Blog Post: Navigating Your Way Through a Crisis

The following is a blog I wrote during my internship at The Harbinger Group for their marketing blog. It was published in June 2024 here.

I also wrote the social copy associated with this blog's promotion on LinkedIn-- both versions are listed at the bottom.

Navigating Your Way Through a Crisis

Environmental disasters, lapses of morality, and general wrongdoing are all, unfortunately, things that occur in life that may have a negative impact on your brand or business. Crises can wreak havoc on a brand’s reputation– even a crisis of a public nature can affect a business brand if it’s within view of the public eye. The American Economic Association reports that after the BP oil spill in 2010, it’s estimated BP faced roughly 18% in profit losses in the months following the crisis. Some say this was in part due to how they responded to this environmental disaster, not just because the spill originated at one of their plants.

The Harbinger Group’s team of earned media experts share their advice on how best to plot your way through a crisis so that your brand can bounce back.

Have a crisis plan prepared.

Some crises are impossible to predict– but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan for one. Having some type of crisis plan, or what is sometimes called an “activation plan,” can help your company or brand respond the most effectively to a crisis. They generally include things like prepared guidelines and messages that can help streamline your communication when things may be a little more chaotic than normal, as well as bookmarking some keywords and hashtags to monitor in order to see how your audience is responding. We also recommend nominating the most informed members on your team to act as the key decision-makers and spokespeople for a crisis situation as this can help your company put its best foot forward.

“It's so important for all of our clients to have crisis communications plans and within those plans to have social media, have protocol so that if a crisis situation arises, we can make sure that whatever messaging you're putting out on social media matches the overall messaging, as well as that is being developed raw for the situation,” said Kellie Kennedy, Executive Vice President of Strategic Earned Marketing for the Harbinger Group.

A crisis plan also includes identifying which audiences need to be informed first. As with any brand communication, you want to tailor your message to your target audience. In a crisis situation, you want to ensure that the right people are getting the necessary information as quickly as possible.

Be straightforward and transparent with the media and the public.

Whether the fault is placed on the company directly or the brand is simply receiving some type of blowback from the incident, it’s important for your statements to be clear and concise. You don’t want to falsify information and should be straightforward about your involvement in the incident. Otherwise you risk losing your audience’s trust. For example, when Pepsi released an ad campaign in 2017 with Kendall Jenner, the public was quick to point out that it trivialized the Black Lives Matter movement and the nationwide protests that were occurring. Pepsi immediately pulled the ad and promptly released the following statement: "Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position." Pepsi showed remorse, attempted to make amends, all while keeping it short and sweet. Losing the respect and trust can have a ripple effect on the brand, causing company profits and growth to slow or even halt altogether.

The goal of making statements during a crisis situation is to find the balance between having a “cloak and dagger” attitude and being an alarmist about potential disaster. You want to be clear about the facts at hand but also be able to maintain poise and assure your audiences that you are handling the situation. Messages can be tweaked, as we’ve discussed, depending on the audience, but the facts should remain consistent.

There are exceptions, of course, where you are unable to give complete transparency due to things like ongoing investigations or other legal procedures.

“I've been in crisis situations more than once where we could not talk to the media for legal reasons,” Kennedy said. “In those cases, you don’t want to share any information that could present future legal ramifications, but in most cases, you want to be proactive and transparent.”

Ensure your response is one of compassion for those affected by the issue and action to remedy it.

In addition to being able to deliver the facts of the situation, your message should include some sort of reassurance to your audience. It’s likely that whatever the crisis, there will be some sort of consequence for some group of people. It’s important that if your company is at fault, you apologize and make every attempt to rectify the situation, if possible. Even if you are indirectly involved, show compassion and extend some sort of olive branch to those people and make an effort for their situation.

It’s important to try and mitigate any loss of trust by the public by showing that you are taking responsibility for any wrongdoings or lapses in judgment that led to the crisis situation. For instance, if your company has spilled a substance that is hazardous to the environment, your response should include how you are attempting to clean up the dangerous substance as well as what attempts you are taking to help remedy any consequences put upon the people who live in the area. This was not the case for the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, who experienced various illnesses that were allegedly a result of a derailed train that released a carcinogenic gas called vinyl chloride into the environment. In episode 40 of The Harbinger Group’s Can You Hear Me? podcast, guest, and crisis communications expert Harlan Loeb discusses how Norfolk Southern, the company that was transporting the vinyl chloride, as well as its CEO, Alan Shore, failed to respond to this health and environmental disaster.

Shaw's inability to lead from the front and to own this tragic, tragic issue has been just appalling, just inexcusably appalling. The tactical written statement really said nothing, didn’t say ‘we take this seriously,’ … He wasn’t prepared to do this and to take this on,” Loeb said.

If the public is seeing that short of going back in time, you are making every attempt to undo the situation, it can show a sense of “good faith” and prevent them from completely turning on you.

To recap, remember…

You can’t always predict a crisis, but you can prepare for one!
It’s important to be as clear and transparent as possible with your audience.
Apologize, if possible, and make attempts to mitigate any consequences put upon others

[Social Copy 1]

Some disasters are predictable, some aren’t. Whatever the situation you’re facing, our team of experts has shared how best to respond to a crisis in our latest blog.

Maggie Patterson

Blog Post: Navigating Your Way Through a Crisis

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