I have been reflecting on the chaos we have been witnessing around some recent promotional sales in Ghana. Last year’s Hisense promotions and, what we witnessed yesterday, the GH¢15 KFC promotion, offer important lessons for businesses and, particularly, for those of us in public relations.

Don’t get me wrong! There is nothing wrong with an organisation wanting to attract customers with an exceptional offer. The problem begins when the communication creates demand that the organisation is not operationally prepared to manage.

When thousands of people are expected to respond to a promotion, crowd management, security, customer welfare and crisis preparedness cannot be afterthoughts. They must be part of the campaign strategy from the beginning.

As PR professionals, I believe we need to advocate for a simple principle that every high-demand promotion should have a communication and crowd-risk plan.

At the least, this should include; 1. a realistic assessment of expected numbers and outlet capacity

2. an alternative purchasing channels and multiple distribution points (including online sales)

3. a proper queue and crowd-management system

4. adequate security and trained customer-facing personnel

5. a clear and timely communication about stock, waiting times and changes to the promotion

6. a special consideration for vulnerable customers, including mothers with babies, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities and

7. a clearly rehearsed crisis-response plan if things begin to deteriorate.

There is also a lesson for PR practitioners here. We should not only be brought in to publicise the promotion or clean up the reputation mess after things go wrong. PR must have a seat at the table when the promotion is being designed.

A successful promotion should create excitement, not fear.

The real measure of a successful promotion is not simply how many people it attracts, but whether the organisation has the capacity to serve them safely and responsibly.

That is a conversation our industry needs to have.

Source: Dr Noel Nutsugah | Senior Lecturer at the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC)