Communications
Confidently Communicating in Uncertain Times
As America’s grocer, we’ve spent the past six weeks focused on actions to help slow the spread across our footprint of nearly 2,800 retail stores in 35 states.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our top priority has been to provide and maintain a safe environment for our employees and customers with open stores, comprehensive ecommerce solutions and an efficiently operating supply chain, so that our communities always have access to fresh, affordable food and essential products.
Delivering on this responsibility required clear, frequent and transparent communication to our more than half a million employees and 11 million daily customers, as well as key community, investor and government stakeholders.
To help other businesses effectively communicate the many changes required to safely navigate this unprecedented public health event, we’ve outlined the best practices Kroger employed to inform and engage our employees, customers and communities.
“During these extraordinary times, an organization’s words and actions can help keep people safe and catalyze positive change. Effective communicators will lead with their purpose, focus on facts, remain transparent and listen to understand.”
-Keith Dailey
Group Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Chief Communications Officer
First Steps
Establish Your Crisis Response Team
Determine Key Messages, Audiences & Communication Channels
Create an Accessible Communications Hub
Leverage a Mixternal Approach to Real-Time Communication
Helpful Resources
More to Explore
Behind the Blueprint
The idea for this Blueprint began in April when elected officials and businesses began reaching out to Kroger for our best practices and lessons learned as an essential retailer. We took those requests to heart and, within 36 hours, developed and launched KrogerBlueprint.com. Keith Dailey, Kroger’s group vice president of corporate affairs and chief communications officer, shares more on the journey behind the Blueprint.Learn More
Nothing herein constitutes legal advice or other formal direction or guidance of any kind. The information herein is offered for general informational purposes only.
