Role of Big Data in Crisis Management

By Oluwole Crowther Economist/Researcher/Data Analyst @WoleCrowther

There has never been a time in human history that calls for higher demand for the use of data than now. With the world evolving, time moving and people wanting results in the blink of an eye, mining data for insight has become even more salient than ever.

This demand for data was not as evident until the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Stephanie Marchesi explains that “It’s the result of the turbulent times in which we’re living, where brands and organisations are having to navigate disruption, transformation and political climates.” To this effect, businesses needed to serve their customers better, and corporate bodies had a need to optimize their communication and interaction with their stakeholders. The resultant effect of that was the demand for data and innovation in technology.

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Today’s world is filled with propaganda on businesses, individuals, corporate bodies and many others. To divulge or show the truth, there must be a certain degree of veracity validated by accurate data. For example, PR could reposition the image of a partner that is charged with the murder of a spouse. The narrative could change when the agency employs the use of valid and accurate data. The data could reveal self-defence against domestic violence, suicide on the part of the deceased or assassination. To know the truth and show transparency, agencies must navigate to the use of big data rather than just opinion.

The role of data in PR cannot be overemphasised, it has become a powerful tool for projecting and planning future events. It enables PR experts to examine the cause of past trends and predict when the same may happen again. Furthermore, you can utilise the results from data analysis to avoid future catastrophes and improve your image, brand, or services.

Analytics from data is a significant aspect of strategic planning, measuring, and putting ideas into effect. Data helps you to eliminate the assumption of making a good decision. However, by it, you can make great data-driven strategies.

Expectations of PR agencies are greater now than they have ever been. Research and study show that executive-level managers within a company are more inclined to turn to PR before any other departments when a crisis occurs or appears imminent. There seems to be a paradigm shift from traditional metrics to a data-driven that allows for easy measurement of social and corporate engagement.

Big data enables its users to study the present in the light of the past for the purpose of the future. Consider a situation where a consumer died while drinking a popular brand beverage. This type of crisis is dangerous and dynamic at the same time, as bad news spreads faster. In order for the concerned brand not to experience a dent in its image, PR professionals must respond swiftly to the challenge. There must be a quick enquiry into the past medical records of such consumer, family history, his last visit and other activities that surrounded him before he was pronounced dead. In the same vein, the Agency must also carry out a survey on consumers who had taken the brand just before and after the incident, as doing this will give more insight into the situation on ground. In the end, the Agency would have had enough information to reposition the brand’s image that is almost waned.

CEOs are turning to PR because stakeholders and investors also keep tabs on brand stories and engagement to inform their decisions. Managers now rely on PR to report global issues such as climate change, the stock market, product development and other geopolitical issues. To perform these functions effectively as Agencies, we must learn how to handle big data. The ability to sort and mine useful data is the prerequisite to project transparency and a transformative image to the public.

Agencies should be able to integrate and align corporate vision with stakeholders’ expectations. This can be achieved by making big data to be an integral part of the agencies’ structure. Data is vital but the ability to create a database that stores relevant stories will ensure PR Agencies are not caught unawares. This will allow Agencies to respond rapidly to chaos and disturbances that were spurred by mere rumour and propaganda.

Agencies have at their disposal many tools to navigate this stage seamlessly, of which many are for premium clients while others are free to subscribers. Agencies have the responsibility to engage employees, consumers, investors and relevant stakeholders. To effectively execute the engagement, a PR Agency must be aware of its environment – consumption-wise and market-wise. The Agency cannot rely solely on a secondary source of data alone, though it saves time but is not always reliable. Agency must create its own database that allows swift response to image and brand positioning without any sabotage.