This guide skips the basics. Instead, we dive straight into advanced crisis media monitoring strategies backed by real-world examples from brands like KFC, California Pizza Kitchen, and even the Tiger Woods incident.

TL;DR – What you’ll learn in this guide

• How to use real-time alerts to spot crises before they escalate
• Why sentiment analysis drives smarter PR decisions
• How to build high-precision Boolean queries that catch everything
• What to track across digital, social, broadcast, and print media
• How to design crisis dashboards that drive action
• 3 case studies that showcase real-world applications
• 4 recurring themes in successful PR crisis responses

6 advanced best practices for crisis media monitoring

1. Set up proactive alerts and threshold triggers

Monitor all kinds of keywords ahead of time. Your own brand, hashtags, competitors, CEO, stakeholders, or anyone (or anything) that can potentially be at the scrutiny of the media. Additionally, set up alerts for things like an unusual spike in mentions, so you know when a crisis is starting to hit.

🛠️ With Prowly, you can set real-time alerts for spikes in mentions, specific stakeholders, or regional media—giving you a head start on response.

2. Build smarter queries—without the Boolean complexity

Effective monitoring starts with flexible, inclusive queries. Instead of wrestling with traditional Boolean syntax, group keywords into logical themes—like product names, spokespersons, or crisis topics.

Don’t forget to include common misspellings, abbreviations, hashtags, or language variations your audience might use.

💡 Prowly’s intuitive query builder lets you cluster keywords using “ANY,” “ALL,” and “NONE” logic—making it easy to cast a wide net or zero in on specific mentions, all without needing technical expertise.

3. Track sentiment and narrative changes dynamically

Truth is, sentiment simply drives decisions. Are people excited for your new campaign? Confused? Angry with a statement you've put out? Is your brand the laughter of the internet now? An advanced media monitoring PR tactic will have these covered with intuitive dashboards.

💡 Prowly’s dashboards visualize sentiment shifts across all media types—TV, social, online, and print—so you can adjust messaging in real-time.

4. Monitor across the web, social media, TV, and print

While social media usually gets hit first, it's not until it spreads to national broadcasts and more popular magazines that more people hear about it. You know, a Reddit thread will slightly question your integrity, but a segment on the evening news might turn it into a fact for the public.

💡 Prowly covers online, social, broadcast, and print channels—so you can spot narratives as they evolve and take action before they hit mainstream media.

5. Build dashboards for crisis response teams

It doesn't matter if they're pretty. It matters if they're actionable at a quick glance. Stakeholders and managers need to view sentiment and volume trends quickly, while social media and PR coworkers need live mentions.

💡 With customizable widgets and real-time data, Prowly dashboards let you build stakeholder-friendly views that highlight key metrics instantly—no spreadsheets required.

Tip: include benchmark metrics from calm periods so your team can immediately spot if something is out of the ordinary.

6. Respond to emerging misinformation quickly

Ready, set, go! When that first comment hits, you literally have about 15 minutes to re-think your entire strategy in that moment. While aiming for a perfect response is crucial, being on time is even more important. What's even better? Having a proactive media monitoring crisis strategy in place.

💡 Prowly’s real-time alerts and keyword spike detection help you catch misinformation the moment it starts trending—so you’re always one step ahead.

Case Study 1: Rolling Hills Estates & Tiger Woods crash

In February 2021, Tiger Woods was injured in a high-speed rollover crash around the Rolling Hills Estates in California, USA. He was twice over the speed limit, collided with a neighborhood sign, crossed into oncoming traffic, and rolled into a tree.

The crash brought intense attention, even though he was reportedly not intoxicated. However, a toxicology test was never conducted because police said there was no probable cause since Woods was lucid and cooperative.

This is an exact scenario where carefully curated Boolean queries and sentiment analysis are the most important, for both Woods as a celebrity, and the Rolling Hills Estates as a community. Things like baseline sentiment dashboards help comms teams view narrative shifts, from shock to speculation.

Then, of course, preventing rumours and misinformation since they're easy to appear out of no where especially when the case involves a high-profile celebrity.

📡 Prowly’s broadcast and local print monitoring capabilities would help comms teams detect narrative shifts early—even before they trend nationally.

Case Study 2: KFC Chicken Shortage in UK

In 2018, UK's KFC ran out of chicken across hundreds of locations nationwide. Days later, more than 600 restaurant chains closed temporarily, sparking debates and rumors on why, along with negative sentiment towards the brand.

Unfortunately, the public's reaction ranged from sarcastic frustration to empathy, but mostly it kept on escalating quite fast on social media. However, KFC shot it all down with humor themselves, rearranging their logo to say "FCK" on an empty bucket as a sign of apology.

This is a classic example of how real-media monitoring can help in cases like these. Spotting sentiment overflown with negativity (but some humor), their team was probably able to assess who the critics within the audience are, and turned a potential PR disaster into a cheeky brand win.

📈 By visualizing sentiment patterns using Prowly’s customizable dashboards, PR teams can quickly adapt tone and messaging—turning a crisis into an opportunity.

Case Study 3: California Pizza Kitchen TikTok Crisis

Around July 2024, a user named Riley (@fumptruck) went viral on TikTok after there was nothing but cheese in her mac & cheese order from California Pizza Kitchen. The video had over 3 million views and sparked a hefty conversation in the comments.

While things like these happen and it could have been a simple human error, the community did not leave a dry thread on California Pizza Kitchen. Had the company not utilized platform-specific monitoring, they would miss their shot on responding to the crisis effectively.

In return, California Pizza Kitchen sent Riley a care package and a voucher for completely free mac & cheese for a year.

Additionally, because they knew the sentiment and humor of their audience, they launched a funny chef video showing how to make the dish properly. You know, actually add the pasta.

P.S. We've gathered 16 more crisis management examples—explore them all here.

