Lessons From a PR Disaster: 5 Things Rocklands Could Have Done Better

While the story of Rocklands expanding into Max's Best Ice Cream's storefront is still unfolding, enough has already transpired to turn it into a PR crisis for the the barbecue joint.  Having spent most of my career in PR and communications and having handled a crisis or two (I was a Deputy Press Secretary for the Democratic Party when the Starr Report was released and President Clinton's impeachment.  If that doesn't count as a crisis, I don't know what does.), I wanted to offer a few thoughts on how Rocklands has handled this, as they've shown an unfortunate lesson on what not to do and how to generate a lot of bad blood.

1.  Don't go dark.  News of the Rocklands expansion began to spread on Saturday, May 4 as Max's supporters launched a Facebook page, generated at least a couple of TV news stories, and made their voices heard on social media including a Twitter hashtag, a dedicated Facebook page, and stories on local news blogs and other outlets.  Nearly all of these media placements generated an avalanche of support in the accompanying comments sections.  And Rocklands?  They posted a news release on their web site, offered a few tepid words on Twitter.  As the storm grew, Rocklands did speak to one local blogger and attended the Glover Park Citizens Association meeting, but neither action directly addressed the crisis head on or in a forum where most of the outrage was being expressed.

By not saying much of anything, Rocklands allowed rumors to swirl and questions to go unanswered.  

In a crisis, unlike at movies, silence is not golden.  It looks like you have something to hide.  The best course of action here wold have been to be proactive, especially on social media, to answer their detractors.

2.  Don't avoid responsibility.  As reported in the HyperLocalGP blog, Rocklands owner John Swedden said that he would delay the start date of his lease but also said that he didn't know if the landlords would go for it.  He also indicated that he could not back out of his lease without incurring significant cost.  In one of the few comments made on their Twitter feed, Rocklands wrote: @rocklandsbbq: @dcanneliese according to @washingtonian, Max has an offer of space from a new landlord -- would still be in Glover Park! 

The comment on Twitter was made despite Max's owner Mahmood “Max” Keshani having stated in news stories that he had installed a massive freezer which made moving difficult, if not impossible.  But when you're a business with four locations and several dozen employees, it's a pretty bad idea to use money as an excuse or make statements that seemingly show ignorance or contempt of the other guy.  This is especially true in a fight like this one, pitting two neighborhood businesses against each other.  And all of his comments sound like he is trying to keep his fingerprints off this one by saying that his hands are tied because of the landlord.  

Next time, accept responsibility and offer an explanation.  The public may not like what you have to say, but they'll appreciate you being forthright about the situation.

This leads to...

3.  Don't offer silly explanations.  In the reporting of the story, Snedden stated that he had approached the landlords two times a year over the past 20 years to express an interest in expanding into the Max's property.  Yet he also explained that when they accepted his offer, he thought that his neighbor had decided to retire.  It just doesn't stand up to scrutiny that one business owner would be so unaware of the plans and future intentions of a neighboring shop-owner.  Maybe it's true.  But after you stated that you've been after a property for 20 years, it just seems flimsy.

Remember what they say about what happens when you assume?  Exactly.  Next time stick to what you know to be true and only what you know to be true.

4.  Don't avoid social media.  As mentioned above, this story first appeared on a neighborhood listserv over the weekend and quickly expanded to Twitter and Facebook.   All of this was before the comments following the blog and TV coverage.  Further, as a local business spanning several decades, Rocklands had to know of the listserv's existence, the local blogs and the Twitter handles, to say nothing of how active they are. 

By not quickly taking to social media to answer questions and accept responsibility, Rocklands has allowed a very negative impression of the business to take hold that may take a very long time to dispel.  The fact that more than a few postings on message boards began to openly consider a boycott of Rocklands is evidence of this.

As former House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill famously said, all politics is local.  Taking that a step further, local businesses should know that local blogs and listservs are their most important customer service and communication forums.  The smarter course of action would have been to immediately take to social media and answer each an every comment or criticism with truthful explanation and sincere contrition.

5.  Don't shun the community.  Max's and Rocklands have embraced the Glover Park community in very different ways.  On the walls of Max's one can find huge photo collages called the Children's Wall of Fame.  He has watched the kids from this wall grow up and become parents of their own.  What's on the wall at Rockands?  A display of hot sauces for sale.  Max knows nearly all of his customers by name, and will wave to them as they pass along the sidewalk in front of the shop.  The only community engagement that I am aware of on the part of Rocklands has been as a vendor at Glover Park Day and a contribution to the Stoddert Elementary School's Big Chili fundraiser.

There is a huge amount of loyalty being shown to Max because he has been an active member of the community.  Indeed, it is something he talks about regularly, whether it was to thank the community for their show of support when his wife died from cancer in 2011 or to stay engaged with Stoddert many years after his daughter graduated from the school. 

To be fair and as noted above, Rocklands has made some overtures to the community.  But they’ve made a strategic error it talking to the treetops – the Glover Park Citizens Association and ANC meetings. For a local business, the community is their lifeblood.  To that end, it requires active involvement and engagement.

But Snedden made a strategic error in focusing his attention on the treetops and not the grassroots.  Both the GPCA and ANC are vital forums in the community but also sparsely attended.  A better approach would have been to rent a room at the Guy Mason rec center for an evening, and hold an open town meeting to answer each and every question from the community.  And as an aside, the next time the local elementary school comes calling for a contribution for its fundraiser, consider catering the whole event.  For free. 

There is no doubt in my mind that had Rocklands followed these simple lessons, they would not be mired in this current crisis and watching their public reputation rapidly erode.  But these lessons are true for any business and any public figure.  In the end, what JFK said remains as true as ever, “An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.”

[Nick Charles Jacobs is a born and bred Washingtonian and the author of the Wry Martinis blog (www.wrymartinis.com).  He is a recovering political junkie who now works in PR and communications primarily for non-profits and associations, but is always looking for freelance work.  He lives with his wife and twin sons in Glover Park.]