Cathay Pacific is issuing updates to ensure corporate customers that procedures are in place to handle suspected infected passengers. Yum Brand's KFC is acting early by preparing a public relations and TV campaign to reassure customers that it's safe to eat cooked poultry products. Last year, the chain saw its business disrupted by the deadly virus, as demand fell sharply in some markets, and the restaurant was forced to close many of its outlets in Vietnam while it switched to a fish menu.
Meanwhile, rival fastfood chain McDonald's told Media: "With the bird flu issue, we do have our contingency plan to ensure our consumers' safety." However, it is unclear exactly how the company plans to communicate this to consumers.
According to Edelman's MD corporate practice, Asia-Pacific, Charles Lankester, the consultancy is in the process of developing contingency programmes for clients. "It's a question of how can businesses prepare and manage without creating alarm and panic among stakeholders," he said.
Edelman's chairman and EVP for Asia-Pacific, Martin Spurrier, added that the bird flu scare was not dissimilar to Sars. "There was a frenzy around Sars; it was a fear of the unknown. Everybody was groping for information and there was no information to be had."
The agency, he noted, had worked with the Hong Kong Hotels Association during Sars, rolling out a campaign as hotel occupancy fell below five per cent when it would normally have been above 80 per cent.
"We based communications on a Sars website, which allowed us to feed information to members," added Spurrier.
TQPR Vietnam general manager Matthew Underwood said companies in Vietnam were organising pandemic preparedness protocols and similar systems to vaccinate against seasonal flu viruses, and some had started stockpiling Tamiflu early on.
"The Vietnamese Government has been quite transparent with the threats that this virus has presented," added Underwood. "They, in conjunction with various NGOs, have set up several treatment centers around the country. Certainly the experience of Sars in other countries, where there were cover-ups and misinformation, has been learned, and as such these errors certainly haven't been repeated."
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Bird flu sparks clients' crisis readiness plans
As Asian consumers grow increasingly nervous about the threat of bird flu amid extensive media coverage, brands are taking measures to educate consumers of their preparedness in the event of a bird flu pandemic.