4 key themes across effective crisis management

To continue using the same examples, let's follow up on what similarities all the above mentioned case studies had. There are surely plenty of other occurrences which would fit here as well, but for the purpose of this article, we'll focus on what we've discussed.

In order to effectively put out their own fire, media monitoring crisis teams look for similarities across the strategies and responses of brands to shape their own approach. Here are the four key themes that emerge:

Theme 1: Speed

Each one of these teams responded quickly before the topic died down or got out of hand. The reason they were able to do it usually consists of several different things: effective media monitoring using solid PR crisis communication tools, a proactive crisis management plan, and making sure everyone at the organization knows what they need to do when a situation like this arises.

Most of the time, the best crisis management teams have several statements ready long before anything happens. These statements just sit there, waiting to be used, but they're usually vetted by all the stakeholders, align with the company's voice and tone, and ensure everyone is prepared as much as possible.

⚡ Prowly’s immediate alert system and email digests ensure no key moment is missed.

Theme 2: Real-time alerting

Media monitoring in crisis management is sort of the same, but then different. Yes, they also create queries of all the keywords that need to be tracked, but they're much more meticulous and detailed in doing so.

Real-time monitoring tools that allow for Boolean queries and platform-specific alerts are key here.

Just because you're going down on TikTok, doesn't mean your Facebook community shares the same sentiment. By knowing these nuances, teams can better understand what's going on and respond successfully.

💡 With Prowly, you can set tailored alerts for each platform and issue—so no comment, tweet, or local news report goes unseen. And here you can compare Google and Prowly alerts.

Theme 3: Platform-specific communication

A short, snappy video will probably not work for the audiences that watch national television, so knowing what content to place on what channel is absolute key. For all the companies we've discussed above, their response strategies were effectively tailored to the platforms and channels where the conversation first began.

Takeaway? There's no such thing as one-size-fits-all messaging. Especially in times of a fragmented media landscape.

💡 Prowly helps PR pros identify which channels are gaining traction through intuitive filtering by source type—TV, radio, blogs, or social.

Theme 4: Thorough sentiment analysis

Sentiment isn't just a cool graph that shows who's happy and who's upset. In sentiment analysis crisis PR, it becomes a tactical lever that shapes the tone of apologies, guides replies, and helps organizations stay ahead of misinformed gossip.

💡 Track mood in real-time, not just numbers. Prowly helps tailor response tone by mapping sentiment across stakeholder groups.

P.S. Don’t stop here—our PR crisis management guide is packed with extra tactics the pros keep to themselves.

Stay ahead of any comment with real-time media alerts PR crisis teams rely on. Start your free 7-day trial with Prowly. No contracts, no credit card needed.

How Prowly helps in media monitoring for crisis teams

#1 Real-time alerts

What's good about an alert that will come several hours after the comment has been posted? Absolutely nothing. In this day and age, Kerry will write something at 1:02pm, and by 2:00pm you have a full-blown crisis in the comments if whatever Kerry wrote sticks the wrong way.

With Prowly, you'll get immediate, real-time alerts delivered right into your inbox. This is in addition to special alerts, such as a spike in mentions so you know there's something cooking up if you get it. Pretty sure that's exactly how California Pizza Kitchen caught their viral TikTok video before it got out of control.

#2 Sentiment analysis

Prowly's tools measure the exact feeling your audience has about whatever campaign you've put out. The tool will track mentions in comments, on forums, customer feedback, and more, so you know if they're rather positive or negative towards an event.

For example, in the above-mentioned KFC chicken outage, the team must have monitored the sentiment closely in order to know if they need to come out with a formal apology, or add a bit or laughter.

#3 Offline tracking

With Prowly, you can monitor traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, and broadcast television. Therefore, if something has shown up even in local news, you'll know about it right away. That was probably the case in the Tiger Woods crash.

Although he's a celebrity, the community is pretty tight knit in these areas in California. Before national outlets picked it up, you bet it was local TV, radio, and newspapers that wrote about it first. Without proper offline monitoring, it would be nearly impossible to spot these mentions.

#4 Comprehensive dashboards

Life isn't easy when you need to juggle several tabs in order to digest all the information. That's why Prowly features easy-to-read dashboards, so you can quickly spot trends, opportunities, and outliers just by looking at it.

It's also effective if you're trying to explain something to a stakeholder that might not necessarily understand PR. After all, everyone understands the basics of when a line goes up, down, or what colors mean.

👉 Looking for more crisis management tools? This comparison covers 6 top-rated PR crisis management platforms.

Quick FAQ

💬 How does media monitoring help in a crisis?

Media monitoring allows teams to quickly understand what is going on in their respective landscape, where did the crisis appear first and who started it. Additionally, it also allows teams to check out what their competitor's are doing when a crisis hits them, so they can learn from their successes and failures.

💬 Why is real-time media monitoring important for crisis communication?

Real-time media monitoring is an indispensable component of all successful crisis strategy. It helps teams assess the risks of current issues, spot communications they need to respond to immediately, and prioritize in times of havoc.

That way, they can engage the right stakeholders to speak to the public, coordinate with other people, and minimize the damage to a minimum.

Final thoughts

If there's one thing you should take away from this post, it's the notion that if you're not prepared, you're already behind and failing. Those little first signs of negative comments here and there surely build momentum and can potentially spiral down further rather quickly.

Prowly gives you the right tools and features to pick up on the first spark and not be caught in a surprise. Start your 7-day free trial today and experience how media monitoring for crisis teams can turn your work from reactive to proactive.

The post Media Monitoring for Crisis Teams: Advanced Strategies for 2025 w/Case Studies appeared first on Prowly.

But here’s the thing: you’re not just watching from the sidelines. You’ve got the tools, the access, and the voice to step in and handle it. Whether it’s a negative comment gaining traction or a bigger issue bubbling up, there is a way to take control.

