Carnival Cruise Lines Crisis Communications Case Study, Part II: "Containment" or "Calamity?"

Jan. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- The Costa Concordia ship sank, 13 people were killed, 23 more are missing and all eyes are now on the Captain of the ship, Franceso Schettino, Carnival Cruise lines, the parent company of the Costa Concordia, and Carnival Cruise Lines Chairman and CEO,  Micky Arison. The big questions are: what went wrong to cause the disaster and how to prevent something like this from happening again?  

From a public relations and crisis communications management perspective, given the global profile of the ship-sinking disaster, there are also questions: how did Carnival officials handle the crisis? Did they react properly in the short term? Are the communications strategies (effectively) protecting its brand and preserving Carnival Cruise Lines reputation? What are consumer perceptions to the sinking ship incident? What are the financial implications both short-term and long-term for Carnival Cruise as a public company as well as to the cruise industry at large?

Jeff Mustard, a public relations professional and President of The Bamboo Agency, (www.thebambooagency), a multiple award-winning full-service advertising and marketing company that specializes in public relations and crisis communications, provides a Part II examination of the Costa Concordia / Carnival Cruise lines ship disaster seven days after the ship remains perched on its side laying on the reef that gutted the hull.

In his Crisis Communications Case Study, Part II, “Costa Concordia & Carnival Cruise Lines Crisis Communications:  Containment or Calamity?” veteran public relations professional, Jeff Mustard produced a 29-page report that reviews what Costa and Carnival Cruise Lines officials and their communications team did right, did wrong, and what it could have done better. The analysis reads like a taught thriller, is interesting, informative and enlightening and should prove illuminating not just to public relations professionals, but the  media and consumers alike curious about how just such crisis situations are managed and even manipulated from a marketing and messaging point of view.  

The report, one of the industry’s earliest and most extensive reviews of the crisis, examines varying news accounts as covered in the major media, including line by line analyses of several of the company’s press releases and detailed examinations of the company’s communications key messaging points. As the drama unfolds on a global stage in the world news media, Mustard provides an inside-industry public relations perspective observing and critiquing how Carnival’s communications and its messaging are positioned to protect the company’s brand, preserve a positive public perception, and mitigate any (potential) culpability, as best it can, while being mindful of its responsibilities to numerous constituencies, stakeholders and stockholders as a public company.

Read the full report, Part II Crisis Communications Case Study: “Costa Concordia & Carnival Cruise Lines Crisis Communications:  Containment or Calamity? www.thebambooagency.wordpress.com

Crisis Communications Case Study, Part I:
Just Three days after the 951’ luxury cruise-liner ran aground and flipped on its side throwing passengers into the icy cold waters and casting a glaring spotlight on the Concordia ship disaster, Carnival Cruise Lines and the cruise industry, Jeff Mustard produced one of the public relations industry’s earliest and most thorough analyses of the then rapidly unfolding crisis. In his first crisis communications case study, a 13-page report, Mustard offers interesting, informative and intuitive insights that public relations professionals, the media and even consumers will likewise also find this initial study revealing and illuminating.  

Read the full report, Part I: A Crisis Communications Case Study
Will Sinking Ship, Costa Concordia Cripple Carnival Cruise Lines, or will Successful Public Relations Crisis Communications Buoy Cruise-Consumer & Capital Markets Confidence?
Read the Full Case Study, Part I Now: CostaCruise_CrisisCommunicationsCaseStudy
www.thebambooagency.wordpress.com

About Jeff Mustard
Jeff Mustard is the President of the Bamboo Agency, a multiple award-winning advertising, marketing and public relations firm. Jeff Mustard is the co-author and ghost writer for a Wall Street Journal Best Selling book, an award-winning documentary writer/producer/director and the recipient of numerous award for creative achievements in advertising and communications. His work has been published locally, regionally and nationally in print, radio and television. He has earned tens of millions of dollars in media exposure for his clients in print, radio and television, nationally and internationally.
Company Website: www.thebambooagency.com

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With more than two decades of experience in all facets of the mass communications arena, The Bamboo Agency is a multiple-award winning company with the talent, experience and expertise to create and execute exceptional marketing and media strategies.