How did we help Innovative Stone avoid a radioactive disaster?
K&A Case Study: Crisis Management
A public relations nightmare
Imagine you’re the market leader in stone countertops with operations on five continents, and the #1 supplier of granite countertops to over 2,000 Home Depot locations, and one morning, you wake up to the headline, “What’s lurking in your countertops?”
You’re suddenly faced with numerous media articles claiming your products contain radioactive radon gas. Within hours, the story has spread to blogs, newscasts and online forums.
What do you do?
Well in the case of Innovative Stone, they simply called their advertising and public relations agency—Kleber and Associates.
The Kleber team immediately jumped into action. We spent the weekend contacting EPA scientists, Harvard professors and Consumer Reports representatives, gathering hard data to counter the junk science being used in the mainstream press.
We monitored social media channels to identify and engage in over 500 conversations about the issue. And within 24 hours, we had launched a blog, drafted a corporate statement to Innovative Stone customers, contacted over 20 industry specialists, and supplied fact sheets to the media.
The power of information
Soon, stories were being posted using more factual information, and the EPA confirmed that stone countertops pose no significant health risks.
In the end, Innovative Stone didn’t lose a single order, and news headlines publicly confirmed their product’s safety.