This is what social media crisis management is all about and this guide will show you how to stay prepared, respond smartly, and bounce back stronger.

What is a social media crisis?

A social media crisis occurs when a brand receives negative attention online which then spreads rapidly. Social media crises typically happen on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and similar ones.

Every social media crisis has one thing in common: they incur lots of damage in a short time period, all thanks to the fast-paced nature of social media as a communications channel.

But how do you know if you're dealing with a proper social media crisis instead of a regular Tuesday morning of unhappy customers?

Here's a side-by-side comparison of a regular problem (e.g., a few negative comments) vs. a full blown crisis.

When a crisis strikes, you'll need a crisis management tool to help you determine and mitigate damage. This is where platforms such as Prowly help, providing media management tools to spot problems early on.

Why social media matters in crisis management

Social media has the power to either calm the storm or make it worse. It all comes down to how you use it: work it into your crisis plan and it can make life easier—or ignore it, and risk turning a small issue into a big mess.

Platforms like Twitter (X), TikTok, and Instagram act as accelerators in a crisis. A single tweet, video, or comment can:

• Go viral within minutes, reaching millions before your team has even drafted the first response.
• Shape public opinion instantly, often before full context is available, potentially leading to massive reputation damage.
• Attract media attention, as journalists now source breaking stories from viral posts.

Here are some examples where the social media manager acted too late, wreaking havoc on the brand's reputation:

1️⃣ OceanGate’s Titan sub disaster (2023)

When the sub went missing, TikTok and X were flooded with memes, theories, and panic. OceanGate failed to update in real time, letting misinformation dominate the narrative.

Here is a part of Guillermo Söhnlein's (co-founder and former CEO of OceanGate, Inc.) publication "OceanGate & Titan - Lessons Learned in Crisis Communications":

2️⃣ Airbnb hidden camera accusations

Multiple TikTok posts about hidden cameras in rentals went viral, but Airbnb didn’t respond until traditional media picked it up, losing control of the story.

3️⃣ Volkswagen’s prank ad gone wrong

A fake kidnapping teaser video sparked outrage on Instagram. VW deleted it too late and screenshots kept circulating, making matters worse.

P.S. Here’s an article that might come in handy if you’re looking for a tool to measure the impact of your communication efforts.

Crisis management strategy: key pillars

To do social media crisis management well, you need a plan and a strategy. Each crisis management plan will be different depending on your audience, the social media guidelines for a specific platform, the amount of potential damage, etc.

However, these are the main pillars of every good social media crisis management strategy:

#1 Preparation

The best time to prepare for a crisis is before it happens. Having a plan in place helps your team stay calm and act fast.

Key steps

• Assign roles: Who monitors social media? Are we using any tools to track negative publicity? Who approves responses? Who contacts legal? Clear ownership speeds up reaction time and helps you mitigate damage.
• Prewrite holding statements: Draft templates for common issues (e.g., data breach, service outages, public backlash, or something specific to your industry/service/product).
• Conduct simulations: Run mock drills with different scenarios to test your plan and response time.

Why it matters: Confusion costs you in the first 30 minutes of a social media crisis. Clarity and coordination win trust with your target audience and the press.

#2 Monitoring

You can’t manage what you don’t see. Active social media monitoring lets you spot emerging issues and trends before they explode.

What to monitor:

• Brand mentions and hashtags
• Sentiment shifts (positive → negative)
• Influencer or media activity
• Customer DMs and replies

Why it matters: A single tweet or video can go viral in minutes. Early detection gives you a chance to get ahead of the story.

#3 Communication

When a crisis breaks, your communication must be cohesive and trustworthy, both externally and internally.

Best practices:

• Align internal and external messaging: Everyone from customer support to leadership should know what’s being said and how to say it.
• Respond quickly and humanely: Don’t hide behind PR jargon. Acknowledge the issue and show empathy.
• Stay visible: Use your main social accounts to update regularly, even if you’re still investigating.

Why it matters: Silence looks suspicious. Consistent messaging builds credibility and diffuses confusion.

#4 Recovery

Once the crisis subsides, the real work begins, as you begin restoring your brand’s reputation and preventing future issues.

Post-crisis checklist:

• Conduct a debrief: What worked? What didn’t? Where were the bottlenecks?
• Engage your audience again: Be transparent about what you’ve learned and how you’re fixing things in the future.
• Rebuild goodwill: Launch campaigns that refocus on customer value and trust.

Why it matters: Brands that bounce back strongest are the ones that take accountability and evolve from the experience.

💡 Prowly tip

Prowly can support your crisis response across all four pillars:

• Preparation: Use Prowly’s media contact database to build press lists for crisis-specific outreach, so you can contact the right people to rebuild trust fast.
• Monitoring: Track brand mentions and earned media coverage in real time with Prowly’s media monitoring features.
• Communication: Distribute press releases directly to journalists, influencers, and stakeholders through Prowly’s newsroom.
• Recovery: Analyze coverage and sentiment post-crisis to understand how your message was received and where to improve.

Crisis management plan for social media

A solid crisis plan gives your social team structure and speed when everything feels chaotic. Here’s what it should cover:

Internal roles and escalation paths

Define who’s responsible for what. Assign a crisis lead, social media monitor, content drafter, and legal/comms approver. Include an escalation path. Who gets notified and when? Clarity here saves critical minutes and prevents even bigger problems.

Holding statements

Prewrite flexible, situation-agnostic messages for common crises (outages, data breaches, backlash). These allow you to acknowledge the issue quickly while you gather more info. Adapt them for Twitter (X), Instagram, LinkedIn, and the press.

Approval workflows

List who must review and approve messaging before it goes live. Include time limits (e.g., 15-minute response window) and backup contacts in case key people are unavailable. Speed is everything.

