Where does Samsung go from here?
Samsung has been having a worse week than Donald Trump (well, almost!). After announcing it has ceased production of its most popular phone model, the Note 7, its phones may not be the only thing blowing up. Samsung’s reputation is on the line and in a big way. This is the moment where they need to respond to this crisis in a way that doesn’t continue to devalue its other products, while at the same time, beginning to earn back the trust of the customer.
Credit: Pixabay
Samsung needs to focus on rebuilding its brand. Right now its brand is synonymous with exploding, fire-laden phones. Not exactly how any mobile carrier wants to be known. So the first step Samsung must take is by actively showing and acting upon increasing its safety measures.
Why? Because many of its core customers will likely think twice about purchasing a Samsung phone! Who wants to worry if their phone may, at any random point, catch on fire? Not me, and not most sane cell-phone users out there.
Words are cheap, but they’re a good place to start. While the company has put out multiple statements on its website regarding the incidents, the CEO needs to speak personally to his customers and shareholders. The medium is almost irrelevant: YouTube, Social Media, business TV. Regardless of where he speaks out, it is important the he does personally speak to his customers.
In this public statement, he needs to take ownership over producing a highly defective product. He needs to apologize – and mean it. He needs to offer incentives to those who have bought the Note 7 and want a refund or trade. And he needs to carefully explain the forthcoming safety procedures that Samsung will implement.
This is key. If Samsung can reassure its customer base that it has taken multiple, fail-proof steps to ensure that this type of incident will never happen again, they will have a chance at recovering. While I’m no expert in mobile device production, the team at Samsung should be able to put together a step-by-step plan that shows exactly how the new safety measures are being implemented.
Don’t just tell us this – show us. Actually record video of phones being made, in the manufacturing plants, with the new safety measures in place. Disseminate these videos on the website, directly to the customers and across social media platforms. The key is to consistently update the shareholders on continual progress in this area.
Then, a little positive press never hurt anyone. I would recommend agreeing to a big, televised interview where the CEO can finally speak out – while also promoting a fabulous new product.
Annie Pace Scranton is president and founder of Pace Public Relations. She tweets @anniescranton