In a major cyberattack in early November, Sony Pictures found its emails exposed to the public, and some nasty exchanges suddenly became news. Leaked information included executives’ negative opinions about celebrities, employee salaries, and studio plans for the future.
Amid these snowballing crises, Sony’s PR team has done minor (if any) damage control and has instead chosen to hide behind aggressive legal consultants who have sent various threatening letters to major media outlets in an effort to staunch further stories and potential fallout.
This move has generated yet another internal complication, as several executives have since filed suit against Sony for failing to protect private information, while other executives are positioned center stage to explain the embarrassing specifics of leaked email content.
The situation with Sony should be a wake-up call for companies of every size. What Sony is dealing with is the mismanagement of digital communications. Any business owner or CEO should consider this question: What would happen if your organization’s email archives were exposed to the public?
Stay professional
As communications experts, we know all too well that an email is no different than handing over a piece of paper with sensitive information on it. So many assume that only an email’s recipient(s) will see its contents, and most view it as a vehicle for casual conversation.
The media is not the only profession that exploits email, text messages and social media posts. Lawyers, human resource professionals and others also consider digital content valuable. Yet, in a rapidly advancing technological era, many simply forget etiquette and treat emails like casual backyard BBQ dialogue when it’s actually no different than a formal transfer of informational documents.
We all use these communications platforms regularly — it’s the new norm. But when corporate executives in any business fail to recognize that anyone can use digital communications against them, the results will be similar to what Sony is now experiencing.
Every business should have in place a strong digital media policy covering everything from content to storage. Our firm has one, and we always advise our clients to do the same: Do not put into email, text or on social media anything you wouldn’t want seen splashed across a headline or on a CNN news ticker.
The power of acknowledgement
Clearly, Sony is taking baby steps to respond to the current barrage of PR challenges, yet it’s doing so in a hugely guarded manner. In our opinion, this is the perfect time for Sony to open up and acknowledge fault in several areas: “We screwed up across the board, and here’s what we’re going to do to fix it.”
Instead, the company has instructed its legal team to put fingers in the dam. It pulled a movie and had an executive or two quietly apologize to Sony employees — and it’s done most of it behind the gates of its studio lot. It is so unbelievable that what seems an innocuous form of communication — one we use each and every day — has become the eye of a public relations tornado. Had Sony followed our advice, the company likely could have diminished at least part of its now infamous crisis.
Think before you send and always practice thoughtful digital dialogue. For more advice on how to handle a PR crisis, download our free e-guide, Managing Public Relations in a Crisis.