Response playbooks

Document step-by-step actions for different scenarios, like negative media coverage, customer injury claims, or viral complaints. Include:

• Platform-specific tone guidance
• Sample replies
• Decision trees (when to respond vs. when to stay silent)

Enhancing prevention: account security + internal comms

You can prevent most social media crises simply by doing your homework and staying prepared.

1. Keep your accounts secure. Create unique passwords for every social media platform, change them regularly, and use two-factor authentication to stay safe. Determine different access levels for each team member.
2. Regularly review scheduled content. Make sure that the content that is just about to go live doesn't interfere with the "hot" debates going on at the moment of pushing the content out.
3. Include internal messaging as the first step in the response. Keep everyone on the same page within your team before going public with any kind of response.

Here's a mini checklist to keep you prepared for all situations:

Social media crisis management checklist

Real-world social media crisis examples

(Un)fortunately, examples of crises happening on your social media platform are very common.

The great news is that you can learn a lot from their mistakes so you can prepare a better crisis response for yourself in the future.

#1 KFC's UK chicken shortage fiasco

In 2018, KFC UK temporarily closed over 600 restaurants after switching to a new logistics provider (DHL), which failed to deliver chicken on time.

Customers flooded social media with complaints and jokes. KFC responded with humor. Most notably, there was a full-page ad showing an empty bucket rebranded as “FCK,” earning public sympathy for its honest and transparent response.

How Prowly could have helped:

• Media monitoring would have allowed KFC to detect rising sentiment shifts and trending keywords like “chicken shortage” or “DHL fail” in real-time.
• Using press release tools, the PR team could have issued proactive statements to explain the issue early and maintain control over the narrative.
• With media contact management, they could’ve quickly reached key journalists to frame the story positively before it spun out of control.

#2 United Airlines passenger dragging incident

In 2017, a passenger was forcibly removed from an overbooked United Airlines flight.

A video of the incident went viral, sparking outrage. United's initial response was defensive, calling the passenger “disruptive,” which only worsened public perception. Eventually, they apologized, but the delayed and tone-deaf reaction caused lasting damage.

How Prowly could have helped:

• Crisis monitoring would have flagged the viral spread of the video immediately, before the backlash peaked.
• Using automated alerts, United’s PR team could have been notified about trending content involving the brand.
• Media sentiment tracking would have shown the overwhelmingly negative tone, nudging leadership toward a more empathetic and timely response.
• Press room features could help publish updates and apologies faster.

#3 Balenciaga's controversial ad campaign

In late 2022, Balenciaga faced severe backlash for an ad campaign featuring children holding teddy bears in bondage gear.

The imagery sparked accusations of exploiting children and promoting inappropriate themes. The brand was slow to respond and their initial statement blaming other parties made things worse.

How Prowly could have helped:

• Pre-campaign media intelligence tools could have flagged risky themes or similar controversies in the media space so they could have smelled trouble from a mile away.
• Media monitoring would’ve picked up on early criticism before it snowballed into a full-blown crisis.
• Crisis communication tools would have supported faster internal alignment and timely responses, helping the company resolve issues before they got to the press or relevant influencers.
• Prowly's influencer and journalist database could have helped Balenciaga engage voices of trust to clarify intent and shift the conversation.

Best practices in social media crisis communication

When you're preparing your crisis response team and overall strategy, there are a few things you can implement that are universal across industries and clients.

👉 Pause automated posts

When trouble is brewing, the last thing you want to do is create scheduled posts promoting your latest product or post photos from your Christmas office party.

When the first signs of a crisis show up, stop all scheduled and automated posts until the crisis is resolved.

👉 Respond quickly and consistently

One of the easiest ways to ruin your company's reputation is to not respond to negative comments or to do so when it's too late. Respond promptly across your social media accounts and reassure customers and bystanders that everything is going according to plan.

👉 Be human and transparent

Don't try to sugar coat a crisis by pretending it's not happening or responding to everything except the issue at hand. Recognize your mistake and own up to it; you'll have to do that sooner or later. The sooner you do it, the better for your crisis management team and company.

👉 Monitor sentiment and adapt messaging accordingly

Base your response strategy on the sentiment of the mentions that come in for your brand. For example, if the majority of mentions across social media posts are negative, it means you should spend more time addressing concerns. And when the sentiment switches to positive, you can adjust the content to suit your social media strategy.

PS. you can use Prowly as your PR coverage tool during a crisis to make educated decisions in real-time. Prowly sends you relevant mentions and performs sentiment analysis, helping you spot spikes in negative sentiment or any major changes with ease.

Tools for managing a social media crisis

Managing crises can be done manually, but why bother when there are so many tools to help you get results more quickly and easily?

Prowly – best for PR-focused crisis management

If you work in PR, Prowly is your crisis HQ. It provides everything you need to communicate quickly and effectively during a social media emergency.

• Quick press release distribution: Share updates instantly via your newsroom or directly with journalists.
• Custom media lists: Build and segment outreach lists for urgent, targeted communication.
• Media monitoring: Track brand mentions and earned media coverage in real time.
• Journalist engagement insights: See who’s opened your emails and what’s getting attention.

Prowly helps you stay in control of the story when it matters most—getting your side out fast and to the right people.

Brand24 – best for real-time social listening

Brand24 keeps its finger on the pulse of the internet. It monitors social media, forums, blogs, and news sites to alert you when your brand is mentioned, especially when sentiment turns negative.

You can get real-time alerts for keyword spikes, influencer mentions, and trending hashtags. It’s particularly useful in the early stages of a crisis, when a single post or video might start picking up steam.

While it’s not a PR tool, Brand24 is excellent at spotting a storm before it hits, giving you time to react and prepare messaging.

Conclusion

To get out of a social media crisis unharmed, you need to do just a few things well. Plan ahead for uncertainties, act fast when a crisis happens, and communicate clearly about what happened. Everything else is a walk in the park.

