Crisis struck Carnival. The well-known cruise line had a mishap when the engine room fell victim to a fire, damaging the switchboard that generates electricity throughout the ship, including the propulsion motors. The massive ship carrying more than 4,000 people was left wafting helplessly in the middle of the Pacific. I bet the heads of the PR team were spinning.
Besides relentless and original puns (the poor ship had to be named Splendor), the media has flooded with reports of irate passengers. While they have every right to grind their gears, the complaining is getting a little ridiculous. There were even pictures of people with t-shirts that read “Next Stop, Daily Show.” Obnoxious. I understand the passengers were expecting a splendid vacation (see. I’m one of them now) and wound up in mayhem: No electricity, limited toilets, and a mass of people that probably smell, but couldn’t there be worse situations to be stranded? You’re on a cruise, with the people you love, on an ocean, with a…questionable…food supply, but a food supply nonetheless! Not to mention a casino open for the taking, and the cruise line is offering full refunds and reimbursements of travel costs (including free hotel and flights), plus a free cruise in the future.
The PR for Carnival is doing impressively well, contacting the media in a timely manner, not projecting any of the blame to anyone else, staying hip with Facebook and Twitter as a “push” medium. Any “pull” information Carnival receives at this point in time will be formerly established grievances.
The cause of the fire is still unreported, leaving everyone wondering if it was negligence or freak accident. These things happen, and you must be prepared. The fault obviously lies on the design engineers, as every operational detail should not rest on a single electrical board. Seeing as we’re beyond that, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it now, we must focus on the PR. I congratulate their efforts and calming manner. Some criticize for not showing enough empathy, rather too many facts, and I couldn’t disagree more; offering too much empathy risks vulnerability to mass slander. In fact, they’re executing the route publicists should be taking so we can finally steer away from a negative connotation. We don’t spin, we present facts and Carnival has honored that.
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