A sign at Walt Disney World. Image source: Donald West via Flickr
Disney’s firing and subsequent rehiring of an intern over a single tweet about alligators showcases how social media has changed public relations. PR can learn several important lessons from the story.
Disney intern Shannon Sullivan tweeted a photo of a sign that instructed employees on responding to visitors who asked about alligators at Disney’s Magic Kingdom’s Tom Sawyer Island. If visitors asked if there are alligators there, employees were instructed to say: “Not that we know of, but if we see one, we will call Pest Management to have them removed.”
The sign stated: “Please do not say that we have seen them before.”
“I was very offended by it and I was pretty vocal about it,” Sullivan told the Orlando Sentinel.
Sent Packing, Asked to Return
Sullivan thought she might be fired but wanted to keep her integrity. She was indeed promptly released from the internship program and escorted out. The day after media inquiries, Magic Kingdom Vice President Dan Cockerell paid her a personal visit to offer her job back. She’ll complete her summer job as scheduled. Disney removed the sign, saying it was not authorized.
Alligators are a common sight at Walt Disney World. They gained notoriety when one grabbed a 2-year-old Nebraska boy at the water’s edge at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The boy’s body was later found. Although that tragedy gained national media intention, tourists and employees say they frequently see alligators at Walt Disney World.
Native Floridians are familiar with the beasts, but they’re a curiosity for northern visitors.
“They really do need to be explicitly warned about it,” Robert Niles, editor of ThemeParkInsider.com and a former Disney World raft operator, told the Orlando Sentinel. “just saying no swimming really doesn’t cut it.”
Key Takeaways for PR
The episode highlights how media relations and employee relations have changed over recent years.
Honesty is paramount. PR pros argue for honesty so much that the term has almost become a cliché. But this incident drives home the need for honesty. If companies ask employees to lie, they risk alienating employees and suffering public embarrassment — especially since social media-savvy younger workers are quite willing to question authority.
Accept transparency. Organizations can no longer keep secrets when employees can publicize internal communications worldwide with a few clicks on their smartphone.
Employee training is critical. Companies can mitigate PR crisis risks through proper employee training and policies. Better employee training and communications could have prevented the Disney manager (or managers) from putting up the sign. (A Disney spokesperson claimed that the sign was never authorized to be posted.)
Quick corrective action can defuse crises. Disney immediately realized its mistake and dispatched a senior vice president to remedy the situation by rescinding the firing and apologizing personally to Sullivan. That action quelled media coverage and the social media uproar.
Social media listening can spot potential crisis. Organizations can spot potential PR crises in the making by continually monitoring their corporate and brand names social media. Organizations can also better understand market sentiment by monitoring competitors and industry keywords. A subscription media monitoring and measurement service is the most effective and cost-efficient method to monitor social media and news.
Bottom Line: The recent story of a Disney intern fired then rehired over a tweet about alligators illustrates how public relations has changed. The incident drives home several critical PR and employee communications lessons.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