Don't take crisis management for granted. Build a crisis management strategy and document it. As time goes by and social media platforms change, refine your strategy on the go.

Last but not least, use tools such as Prowly to monitor your social media and get quantitative data on crises as they unfold.

The post Social Media Crisis Management: How-to Guide for 2025 appeared first on Prowly.

That’s why brand protection has become a core PR function. It’s not just about managing reputation after a crisis, but preventing one in the first place. With the right tools and strategies, PR teams can monitor threats, spot misinformation early, and keep their brand narrative under control.

In this guide, you’ll find practical tips, real risks to watch for, and the tech that helps modern PR pros stay ahead of the damage.

What is brand protection?

Brand protection includes all actions a company takes toward preserving the integrity of its identity. This includes the name, logos, taglines, its tone and voice, the way people talk about it online, and how their audience feels about the brand in general.

You may think this mostly involves guarding trademarks, intellectual property rights, or even intellectual property infringement, but that's not entirely true.

Nowadays, complete brand protection includes things like:

• Real-time monitoring of your brand online, including mentions across news, online outlets, magazines, social media platforms, and forums
• Consistent messaging across all channels that the clients can see, such as websites, press releases, Amazon storefronts, NGO one-pagers, etc.
• Rapid crisis management to prevent excessive brand abuse and keep the narrative under control when something puts you in boiling waters
• Impersonation defense, especially from deepfakes, fake social media accounts, people spreading misinformation, and doing general consumer harm

If there's one sentence you should remember from this list, it is its key message: your public relations, legal, marketing, and customer service efforts should all be on board when it comes to your brand reputation.

🎯 Their ultimate goal? Continuous support to help you remain a trusted brand with honest consumer engagement. This is something that will multiply consumer trust for decades.

Why is brand protection important?

Many enjoy the fact that, thanks to social media accounts and the way media is done now, brands can grow faster. You know, overnight millionaires (and I'm all for it).

However, that kind of speed of light can also generate a lot of vulnerability due to misinformation, unauthorized use of a brand's materials, brand abuse, and counterfeit trade.

Without a strong brand protection program, even the most popular brands on the market can suffer significantly. That includes both financial and reputational damage.

Top risks when brand protection fails

If your brand protection efforts aren't really thought through, you're putting your business at risk in so many ways:

• Loss of customer trust – if your dear audience sees fake accounts, counterfeit products, and then peeks at your site only to discover misaligned messaging between all social media accounts, you're down several points already in their book.
• Legal action and revenue loss – if you've failed to make sure your intellectual property rights such as trademarks, domain names, and product images are secured, it can lead to really (and I mean really) expensive disputes, lawsuits, and dips in revenue. There are dozens of small companies that forgot about it and had to close their business in the long run.
• Damage from bad actors – think of things like digital brand abuse, illicit trade, and trademark infringement such as fake listings on online marketplaces. Couple that with threats on the dark web, and swift action is not optional but essential.
• Unauthorized use of brand assets – whether someone uses your logo without permission or sells your products without a license, this can not only hurt your sales but also confuse consumers. I know you may think that people will know explicitly which website is real and which is fake, but to be quite honest here, many people are not tech-savvy and will not know. Plus, impersonators can get really, really good at what they do.
• Cyber threats – things like phishing, ransomware attacks, and similar. Well-known brands have entire teams that deal with these sorts of events. But hey, before you say they have the budget for that kind of brand protection (which is true), you can always do everything you can to replicate their brand protection efforts yourself.

When brand protection fails: the Burger King example

On March 8 2021, Burger King's UK branch came out with a campaign intended to promote a new scholarship program for women, aimed at increasing the number of female chefs in the culinary industry. Sounds great, right? Yeah, well... their slogan said "Women belong in the kitchen".

This isn't a joke. So many people have perceived it sexist, especially given the context of International Women's Day. Brand protection experts must have had a field day with this one.

The engagement on that tweet has lead to widespread criticism, quickly outpacing any explanations anyone might have said.

Moving forward, Burger King UK eventually deleted the original tweet and issued an apology where they've acknowledged their error in not providing context upfront. However, the damage has already been done.

💡 P.S. In case you'd like to find out how PR pros manage crises beyond the general advice, this article spills the tips they don't usually talk about with others (with many more examples).

3 key brand protection strategies that work

Damage control is cool, but have you ever heard of building a smart, proactive brand protection system that decreases threats and increases trusts? Exactly.

Here are three most effective brand protection strategies:

#1: Put PR at the forefront

A strategic, well-organized public relations team does more than just build organic visibility. They help protect the brand from crises, misinformation, and brand abuse before it grows into something bigger they can handle. A strong PR strategy can help:

1. Establish a consistent brand online, including messaging, narrative, and mission
2. Build long-term relationships with key journalists and industry partners
3. Highlight positive press and diminish unfriendly noise, such as social media backlash
4. Take immediate action against brand abuse like spam comments, trolls, and threats
5. Monitor the industry in various ways, including using advanced tools for collecting mentions

💡 Beyond that, PR teams can also flag 🚩 potential unauthorized use of messaging, product visuals, or trademarks. This kind of alignment is crucial if you're in spaces like e-commerce, where bad actors can engage in illicit activities connected to selling counterfeit products.

By collaborating early and often with legal teams, they can help you to prevent brand abuse and protect your intellectual property.

#2: Respond quickly to digital brand abuse

Brand abuse doesn't discriminate, so it doesn't matter if you work for a small company, or for well known brands. Both are vulnerable to sudden crises.

Whether it's a poorly written social media post, a leaked memo, an email that was never supposed to be analyzed through the public eye, or the discovery of counterfeit goods on popular online marketplaces, you need to protect your brand reputation. While not all crisis management tips make it into textbooks, here's what PR pros actually do when things go left.

But, what can you do now to protect yourself from all of these?

