Sony Hack Emphasizes Importance of a Crisis Management Plan

Sony has made countless headlines over the past several weeks after being hacked in late November. Internal information on employees and unreleased films was leaked in the cybercrime believed to be motivated by the movie “The Inverview.” Whether North Korea or a disgruntled former Sony employee was behind it, the story continues to develop in the realm of international politics as Sony continues to deal with the aftermath of the hack in the U.S.

A Multifaceted Disaster

From a public relations perspective there are several factors Sony has to consider, including the U.S. government’s involvement due to perceived threats from North Korea, the damage control of leaked personal and company information, and the lasting impact of the event on the general public’s opinion of their brand. An unfamiliar situation like this highlights the importance of developing a crisis management plan before disaster strikes. Sony sent mixed signals by stopping the movie’s release altogether then backpedaling to a limited digital release because concern for American safety confounded the First Amendment. Either way Sony would likely have been criticized for how “The Interview” was released, so they may have been better off channeling more public relations resources into other matters.

To detract from the negative attention for salacious internal emails and a botched movie release, Sony could have focused more on reassuring the public about future cybersecurity measures and showing more genuine concern for the employees who were greatly affected. Instead of immediately gaining command of the situation, the company remained relatively unapologetic and threatened the media for disseminating leaked information through their corporate lawyer—ironically drawing more attention to it. Not to mention, it doesn’t help that Sony appears to have very few allies in the media to come to their defense or at least voice some sympathy.

Finding Opportunity in Crisis

For much needed PR help Sony hired crisis management expert Judy Smith, the real-life inspiration behind Olivia Pope from Scandal. Smith approaches problems with a positive attitude: “There’s always an opportunity with crisis.” To make room for that opportunity, JCPR’s Jennifer Connelly advocates having a team and plan in place prior to crises of any magnitude. She draws a connection to the popular television series by laying out 5 Crisis Management Tips Olivia Pope Would Endorse in her latest Entrepreneur article. The silver lining in the Sony hack is that it prompted heightened cybersecurity and stirred curiosity about “The Interview,” which quickly became Sony Picture’s number one online film of all time with over $15 million in sales over the holiday weekend.