The case of the Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood is a public relation issue. Komen Foundation had established itself as a non-profit organization that focused on women reproductive health (Worth, 2019). However, after ending their support, many comments arose from the public through social media apps (Worth, 2019). Immediately after informing the public about their decision, Planned Parenthood took the dialogue to social media attracting the interests of the public through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter (Worth, 2019; Kim, 2020). The management of the Foundation was forced to resign because they had tainted its name in the public domain (Worth, 2019). Public relations emanated from the poor explanation of the cause that prompted their withdrawal from supporting Planned Parenthood. Overall, the foundation battled a public relations problem as a result of being insensitive to women reproductive health by ceasing their financial support to Planned Parenthood without offering a tangible explanation.
Coomb’s situational analysis communication theory (SCCT) calls for strategic communication plans to counter any communication crisis within a company. A crisis poses a significant threat when it occurs within the organization or a company. The communication crisis at the Komen foundation resulted in the loss of reputation from the public, immediate decline of contribution to the foundation, the deterioration of women’s reproductive health, and interference in the operations at the foundation through the resignation of some employees (Worth, 2019). Another problem was the social media crisis prompted by Planned Parenthood regarding the termination of services offered by the Komen foundation (Kim, 2020). Therefore, one of the ways Komen foundation could re-establish itself is through rebuilding as suggested by the SCCT. In essence, it involves taking responsibility for the crisis due to poor decisions (Worth, 2020). The organizational management at Komen should accept blame for the crisis that occurred and avoid blaming Planned Parenthood by alluding that they are being investigated by Congress (Worth, 2020). The company should also investigate and determine the number of women affected by their decision. Subsequently, appropriate compensation should be offered to the affected victims to help rebuild trust with the public. Also, the Komen foundation should publicly apologize for its uninformed decision to the public and promise to improve its operations in the future. Finally, according to SCCT, the foundation and Planned Parenthood should also publicly announce their renewed cooperation to ensure they regaining public trust. In summary, issuing a public apology, compensating the victims and renewing cooperation can end the crisis.
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The controversy between the Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood could also lead to a deterioration of the established relationship between the brands and customers. In many instances, customers always avoid being part of organizations that constantly engage in confrontations. Consequently, Planned Parenthood consumers could have sought alternative services or products from other companies with different brands. Consequently, the Komen Foundation brand image and equity could be tainted forcing the consumers to seek other brands.
In summary, profit and non-profit organizations should focus on building public relations to enhance their businesses. Public trust can be built through improved communication. Organizations should also learn to be resilient by compensating victims, offering public apologies and taking responsibility when a crisis emerges.
References
Kim, C. M. (2020). Social media campaigns: Strategies for public relations and marketing . Routledge.
Worth, M. J. (2020). Nonprofit management: Principles and practice . CQ Press.