1. Draft pre-written responses for different threat scenarios, like unauthorized use of assets, leaked sensitive information, patent infringement etc.
2. Choose the right platforms, channels, people, and keywords to monitor. That way, you have full visibility into where the issue that arises began in the first place.
3. Create clear, actionable steps for how to respond in a crisis in case it's not covered in the pre-written responses you provided. Make sure to state who is responsible for what.
4. Make sure top management has full visibility on your brand protection strategy. Make sure they understand their approval is needed, so that everything is ready for when you need to quickly respond. Early detection is cool, but what happens when it will take you several days to get a "yes" from all of your superiors?

#3: Monitor your brand anywhere and everywhere

Most brand protection solutions fall short because they haven't incorporated a good media monitoring strategy.

Prowly's Media Monitoring isn't only useful for tracking mentions from your pitching efforts. It can also aid you in a full, comprehensive brand protection strategy.

Let's take a look at some of the activities you should be doing:

#1 Monitoring multiple channels including online, print, and broadcast

That way, you can monitor your brand holistically everywhere.

The sources you should track include news outlets, magazines (both online and print), broadcast, Reddit, and other forums.

#2 Setting up automated alerts for important mentions

I'm sure you'd want to know when something happens, right away.

💡 If you're getting dozens of comments within an hour, Prowly will send you an email alerting you that something is going on. Same goes for other types of alerts, depending on your needs.

#3 Analyzing sentiment

Sentiment analysis is great, and we know that. What's even more useful is monitoring sentiment in different places.

For example, try setting up queries for different social media platforms and compare whether or not your brand is more liked on one platform versus the other.

💡 With Prowly, you can gather concrete data and filter it by engagement, sentiment analysis, number of mentions, share of voice, and many more.

Curious to see how Prowly helps brands stay ahead of digital brand abuse and protect their reputation? Start your free 7-day trial. No strings attached, no credit card needed.

Top brand protection solutions and tools

To make sure your brand reputation is where you want it to be, it's time to explore the tools that can give you control, clarity, and the power to act fast whenever you need to.

The best tools allow you and your team to collaborate closely, prevent digital brand abuse through effortless media monitoring, and enforce all the essential components of a good strategy in day-to-day life.

Here's a quick comparison of leading brand protection tools:

These platforms help brand owners and coworkers protect their business by finding mentions that can reveal unauthorized use of assets, track sentiment, and all the other components that go into brand reputation management.

Curious to learn more? Dive into a complete breakdown of the best reputation management software options out there. Or simply...

Why consistency in messaging matters?

Imagine some of your online platforms are filled with content for Gen Zers, talking about the environment, ethical practices, and consumerism.

Then, other digital platforms you manage are completely disconnected: there, you often run ads that say things like "the right time to buy is NOW" or "don't miss out on this event of a lifetime." See the divergence?

The way your (or your client’s) brand shows up in Instagram posts, press releases, chatbot responses, sales materials, and more is a series of touchpoints that together tell the world who you are. If they don't sound aligned, it takes away from your brand's credibility.

And fragmented brands harm consumer trust. Therefore, don't forget to include consistent messaging in your brand protection program.

Brand protection isn't easy, but it's worth it

Protecting your brand is hard, but if you don't do it, no one else will. The better, stronger, and more interesting your brand becomes, the more attractive it becomes to bad actors who want to tarnish what you've achieved.

They won't just target your logos or write some spam comments. Now, with artificial intelligence and machine learning, they can do some real damage. By ignoring brand protection solutions, you're not just risking a small dip in your revenue: you're risking your entire brand.

To end it all on a positive note, there are ways you can do your best to prevent it: media monitoring solutions, pre-written responses, internal frameworks on how to handle things when they come up. Prevention is better than reaction.

The post Why is Brand Protection Important in PR? Useful Tips and Strategies appeared first on Prowly.

Today we’ll make sure you fall into the first group.

Let’s take a look at some company crisis examples - both good and bad ones, to help you with your PR crisis management and help you get inspired.

• What is crisis communication?
• 7 disaster PR crisis management examples
• Crisis management part 1: how to prevent a PR crisis
• Well handled PR crisis management examples
• Crisis management part 2: during a crisis, monitor people’s reactions
• PR crisis management examples that could’ve been better
• Crisis management part 3: post-crisis analysis
• Stay on top of things with media monitoring

Luckily you can do a lot to protect yourself from future brand crises. Start from using Prowly's media monitoring while you figure out your plan B.

What is crisis communication?

Crisis communication is a type of communication brands undertake in critical situations. The primary aim of crisis communication is to mitigate the impact on a company's reputation, operations and stakeholders.

7 PR crisis management examples: don’t do it that way

When things get tough in the world of PR, not even having a big brand or a powerful PR team can help in some cases. And frankly, you don’t need one to come up with a good crisis strategy if you’re a small brand.

As we'll learn from the crisis communication examples below, disaster can strike quickly and spares no one.

OpenAI and Sam Altman

The news of Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, being fired from his position in 2023 shook the world of tech. It's one of the prime examples of crisis management done poorly.

Background

Sam Altman was the CEO of OpenAI, the world's leading artificial intelligence platform. In a short time frame, he made a name for himself and the company. On November 17, 2023, the board and the company fired him, blasting the news of the event on a Friday afternoon.

How did the company react?

Let’s say they didn’t handle it well.

The flash point was created way before the crisis happened - with no complex new CEO replacing the previous one announced to the public. As it turned out, not even the major stakeholders or investors, like Microsoft, knew about Sam Altman being fired.

Fridays are sometimes chosen for news dumps to soften the blow as news gets less attention during the weekend. However, they also say “crises blow out on the weekends.” And it’s way safer to monitor what’s going on especially after dropping news like that. But - during the weekend following this climactic Friday, they did nothing.

Only after getting backlash from investors and notable tech figures did the new CEO step up and say that the process was not handled smoothly.

