#orchidsandonions - A Costly Mistake, A Well-timed Ad, And A Lesson In Digital Banking

A simple but effective advert

I had forgotten to get our cars licenced, thinking the renewal was only in May this year, as opposed to May last year.

Bottom line: I got stung quite badly in back fees and penalty charges.

Do the crime, do the time.

So, perhaps I was in the mood to be mesmerised by an advert for Capitec touting its new mobile app.

Among the features it offers is the ability to renew vehicle licences.

I did grin in slight embarrassment at the realisation that this could have been me – although, in reality, the fact that the authorities no longer send out renewal reminders in Gauteng means that even if I had the app, I would still have had to pay because I would have been in my blissful world of ignorance.

Nevertheless, the rest of the advert was a colourful, vibrant summing up of all the services available on the app – from buying airtime to taking out life insurance, paying for air tickets, or even getting a home loan.

While I do know most banks offer similar services these days, the Capitec advert was simple and got the message across well.

And that is good marketing – which gets an Orchid from me every time.

A poorly handled crisis

Good corporate or brand communication has to be tightly controlled.

I learned that lesson the hard way a few years ago when helping to manage media liaison for an international event.

There was a moment when the live event seemed to be going off track, and I started running towards the outside broadcast van where the TV signal was being live-streamed across the globe.

“Don’t run!” came the voice of the company CEO, an ex-special forces operator who had the ability to remain calm even in the most taxing circumstances.

His explanation made perfect sense: if you, as the media person, show a sense of panic, the media will pick up on it.

He repeatedly told me and others in the company that communication had to be controlled and on message.

Otherwise, the media – and your competitors – would pounce on anything to show you in a bad light.

That memory came to mind recently when I saw the reckless way in which the spokesperson for FlySafair – its marketing manager, Kirby Gordon – tried to handle media queries about a serious incident involving one of its aircraft while trying to land in Durban.

After attacking the journalist and implying he had a bias (simply because he had once worked in the aviation industry), Gordon then attempted to deflect attention from FlySafair by pointing an accusing finger at two of its main competitors, Airlink and CemAir.

He claimed both airlines had safety-related incidents that were not reported correctly to the SA Civil Aviation Authority.

Both airlines vehemently denied this and called out Gordon’s “whataboutery”.

Litigation may still be in the wind about that, I hear.

What is unbelievable is how emotional Gordon became and how unprofessional he was in dealing with the queries.

Not a good look for an organisation facing serious questions about its operations.

His outburst (because that is what it was) did more harm than good to the airline because it raised concerns about why he was protesting so much.

In this case, your spokesperson is also your face.

Reputation management - 101.

Interestingly, an internal communication sent to employees in the airline after the story broke was much more measured, fact-based, and unemotional.

Had that communication tone been used initially, much less damage would have been done to FlySafair’s reputation.

For not understanding how to handle the media, Kirby Gordon gets an Onion – but so, too, do his bosses at FlySafair for allowing him to perform his loose cannon routine.

Dangerous items don’t belong anywhere near an aircraft.