CONSUMERS ASK: “WHAT IS THIS STUFF?”

P R E S E N TAT I O N BY: T H E R E S E BO U T W E L L

“LEAN FINELY TEXTURED BEEF” OR “PINK SLIME”?

WHAT IS LEAN FINELY TEXTURED BEEF [LFTB]?

• LFTM, processed by the company Beef Products, Inc., (BPI) through the following process:

NEWS MEDIA OUTLETS CREATE CONTROVERSY

• Food Inc., Fast Food Nation, and “The Burger that Shattered Her Life”• “Company Record on Treatment of Beef is Called into Question”• Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

“since 2005, E. coli has been found three times and salmonella forty-eight times, including back-to-back incidents in August in which 27,000-pound batches were found to be contaminated. The meat was caught before reaching lunch-room trays”

BEEF PRODUCTS, INC.’S [BPI] CRISIS

• World News with Diane Sawyer, March 7, 2012, fueled the fire• Countless websites, petitions, reports

follow to “stop pink slime”• USDA lets the districts decide • Harris Interactive Poll- 88% of Americans

were aware of the “pink slime” issue and 76% said they were “at least somewhat concerned”• 3 weeks after ABC report, 3 out of the 4

plants closed, and the remaining plant reduced production

CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES & TACTICS

• Objectives: • Reassure consumers of the reputation and safety of their product “lean finely

textured beef”• Restore BPI’s reputation and commitment to safety, and• Prevent financial loss

• Two-way symmetrical model of public relations• The campaign founded on the situational crisis communication

theory• BPI used organizational-created media tactics, news-media tactics,

as well as advertising and promotional media tactics throughout the crisis management cycle.

PROACTIVE PHASE: LOOKING FOR RISKS & MANAGING ISSUES

• Problem: BPI wasn’t prepared for crisis• Lack of environmental scanning•No Pre-Crisis Plan•Delayed response time

STRATEGIC PHASE: RISK COMMUNICATION, CONFLICT POSITIONING

• Conflict Positioning:• BPI hired Ketchum, an international PR agency on March 4, 2012• Evidence supporting BPI’s stance in crisis• Third party support• BPI representative handles media attention• Established media center to attract publicity from journalists

REACTIVE PHASE: CRISIS RESPONSE STRATEGIES

Deny, Justify & Attack the Accuser

Relabeling & Corrective Action

RECOVERY PHASE: IMAGE REPAIR AND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT• Other elected officials condemned the

“smear campaign” against BPI by broadcasting their views in the news media• BPI hosted a news conference at their last

plant in operation, the Nebraska plant 3 days later, inviting journalists, governors and lieutenant governors, and other industry officials to tour their factory• Guests were served burgers made with BPI’s

LFTB and were given t-shirts saying, “Dude, it’s Beef” following the close of the conference

EVALUATION & DISCUSSION• The strategies and tactics applied in this case would’ve been more successful

if BPI had taken action sooner, and had established a pre-crisis communication plan prior to The New York Times article, and the ABC newscast.

• Due to the high concerns raised over the decade prior to BPI’s crisis, the issue was difficult to resolve given the high volume of news media coverage that negatively portrayed LFTB and its safety for consumers.

• I would make these tactics and strategies more effective by addressing the public in 2003, immediately after the first major beef recall called the industry’s safety into question. By informing the public first on the safety and treatment processes used in BPI’s production of LFTB, BPI would be able to clarify potential controversy regarding what LFTB actually is, and how components of its manufacturing process make the product safe for consumption to all distributers including the federal school lunch program.