Whether you agree or not with President Trump that Andrew Jackson could have prevented the Civil War, North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un is a “smart cookie” or that the CBS Sunday Morning News program should be renamed, “Deface the Nation,” there’s no doubt the man can inflict serious damage on any individual or institution with a 140-character Tweet or a 10-second sound bite.
In fact, senior marketers at some of our country’s best-known organizations are burning the midnight oil thinking about how they would respond if, instead of John Dickerson or the Democratic Party, their corporation should engender the wrath of POTUS.
Here are some takeaways:
1.) Evaluate any obvious red flags. Do you employ seasonal workers from Mexico? Are you in the middle of litigation with a Trump family member? Are you moving ahead with plans to offshore more jobs?
If the answer to these, or any number of other questions that might trigger a Trump Tweet, are yes, do yourself a favor and scenario plan.
Ask yourself these questions: Would you respond? If so, how would you respond? How quickly would you respond? Would you confront POTUS if his facts or attack are wrong?
2.) Evaluate the impact of any Trump attack (and your response) on every key constituency IN ADVANCE.
This can be very tricky if, say, your investors and several key clients are huge Trump supporters while you and your employees see the world through a very different prism. This is where you have to dig deep and decide:
- Are my core values more important than any major investor’s money or any key customer’s business?
- Is there a middle ground I can adopt that clarifies our position in an apolitical manner without alienating investors, customers and prospects? Good luck with wordsmithing that one.
- Or, do I simply ignore the negative Trump attack in the hope that he’ll move on to another target or subject in a nanosecond or so?
3.) Determine if a Trump statement or policy initiative might, in fact, be an opportunity to double down on your organization’s core beliefs.
Tim Cook of Apple didn’t hesitate to reaffirm Apple’s commitment to hiring the best and the brightest while recommitting to the iconic brand’s belief in diversity and inclusion. At the same time, true, blue American companies saw the Trump presidency as a marketing and branding bonanza that enabled them to proudly proclaim their products have always been manufactured in America and always will be.
4.) Quickly correct fake news.
The marketers with whom I spoke winced in pain when reminded of the terrible pounding Pepsi took when fake news reports quoted their CEO as saying people who voted for Trump shouldn’t buy her product. It was fake news. But it trended worldwide and, before Pepsi could issue a denial, the company’s sales, stock price and reputation took a drubbing it has YET to recover from.
So, carefully monitor the social channels and if, god forbid, some Right or Left Wing lunatic spreads fake news about your company, act immediately to correct the mistake. In this instance, he who deliberates is, in fact, lost. Perhaps permanently.
The only certainty about communicating in TrumpLand is the never-ending uncertainty about what he might Tweet.
And, the very best piece of advice I can pass along came from the chief marketing officer of an airline who told me, “Stay the course with your marketing plan. Be true to your core values. Remain laser-focused on quality and service.”
But, by all means, put a crisis response plan in place just in case a certain someone sitting in the Oval Office decides he doesn’t like the cut of your jib (and decides to give you a sharp jab in the gut).
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.