Enlightenment From Carrefour Crisis Public Relations

Frequent social events with Carrefour as the core are actually "anticipation" and "

The most fascinating aspect of public relations is not the bright public relations activities, the beautiful marketing and the magnificent news dissemination, but the various social relations, especially the

An interesting proposition has been put forward: how to manage the world's expectations for China.

As we all know, in this "expectation", it mainly includes the "brutal growth" of the Chinese economy, the more "world responsibility" to bear through "barbaric growth", and the further development of this "world responsibility" in a developed country rather than a developing country.

For this kind of "expected" management, it is not upgrading or lowering, but management. It is the symbol of China's farewell to self pity and arrogance. It learns to analyze problems and solve problems from an objective angle, and then put in new problems.

We simply look at three key nodes: 1., the suppliers represented by COFCO and Kangshifu collectively resist the Carrefour as a result of the high levying fees imposed by retailers. Behind the obvious rules of the "money" rule, there is also a fuse for suppliers to raise prices and retailers to refuse, as well as a lack of regulation on the legality of fees charged by the government.

2. the most heavily fined Chinese retailing industry almost came to Carrefour at the same time. The false price problem caused a "fraud door". The media had a more terrible problem of "out of control" of Carrefour than "cheating customers".

3. the "cheating door" that concentrated on the outbreak led to the resignation of Chen Bo, director of public relations of Carrefour, leaving behind Fuxing and "no one endorsed". The two events were firmly tied to Carrefour, which resulted in the biggest public relations crisis after the 2008 Olympic Games.

The four most anticipated management failure key nodes are here, so the stakeholders' expectations for Carrefour are also clear.

1. suppliers' expectations for retailers:

We should not be a stumbling block in the process of increasing the price of goods. We should not be a stumbling block on the issue of goods coming into operation.

The first "expectation" has become the core of the "boycott".

In the 30 years of China's market economy, there are many cases of deep contradictions caused by interest disputes. This is also an inevitable event for an economy from immature to mature and from mature to leading.

We can feel that when the media and the public pour a dirty bowl of water into the Carrefour body, what kind of emotion do they mix? Jealousy or hatred? Is it disgusting or silent?

The reason for this can not be simply summed up as "self strengthening of domestic goods and foreign wolves". We should see that in this economic system which is not fully controlled by the market, it is impossible to keep balance on the balance beam forever.

Today, suppliers boycott retailers, resulting in empty stores. Retailers will boycott suppliers tomorrow, and the returns will be piled up. If the company's profit is the first yardstick for all operations, then managing this "expectation" will be more about the operation on the stage than on the stage.

When you can't play cards, play cards or change a table, or raise the table again. Whoever raises a gun will always give in to the other side.

2. consumers' expectations for retailers:

The lowest price and the guarantee of authenticity, the greatest benefits and quality maintenance, still maintain a strong sense of corporate responsibility even before soaring prices, and even fulfill the social responsibility beyond the enterprise itself.

The second "expectation" is the real demand of consumers.

At the back of the cart, Zhang aunt Wang Dashen sold the store because the price tag did not match the actual purchase price. In the same period, many N aunt Wang Dashen discovered and realized the problem at the same time, so the incident broke out.

"Temporary staff tension", "management personnel drain" and "cost control" can become a good excuse for Carrefour, but it did not say, but let the media to guess, eventually directed to the last piece of corporate fig cloth - management.

"Runaway management" may be a frequent occurrence in the history of this French enterprise. It happens only in China, but in China, it can be very unlucky.

It should be noted that nowadays, we are surrounded by a national complex that is instant hairstyle and immune to the original facts. This complex can surpass the increase in the purchasing cost of consumers caused by the increase in suppliers' prices, which can surpass the extent permitted by law, and it comes from the psychological pformation inevitably brought by a once backward country to prosperity and strength. This pformation is very subtle and subtle, but exists in every day of our life.

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In the face of such an emotion, like the 2008 Olympic events, Carrefour chose the "no public relations" manipulation, the same "arrogant attitude", and the same way to deal with "not timely, coping with no initiative, dishonest attitude, and lack of initiative."

We can not blame it for so many years that the French enterprise did not understand China's national conditions. It could only be understood that it fell into the "relativity of what it said, what it did, maybe worse."

How to manage this "expectation"?

Carrefour chose apology and silence afterwards, but it was far from enough in the billowing saliva.

From the point of view of marketing and administration, we can guess the dominant contradiction between Carrefour's "lowest price far and near", "five times repayment" and "runaway management", and draw a conclusion that water is conserved, where it flows from, where it flows from, and before it disappears, it is equivalent.

3. government's expectations for retailers:

It can serve as a good fulcrum to improve the outstanding contradictions in the relationship between suppliers and suppliers. If the relevant laws and regulations are not yet sound and perfect, and the relevant behaviors are lack of legal constraints, we should make less trouble and commit crimes so as to ensure harmony.

The third "anticipation" is the basic principle of the law of the world: the first act and the law.

Since the Circular of the State Administration of Taxation on the Levy of turnover tax on part of the fees charged by commercial enterprises to the suppliers of goods has already existed, the Ministry of Commerce, together with the national development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of public security, the State Administration for Industry and commerce, and other departments promulgated the "Regulations on the management of retailers and suppliers' fair exchange and management" and the "management measures for retailers' promotion practices" are still in force. The contradiction between such a fierce and unmitigated zero supply can only be attributed to the fact that these policies and regulations fail to play a role of "reasonable guidance", and the role played by the government in the mediation role can not form a system for some reason.

The retailer thought, "I can't do it without paying high entry fees, so I can't get rid of my money by making such a profit at a low price." the supplier thinks, "pay such a high entry fee, I will not increase the price of the goods, how can I maintain my normal profit, and you have to let me live".

Carrefour manages this kind of "anticipation" needs, is precisely the government wants to see "sincerity," this kind of "sincerity" on the ingenious psychological game, 2008 Olympic Games Carrefour has suffered the loss, and then fall into a somersault, perhaps only "closed shop to return to the country" this road is optional.

4. media's expectations for retailers:

Good media communication channels, positive news spokesmen, corporate social responsibility behaviors with news value, positive attitude that does not evade or avoid, negative press when negative news occurs.

The fourth kind of "expectation" belongs to the conventional setup of enterprise structure. To a certain extent, it is a face of an enterprise, because most of the audience can only distinguish the enterprise from this face, so maintaining the face of this face is particularly important.

On the one hand, we must admit that it is not Carrefour's expertise. It is not that in the West it has never encountered media relations crisis and trust crisis, but in China's far from sound and complicated news environment, it needs to do much more than what it shows us.

In modern China, the freedom of speech is gradually liberalized. A typical establishment and the typical "siege" coming to this stage are gradually becoming the mainstream of public opinion. We should not blame Carrefour's "not long memory". It is only because the mainstream of public opinion that can not be disregarded is based on its foreign capital status and past bad deeds - born in the west of the crisis management master, but unable to retreat in the Chinese mainland again and again. This is a tragedy. Tragedy is often making people stronger.

To manage this "expectation", ask Carrefour to think twice before letting go of common sense or experience. When it comes to what should be said and done, it will be a successful day when it has never become the highlight of news.