1. International Summer University Program 2013 - Copenhagen Business
School
Crisis Communication and Social Media - A Simulation Game Learning
Experience
Crisis Communication and Social Media - A Simulation Game Learning
Experience

2. INTRODUCTION
•Part I: BP oil spill crisis situation
•Part II: Media Training
•Part III: Social Media Training
•Part IV: Learning outcomes

3. OIL SPILL TIMELINE

4. BP OIL SPILL CRISIS
ANALYSIS
•Stakes faced by the White House
•Lack of public support
•Public protest against lack of action
•Barack Obama not being re-elected
•Undermining of actual power over companies

5. EFFECT OF CRISIS ON
WHITE HOUSE
How did the crisis affect the white house reputation?
•Criticised for being over-optimistic
•Criticised for neglecting amout of oil pouring out
•Neglecting worst-case scenario
•Too much focus on keeping locals happy

6. COULD IT HAVE
BEEN PREVENTED?
NO
•Safety-measures cannot take everything into consideration
•Faulty crisis plan
Should it have been prevented?
•Of course!
•Learning by doing and even more
emphasis on safety has to be
implemented

7. PART II
MEDIA TRAINING
MEDIA TRAINING
Assesment of performance
•Hard to know what topics questions
were about
•more preparation needed
•Responses to unexpected question was
referenced to commision report

8. QUESTIONS ASKED
BY WHITE HOUSE
Q BBC: How come you took BP’s perspective?
They did something to stop it, but what about
preparing for it? What is your opinion about the cost-
savings, that some claim is the reason to this
accident?
Q BP Media: Can you comment on the critism of
your company and the cost-savings? Who’s
responsible for this incident? Are you ready to take
the full responsibility for this? Also years from now?
Q BP Social Media: You mostly focus on your
own efforts via the social media, have you not
thought of paying some gratitude towards the
Americans who offered their lives in this case?

9. QUESTIONS ASKED
BY WHITE HOUSE
Q Local Stakeholders: Now, years after the crisis,
how do feel BP has handled the situation? Do you
feel compensated? Do you feel that the American
government has been supporting you all the way?
Been on your side? Do you have hope for the
future? And feel secured that BP will be at your
sides?
Q Sierra Club: Have you felt safe negotiating with
us? We are willing to learn. What is your view on
BP’s compensation? Do you think the American
Government has been pushing enough?

10. ASSESMENT OF
OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS
•Generally good answers
•Other groups were also struck by the diversity of the
questions
•Well-prepared and good “acting”

11. PART III
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIABP’s reaction via social media
•Emphasis on CSR, clean-up and
“sunshine-stories”
•Focus on new safety features
•Engaging consumer at their level

12. PART IV
LEARNING OUTCOME
LEARNING OUTCOME
•How important proper crisis communication is
•Your chosen focus areas might be irrelevant
•Take EVERYTHING into consideration
•Engage people at their own level
•Use the situation to your own advantage

13. LEARNING
OUTCOME
•Highlights importance of proper crisis management
•For every media reaction, there is a social media overreaction

14. REFERENCES
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11489960
ARTICLES
BOOKS
Anthonissen, P. (ed.) 2008 Crisis Communication: Practical PR
Strategies for Reputation Management and Company Survival, Kogan
Page. (200 pages)
Umer, R., Sellnow, T., and Seeger, M. 2010. Effective Crisis
Communication: Moving from Crisis to Opportunity. Sage Publications
(260 pages).
White, C. 2011, Social Media, Crisis Communication and Emergency
Management: Leveraging Web 2.0 Technologies. CRC Press (330
pages) - Exercises included.
Smith, D. and Elliott, D. 2006. Crisis Management. Systems and
Structures for Prevention and Recovery. Routledge.

15. THANKYOU
BY:
Christian Tellefsen, Student CBS, CMO at PengChengLiuXue.cn,
tellef_c
Betty Tsakarestou, Assistant Professor, Department of
Communication, Media and Culture at Panteion University, Greece
and twitter account (@tsakarestou)