take legal action against Allstate over their insurance claim, objected to seeing photos of damage to their home in the company’s TV commercial, entitled “1,000 Thank-You’s.” Following the Trainas’ public objections to their home being featured in the commercial, Allstate pulled it. The incident generated substantial media coverage for Allstate (much of it negative).

Brand maintenance requires an organization to operate like a well-oiled machine. Inter-departmental communication must be seamless in order to ensure all messages are consistent and crises can be anticipated and handled appropriately.