Citroën – Crisis Comms

In June 2014, BBC Watchdog approached Citroën to advise that the programme was investigating issues with the brand’s air suspension deflating overnight.
While the crisis began from a traditional media source, by using social monitoring tools, we identified that 99.5% of the conversation was taking place on social and, as such, a coordinated response was needed.

Once a response was agreed, a reactive and a proactive statement were drafted to communicate effectively and to assuage the fears of concerned owners. All external communications were suspended so that there was one clear voice from the official UK Facebook and Twitter pages.

The proactive and reactive social messaging was succinct, with the right tone, and directed people to the specially established web page to get more info.

The social teams worked into the evening with the aid of a social listening dashboard to ensure that all associated conversation was responded to – not just on owned platforms, but owners’ forums too.

The speedy, coordinated and transparent response was praised by customers and media alike, including Steve Fowler, editor of Auto Express.