Evaluation

There are many reasons why this is a classic example of poor social media crisis management.

There was no preparation beforehand, there was inconsistency in communication, and the news was dumped on a Friday afternoon.

Lessons learned: Prepare a plan ahead of time, especially if you're promoting news about someone both well-known and liked in the company. Do not dump news on Fridays expecting things to settle down and blow over during the weekend. Ensure your communication is consistent.

💡 TIP: Consider writing a crisis press release. Here you can find an example of a press release announcing the resignation of an old CEO and the hire of a new leader.

Musk Twitter rebranding

The names of Twitter and Elon Musk will be studied decades from now as textbook crisis communications examples of how things should not be done. But is it really that obvious?

Background

Ever since Elon Musk purchased Twitter to the tune of $44 billion, he has been introducing a series of changes to the brand.

Many were unexpected but coherent with Musk’s character and beliefs: from firing people, banning journalists, unbanning users, charging for verification badges, and more. And in 2023, he decided to rebrand Twitter to X.

How did the company react?

Musk went about with business as usual. He stayed active, as always, on X (Twitter) in his own characteristic, nonchalant way.

The rebranding wasn’t announced, it just happened. The rebranding scared some advertisers and accounts away, but ultimately, as the dust settled, people started using the brand X instead of Twitter. Just as Musk said.

Evaluation

One could say - different rules apply when you're Elon Musk and have a general tendency not to care about what the public thinks.

From the PR perspective, it was misguided and many things could have been done better. This controversy surely got X many media placements - although today’s PR doesn’t live by the “all publicity is good publicity” approach. 

Lessons learned: Rebranding should be purposeful and not just create change for the sake of change.

💡 TIP: If you’re planning on rebranding, make sure to plan the communication and use this press release guide as inspiration to prepare your statement.

Barcelona female team and their coach

This is one of the best examples of a crisis situation gone wrong - in August 2023, former football chief Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed a female football player during a game.

Background

Luis Rubiales is a football coach who grabbed the head of Jennifer Hermoso during a live airing of a football game, causing a proper crisis for the Royal Spanish Football Association (RFEF).

Not long after the incident, there was outrage by journalists and the public.

How did the company react?

Initially, in the days after the event, Rubiales and the members of RFEF showed no regret and he was even praised for standing up against "false feminism."

Then everything took a turn as they realized the public was not letting the situation go. The new president apologized for the action, while Rubiales was fired and banned from football. But the change didn’t happen quickly.

Evaluation

The crisis could have been prevented if the individual and company acted in a timely manner and admitted their wrongdoing. The scandal was covered globally and spread like wildfire, causing irreparable damage to everyone involved.

Lessons learned:
👉🏼 Act quickly and apologize if you are in the wrong.
👉🏼 Recognize the mistake that happened and own it before the event scales to a more serious level.
👉🏼 And in situations like this - call a special board meeting to address the scandal and evaluate the options of making a real change - because a simple apology might not be enough.

Wells Fargo account fraud scandal

Background

Wells Fargo employees created bogus accounts in their bank in order for their employees to reach their sales targets.

The end result was that Wells Fargo had operational issues initially, and when the scandal was found, the company's reputation was on thin ice.

How did the company react?

The initial response was to blame low-level employees and not accept full accountability as a company.

As the crisis unfolded and it was revealed how many accounts were affected, leadership took responsibility. The CEO stepped down and the top management was replaced.

Evaluation

For the scale of the crisis, the leadership of Wells Fargo was too slow to take responsibility. Besides the reputational damage, the company had to pay out over $3 billion to regulatory bodies.

Lessons learned: When a crisis happens at a large scale, the leadership should step up and be accountable. Many brand crisis examples follow this pattern - the damage could have been mitigated if the right people took a stand from the start.

United Airlines' passenger removal incident

In April 2017, Dr David Dao was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight that was accidentally overbooked.

1️⃣ Background

Flight 3411 was overbooked and United Airlines had to remove someone from the flight at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

They chose Dr. David Dao and removed him by force, injuring him in the process. The problem couldn’t be buried under the carpet because someone recorded everything.

2️⃣ How did the company react?

Initially, the CEO of the company put blame on the passenger for reacting in the way that he did. Even though the mistake wasn’t made by the victim, but the tech.

Then internal emails were leaked, blaming the passenger for his actions rather than the company taking the blame for the situation. Eventually, the United Airlines CEO apologized to Dr. David Dao and the rest of the passengers.

3️⃣ Evaluation

Like many other social media crisis examples, this one came about because of a bad initial reaction from company leadership.

Also a refund should have taken place in this situation, combined with the right messaging and taking adult responsibility as a brand for what happened. Couple that with a lack of transparency and you have the recipe for a PR disaster.

💡 Tip: Read this full guide on social media reputation to get a complete picture of your PR strategy.

Lessons learned:
👉🏼 React quickly and honestly and apologize for the errors you've made.
👉🏼 While apologizing eventually can mitigate some damage, it's the initial reaction that has the biggest impact.
👉🏼 Give something in return, like a specific refund, and take real action to show you take the blame and promise to do better by giving real life examples. Owning your mistakes can save you face and money.

#6 Facebook and Cambridge Analytica Scandal

In the 2010s, the consulting company of Cambridge Analytica collected the personal data of millions of Facebook users, resulting in one of the biggest PR crises of the past decade.

1️⃣ Background

Facebook allowed the consulting company, Cambridge Analytica, to collect data from millions of users through a third-party app - to the tally of 87 million users. This data was then used in the 2016 presidential election.

2️⃣ How did the company react?

The initial reaction was very slow and leadership showed a lack of transparency for the crisis at hand.

It took a while for Mark Zuckerberg to explain what happened, why it happened, and who was affected. By the time they came out with an explanation and apology, the damage had already been done.

