SLATE's "Getting the Lead Out" - What to make of this

There is the wisdom of crowds and the viciousness of mobs.  Now that Sponge Bob has also been recalled for hazardous lead content, fear has probably tipped over to panic among parents et al. That's why the preachy, error-filled SLATE article "Getting the Lead Out" could get by. The timing couldn't be better.  There was a similar outpouring of venom/accusations/distortion after the state's win in Rhode Island Lead Paint II. 

So, what are we lead-paint watchers to make of this viciousness of mobs?  Here I put on my public-affairs/crisis management hat.  And here are my observations/recommendations.

Their panic can trigger our panic.  That's not what we want.  I truly believe Harvard Business prof Rosabeth Kanter when she explained in "Confidence: How Winning Streaks & Losing Streaks Begin & End" that it's panic that gets us into the soup and prevents us from getting out of it.  What we want is high alertness.  Nothing stays the same.  The concern about lead is either escalating or receding.  In the latter, we probably should just continue what we've been doing in public relations. But my hunch is that it will be the former.  Therefore, we have to do thing differently. And by doing things differently we can enhance the companies' brandnames. 

By "differently" I mean having a conversation with all the constituencies of concern.  Out there is plenty of non-user-friendly material with lead information [prevention/detection/treatment] on state health department, federal agencies and trade association websites. There are also those heavy publications loaded with bullet points and graphs.  Usually the tone is bureaucratic and the content out-of-date. 

How about partnering with these entities and plowing the best communications strategies and tactics into having this vital information accessible, interesting, accurate including the controversies and unknowns, and updated frequently.  Public service during a crisis builds reputational capital. There's more.

The CEO of Mattel, having down cold his Crisis Management 101, immediately made a video and distributed on the Internet.  It was a mashup of concern, apology, promise to change policies and procedures for the future, and the identity piece that he is the father of four children.  This kind of me-to-you outreach is cheap to make and distribute in this digital age.  There are YouTube, blogs, podcasts and webseminars.  In the flesh, there are town meetings.  For children, there could be traveling puppet shows. 

In the spirit of pitching in during this national crisis, there's also the opportunity to get on major morning and afternoon talk shows which parents trust.  Children, of course, pick up on their parents' angst.  They have their programs on public television.  A few comic books explaining what lead is would be wonderful also. A Spokes-Thing or Fictional Character can visit schools and have a talk with kids about lead.

What about those bylined opinion pieces in print?  They can be useful when published in local newspapers.  That's where the leverage is.  And interviews with print media?  Reaching families through women's and parents' publications could be a homerun, both in terms of lead education and enhancing the company's brandname.

What else can lead-paint watchers be doing?  We can become a legion of grassroots ambassadors for the facts about lead.  That's exactly what we did to defuse the controversy about the government loans to Chrysler during the Lee Iacocca-led turnaround.  We patiently explained the pros and cons of this move to Joe who made the meatball sandwiches at the deli as well as our friends.  The passion abated. The company made it through. The loans got repaid years early.  And we learned the influence and power of talk.