Those knowledgeable in crisis communication matters see no escape for Apple

Jul 13, 2010 12:41 GMT  ·  By

PR experts say Apple will be forced to recall the iPhone 4, following Consumer Reports' published test results that seem to confirm a hardware-related, “Death Grip” antenna issue. Experts in crisis communication and management claim Apple dug an even bigger hole for itself when the company admitted to a flaw, albeit saying it was firmware related.

“Apple will be forced to do a recall of this product,” said Professor Matthew Seeger, an expert in crisis communication contacted by CultofMac.com. “It’s critically important. The brand image is the most important thing Apple has. This is potentially devastating.”

Chris Lehane, former Clinton White House “Master of Disaster,” agrees that the iPhone 4 reception issue can be compared to the Toyota-style PR crisis. As such, Apple is obligated to respond with a more meaningful fix, the report says. Apple is known to have acknowledged an issue with the iPhone 4, but claimed it was only reflected in the way it displayed signal strength. Wireless signal itself, Apple suggested, was not affected.

Still, Dr. Larry Barton, a leading expert in crisis management and author of Crisis Leadership Now, believes “Apple needs to put this fire out now.” He added: There has to be a military-like response to this issue. And we have not seen this kind of urgency.” According to CultofMac, Dr. Barton is a former professor at Harvard Business School, Penn State, University of Nevada at Las Vegas and Boston College. He was also Vice President of Crisis Management at Motorola from 1995 to 1999.

Apple should issue a public statement that either refutes, or admits the iPhone 4 antenna issue, Dr. Barton claims. “They’re [sic] response has been lackluster,” he said. “It’s been borderline irresponsible. They are in danger of betraying customers’ trust and hurting the brand, which is infinitely more valuable than any one product.”

Noting that Consumer Reports is a respected publication with a long history of being impartial and fair, Dr. Barton outlined that “Their advisory is a serious one.” Crisis communications expert Chris Lehane, reportedly added that Apple’s statement only raised a red flag for the likes of Consumer Reports, which were enticed to look into the issue up close. “They found themselves in a hole, and they dug a deeper hole,” he said.

Finally, Prof. Seeger (chair of the Department of Communication at Wayne State University in Detroit) said that Apple will have to recall the phone, in order to protect its image. “Apple lives and dies by its reputation,” he said. “We pay a premium for its products. We expect them to operate on a premium level. It’s very unfortunate, but they will have no choice but to mount a recall.”