Brand media backlash is not uncommon in today’s highly digitalised world. Discerning marketing and communication managers understand it is no longer a matter of “if” but rather “when” their brand faces a media storm. An insensitive tweet, a brand’s stance on a controversial public issue, a scandal or a public call-out from one disgruntled customer could snowball into a wildfire media storm overnight.
To avoid being completely unprepared for a media saga, marketing leaders must proactively devise strategies for effectively managing media crises when they surface without incurring significant damage to the brands they work for. For this reason, we have put together some of the most efficient and fool-proof strategies you can deploy to contain a media crisis head-on. Let’s dive in.
Establish a Pr Crisis Management Plan
Your team’s ability to manage a media backlash depends a lot on their level of preparedness. The way to set them up for swift and effective response is by establishing a solid crisis response protocol ahead of time. Surprisingly, many marketing teams do not have a clearly defined pr and crisis management plan. Such media teams are like soldiers thrown into a battlefield without ammunition. Your guess is as good as mine! Here are some practical steps that can be taken in that regard:
- Form a crisis response team with a member from critical units of the organisation.
- Design an escalation procedure that facilitates quick dissemination of information to decision-makers.
- Envision different possible crisis scenarios for the brand and design action plans to tackle each scenario.
1. Implement Social Monitoring – Organisations must stay vigilant and keenly follow conversations in the media space about their brand; this is what social monitoring is all about. Social monitoring and listening tools are invaluable assets for brands to keep tabs on the media. Listening tools are crucial for tracking brand mentions, gauging prevailing sentiments and engagements, and facilitating the early detection of misinformation, false narratives, negative sentiments and potential crises before the situation spirals out of control.
Through careful monitoring and early detection, marketing teams can take action and address negative feedback, a surge in customer complaints, or general misinformation about the brand early enough.
2. Honesty and transparent communication – How an organisation communicates with its audience during a backlash can either mitigate or exacerbate the impact of the crisis. Hence, a carefully thought-out crisis communication approach must be adopted during such situations. Honest and effective crisis communication entails acknowledging the issue, expressing empathy for those affected and sharing clear-cut updates about the steps the brand is taking to redress the mishap. Avoid making false promises or compounding the situation through inciting remarks or misleading statements as much as possible.
3. Timely Response – Regarding backlash, response time is of great essence and has serious implications for the brand. A delayed response gives the controversy more room to escalate, damaging the brand’s reputation. Media teams must be trained to respond swiftly and effectively during a media backlash. Failing at this gives the impression that the company is not listening to the concerns raised by the people or is not actively working to resolve the conflict. To respond promptly in a media crisis, a brand can put out an initial statement acknowledging the issue while working on a more detailed response for later.
4. Accept Responsibility and Apologise – One very effective way brands can assuage the tension that builds up during a media crisis is by taking responsibility for any missteps or wrongdoings on their part and offering a sincere apology. When done right, apologising can also help rebuild trust in the brand. An apology statement should be straightforward and concise – avoid cluttered words or going overboard with corporate jargon. Show the fans your willingness to make a change. It must also empathise with people who were negatively impacted by the brand’s decision.
5. Recover by rebuilding trust – Trust is difficult to regain once lost, but brands can take strategic steps to repair their reputation and slowly win back the public’s hearts after a media backlash. Note that this process takes time, so do not expect to see results overnight. To rebuild trust in the brand, start by simply keeping to your word and following through on any promises and claims you make concerning your products or services. Actively engage your customers – pay attention to their feedback and promptly resolve their concerns. Finally, learn from other brands who have survived media backlashes and emerged stronger. The insights you glean from their stories can be of great help when navigating this phase.
6. Review and optimize Pr Crisis Management Strategy: Media crisis management strategy does not end when the media controversy is resolved or forgotten, it extends further down to some post-crisis practices. Ideally, a brand should come out of media blashes stronger and better positioned to respond more effectively in subsequent situations. However, that will scarcely be the case if the communications team does not learn from the previous event through careful evaluation and analysis. Post-crisis evaluation and analysis help the team review the effectiveness of their existing crisis response strategy and spot areas in which they can optimize and improve their processes for the future.
7. Implement Preventive Measure: A pertinent aspect of a brand’s overall crisis management protocol is setting guardrails and preventive mechanisms to forestall the recurrence of future crises. Below is a bullet list of practical measures brands can adopt to fortify their media activities against unnecessary backlashes and media controversies.
- Establish specific guidelines for engaging on social media.
- Train employees on crisis response protocols
- Keep track of both positive and negative media vibes.
- Review and update your crisis management plans regularly.
8. Seek the help of professionals
Where a media backlash has escalated into astronomical proportions, and the organisation is overwhelmed by intense online harassment and media scrutiny, the best course of action might be to bring PR professionals on board to salvage the situation quickly. PR companies like Mediacraft Associates have media experts with deep insight and decades of practical industry experience in crisis management, reputation management and other specialised services for top organisations. We can jump in to save the day and rescue your brand from experiencing irretrievable damage to its reputation.
Media controversies and storms can damage a brand’s reputation and have a significant adverse impact on its revenue. As daunting as the experience can be, a media storm should not spell utter doom for an organisation. With the right strategies and a proactive approach to crisis management, organisations can gallantly bounce back from media controversies, regain the market’s trust and bolster their defences against future attacks.
