Be the good witch: Navigating the Dr. Oz effect

Once upon a time, a product mention on Oprah could make a company overnight. Today, we have Dr. Oz, who can, with one mention, singlehandedly wipe out the nations supply of a formerly obscure herb. Most dietary supplement manufacturers have benefited from this, although there have been concerns that occasionally his information is less accurate than industry would like. But a negative report, like his recent "exposé" on spiked supplements, could have the effect of undermining consumer confidence in our category more thoroughly than five badly designed, but widely reported, clinical studies. So how can a company be poised to take advantage of positive mentions, while mitigating damage from negative reports by a wildly popular and trusted TV personality?

While Dr. Oz is the influencer of the moment, throughout my two-plus decades handling public relations for natural products and supplement companies, dealing with such influential outlets has always been an interesting challenge. While it might be tempting to link your companys name to such a product mention, its also an invitation to be sued. And yet, the window of opportunity is brief, whether it is to let existing and potential customers know that you are one of the few companies offering X product (insert example of your relatively rare product here), or to explain that, while as alarming as that report was, risky supplements are the exception rather than as common as it sounded. Since a quick reaction is essential to have an impact, companies can use a number of tools that should be in place in advance.

An element of this kind of situation is similar to crisis communications in that a company should have a plan and a team to rally on short notice. If it doesn't have the tools it needs, it will probably blow it. If a company doesn't have a crisis communications plan already, it should start developing one. A lot of companies dont because they: 1) hope to never have a crisis, and 2) just the mention of the word crisis" scares them. If it makes you feel better, call it something else, like the Quick Draw McGraws Rapid Response Plan." The key is the rapid response component, but its the preparation that allows a company to make the most of it, either to boost sales or mitigate damage.

Heres what a company needs:

You absolutely cant say, As seen on Dr. Oz" or anything that implies an endorsement, even if your brand was among the array on his table. What you can say depends upon what his report entailed. If his report could constitute a drug or disease claim, be more careful from a legal standpoint. (Hopefully your company is already compliant with regulations regarding supplement language. If not, well all be reading about your company when FDAs warning letter to you posts online.). Safe language would include, Consumers have just discovered the health benefits of artichoke extract, and we have it in stock." Slightly more risky, but probably OK would be, When Dr. Oz did a segment on fenugreek yesterday, we saw an immediate bump in orders, but we do still have some available." Do an email blast and post it on your social networking sites as soon as your regulatory expert signs off on your wording.

When the story is negative, prepared language that can be adapted is extremely important. Ive been in crisis communications sessions where we spent hours discussing literally every single word in a statement. If you do this in advance, it will allow for a quicker response when time is of the essence. Im going to use the Dr. Oz segment on adulterated weight loss products as my example, but this also applies to a Proposition 65 situation, a negative Consumerlab.com report, a product recall or any other situation that could call into question the safety of your products.

The goal is first to reassure your customers and consumers that your products are safe and effective, and second, to mitigate loss of confidence in the safety of the entire product category.

Make sure the team working on this knows as much as possible about the situation. Yes, this sounds obvious, but youd be surprised. Actually watch the segment. Check to see if any industry trade associations have weighed in on the report. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has an excellent website, keepsupplementsclean.org, that you should check for any adulteration issues.

Then, develop bullet points for the message:

A positive product mention is a great opportunity for a bump in sales, so be prepared to jump on it. Make sure you dont oversell or get yourself in trouble claiming an endorsement that doesnt exist or by making drug or disease claims. A negative mention can cause lasting damage to sales and overall consumer confidence in our industry, and responding promptly can mitigate that loss of faith. In either case, preparation helps you to protect and grow your business, and a reputation for integrity increases the value of your message.

Suzanne Shelton, CEO of The Shelton Group PR, Chicago, has provided public relations services to international and domestic dietary supplement and natural products manufacturers, suppliers and associations since 1988. In 2005, she received an Nutrition Business Journal award for Efforts on Behalf of Industry and in, 2006 a Crusader award from the Natural Products Association (NPA). She was a founding board and executive committee member of the Natural Products Foundation, and is communications committee chair of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA).

Editor's note: For more on "What Dr. Oz Gets Wrong about Supplements," check out this article by Natural Products Association's Cara Welch.