In the days leading up to and after Hurricane Irma’s rampage through Florida, Publix Super Markets Inc.’s Facebook page was nearly as active as its stores.
Many comments were thankful: “Seriously, I fought back tears today when I pulled into the parking lot and saw the Windsor Commons store open.”
Some were agitated in the search for supplies: “Disgusted with you! You announced that you would be closing at 8 tonight, I had to work late all this week preparing for the storm and finally get a chance to get to the store knowing that you were open till 8 and you closed at noon.”
No matter what the issue was — in a non-Irma matter, one woman complained of a frosting mix-up on a bakery order at an Alabama store — Publix responded, usually within minutes, to thousands of comments, each time with the same helpful, friendly tone.
On Wednesday, the Lakeland-based grocer posted a letter from Todd Jones, president and CEO, expressing sympathy for those dealing with Irma’saftermath and thanking customers for their business. By Friday evening, it had been shared more than 1,400 times.
In the midst of a historic hurricane, one that is responsible for 26 deaths in Florida, Publix managed to emerge as a beacon in the storm — just by being nice.
Publix’s pre-hurricane cult following helped cement its hero status during Irma. Two of its biggest competitors, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., set up hurricane landing pages on their websites and responded to customers on social media during the storm. But neither has seen the outpouring of gratitude that Publix has.
“People going in, in the middle of a crisis, finding helpful, calm employees at a place that has that reputation — people felt good that they had their predisposition validated,” said Karen Kovacs North, an expert in social media and psychology and communications professor at the University of Southern California.
Publix also differentiated itself with its messaging, said Kelli Burns, an associate professor in the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Media at the University of South Florida.
“Publix emphasizes that they see their customers as well as employees as family,” Burns said. “They expressed their commitment to serving the needs of customers. So those are key words in the messages.”
A spokesman for the grocer said it experienced “overwhelming demand” in “incredible volumes” as Florida residents prepared for the storm.
“We pride ourselves on offering quality products and a clean, pleasant, shopping experience for our customers,” spokesman Brian West wrote in an email. “Ensuring items are in stock when a customer needs them is part of that experience. We never want to disappoint our customers.”
Memes and messaging
Then there were the messages Publix couldn’t control. Images of hurricane-themed cakes from its bakery went viral and made headlines in the Washington Post, BuzzFeed and Fox News. A photo of a battered Publix sign became a meme that’s been retweeted 40,000 times since Sept. 10.
“The cakes were made by a few decorators in our stores who were feeling creative,” West said, “and wanting to bring a light moment during a very tense time for customers.”
The Publix social media team monitored tweets about the cakes, chiming in on different threads to respond to specific comments.
“If it is something like the cakes, where you can take a very stressful situation and inject a little bit of humor — it relieves a little bit of tension for people,” Burns said. “It’s OK to be a little bit playful or to make fun of yourself, but you have to find that right balance because this was a very serious, stressful situation.”
Publix was already known for its fast and friendly engagement on social media, which also helped it stand out during Irma. It has 1,100 stores and 2.8 million Facebook followers. The social media team fields questions on specific items (“Why, oh why did you stop carrying Dannon Whole Milk Yogurt????”) to suggestions for new locations (Baton Rouge and Memphis were among recent comments).
“It’s not going to be 100 percent satisfaction, but as long as you can respond to people who are happy, as well as respond to those who are upset with you — that’s the right way to manage social media,” Burns said.
Publix can’t claim any direct profits from its rapid-response social media strategy during Irma. But if thousands of Facebook comments are any indication, the company weathered the storm and came through it with a loyalty that runs even deeper than Pub subs and sweet tea.