This week, I gave a presentation on one of the more interesting areas of PR: crisis communication, especially when it goes wrong, and especially when it involves cute little ducks getting covered in oil and drowning.
I give you Syncrude and their duck deaths.
The Facts on Syncrude:
Oil company based in Fort McMurray, Alberta, in the Athabasca Oil Sands. They are one of the largest producers of oil from the oil sands.
Part of their company vision is to be “a good corporate citizen, a social leader, protector of the environment, and champion of high safety and ethics standards.”
Both of their mining sites (Mildred Lake, Aurora) have tailings ponds: basins containing residue from oil extraction process, including bitumen, a black tar-like substance.
These tailings ponds are open-air, meaning birds can and do land on them, with fatal results.
Syncrude, like other oil companies, have measures in place - “waterfowl deterrents” - like air cannons, scarecrows, and personnel to monitor the ponds, to ward off birds.
The Issue:
April 28th, 2008: 1,606 ducks die after landing on Syncrude’s Aurora tailings pond. They fail to report the incident to the Alberta government (anonymous tip notifies Alberta Environment, Syncrude confirms hours later), and an internal employee email is leaked to the Calgary Herald, telling employees to alert the company of “unusual activity”, overhead flights, and to allow no photography on site.
No TV crews, no reporters, no pictures.
Spring/Fall 2010: Syncrude is finally in court facing a provincial and federal charge. New facts come to light;
More ducks died: Originally said 500 in 2008, as opposed to 1,606. Syncrude knew this fact months prior to the court case but didn’t release it as it was part of the investigation.
Deterrents weren’t working: Staff had been cut prior to the incidents, and deterrents were delayed by bad weather. The worst? At that time, Syncrude’s deterrents only worked on weekdays. Since this occurred on a weekend, the ducks were on their own.
Syncrude pleaded not guilty, tried to have the judge dismissed, and fought the two charges because they were “too similar”. Eventually, on October 22, they agreed to pay $3 million. Three days later...
October 26, 2010: 350 ducks die after landing on Syncrude’s Mildred Lake tailings pond. They report the incident to the government, and say their deterrents weren’t working but freezing rain was possibly to blame.
Communication: What they did
Spoke to media, but emphasized effect on company and employees. Tom Katinas, President and CEO of Syncrude in 2008:
"I want to apologize for this terribly sad event that happened on our site. It is a stain on the good reputation that Syncrude has earned over its many years of good operations... It's been particularly sad and embarrassing for me, personally, for the employees of Syncrude and for all the stakeholders in this great company of ours." CBC News.
Avoided responsibility by pleading not guilty in 2008, and blaming the weather in both 2008 and 2010.
Placed full page ads in local and national newspapers apologizing for “the incident that caused... birds to die”. A critical eye would read an “incident” acting independently and having nothing to do with Syncrude “caused... birds to die” which just so happened to be on their pond.
Communication: What they should have done
1. Allow photos and access to site. Otherwise, it implies that you have something to hide, and when photos do leak - and they will - it will make the issue even bigger than it really is.
2. Tell the truth, tell it all, tell it first. Basic, key rules of crisis communication that will make your company look honest, and organized, while keeping out of the mainstream media too often.
3. Don’t cause a fuss in court. It only makes it look like you’re more concerned about damage to your company as opposed to the damage you caused - which may be true, but not a good thing to tell the public.
4. Give a presentation on the topic and hand out duck-themed cupcakes! :
Personally, I think that giving a presentation on the topic and handing out delicious chocolate cupcakes with duck-shaped cookies on them is the best course of action.
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