3️⃣ Evaluation

The crisis affected a large number of people at an international scale and, given the force that Facebook is, a prompt reaction was lacking.

Lessons learned: Explain what had gone wrong and who was affected. The more time passes by, the more room you leave for misinterpretation.

#7 The Silicon Valley Bank run

In early 2023, the Silicon Valley Bank boasted profits of more than $200 billion. Soon after, the company collapsed because of low investment values as well as startups withdrawing their cash.

1️⃣ Background

A mix of various factors caused a massive bank run at SVB. In plain English, it means that everyone with an account went to withdraw their money in a short time frame.

2️⃣ How the company reacted

They failed to acknowledge their lack of control over their finances and they did not communicate early and properly about what happened. There was no real initial risk except for the poor financial management by the SVB leadership board.

3️⃣ Evaluation

SVB initially reacted very poorly with a series of finger-pointing, hoping that it would resolve the ongoing crisis. The biggest culprit was probably social media, which added fuel to the fire, as SVB depositors encouraged each other to withdraw their funds.

Lessons learned: SVB failed to take ownership and, had the Federal Reserve not gotten involved, a massive crisis would have happened. Besides not keeping up with social media, the biggest fault of SVB was not living up to their own values.

Crisis management part 1: how to prevent a PR crisis

As you'll see from the successful crisis management examples below, disasters can be prevented by acting early and noticing the signs of trouble ahead of time.

The ideal tool for preventing crises? Media monitoring.

👉🏼 With media monitoring you can find issues before they escalate and intervene early.

👉🏼 You'll get to track the public sentiment of your target audience and the wider public, which helps you create unique communications plans.

👉🏼 You also get informed about the competition: their trends and perception in the public, helping you determine the right course of action.

👉🏼 Last but not least, you can perform reputation management and protect your brand by responding to negative comments early.

Some key media monitoring features that help with crisis management include:

• sentiment analysis
• the ability to spot patterns and trends
• quick engagement and response to burning fires
• providing a feedback loop to your business or your client
• helps you create a crisis plan

Media monitoring can help guide your crisis communication plan by giving you the necessary information before a crisis even happens.

P.S. If you're looking for more options, check out this Best PR Crisis Management Software Comparison.

6 PR crisis management examples: Well handled

There are brands big and small that have had major crises hit them but managed to evade the damage with style and grace. Here are some examples you can learn from:

#1 Lego and Shell partnership

In 2014, Lego got in trouble for being associated with the oil company, Shell. Greenpeace condemned Lego for working with Shell, stating they indirectly supported their cause. Most specifically, the drilling of the Arctic.

1️⃣ Background

Greenpeace launched a full-blown campaign, depicting the Arctic being made of Lego and covered in oil. Even though Lego themselves had done nothing wrong (besides selling blocks made entirely from plastic), their association with Shell was enough to start a backlash.

2️⃣ How did the company react?

Lego explained that they advocate for sustainability and that their partnership with Shell had a different focus. It was purely based on selling Lego sets at selected Shell stations and Lego did not support or endorse any activities related to drilling in the Arctic. However, words were not enough.

3️⃣ Evaluation

Lego decided to terminate their cooperation and partnership with Shell because their values simply did not align. They stressed that the decision was in the best interest of everyone: both Lego and the environment.

Lessons learned: By prioritizing sustainability as a cause rather than profits or partnerships, Lego mended their public image and came out of the crisis as a winner.
👉🏼 The biggest lesson to learn here is to ensure that your partnerships align with your values as a brand and to be prepared to sever ties that harm your reputation. Actions speak louder than words.

#2 Airbnb - COVID-19 pandemic response

COVID-19 shook the entire world, and hospitality was one of the industries that was almost killed.

1️⃣ Background

Airbnb was caught in between a rock and a hard place - having to support hosts but, at the same time, allow guests to cancel their bookings.

2️⃣ How did the company react?

Initially, Airbnb changed their cancellation policy, allowing anyone who booked before March 14, 2020 a full refund. The guests were relieved but the hosts felt unsupported.

The second step came when they extended their policies to cover more bookings, allowing guests to rebook at a later date.

Even further, Airbnb started a support fund of $250 million to compensate hosts for bookings they lost. Then they introduced health and safety guidelines to keep everyone safe. Last but not least, the CEO of the company spoke to everyone involved, ensuring they could come out of the situation unharmed.

3️⃣ Evaluation

Transparency and rapid action saved the public perception of Airbnb.

While the initial backlash was hard, it was largely mitigated by the financial aid. The company swiftly got back on its feet, despite COVID-19 lasting for months on end.

Lessons learned: To be like Airbnb, stay flexible, communicate clearly, and support your entire community, even if it means putting your own money at risk. As always, acting quickly helps quite a lot. And often investing money to prevent a bigger crisis can paradoxically save you more in the end.

#3 M&M's 2023 crisis turns fine thanks to media monitoring & responses

In 2022, the famous candy brand M&M decided to change the shoes of their green candy to sneakers. They also introduced a new character that was a representation of inclusivity. The reaction from the online community was unexpected.

1️⃣ Background

M&M decided to play with their branding and change up some of their mascots.

The first step was to remove the shoes from the green M&M and replace them with sneakers. Many saw this as a move to make the character less appealing and "spread the woke agenda." In general the changes were minor and weren’t meant to offend anyone - but more to connect and break the stereotypes.

2️⃣ How did the company react?

Initially, they did not do anything, because a  minor change in some fictional characters’ outfits doesn’t seem to be the world’s biggest problem. But over time, especially after introducing a purple, peanut-flavored M&M, people reacted even more extremely.

They then announced their intent to revoke it and replace it with Maya Rudolph, the actress, in a social media statement (above). Ultimately, they showed the M&Ms and Maya Rudolph in some Superbowl ads, gaining massive media attention.

3️⃣ Evaluation

The campaign worked out really well because M&M accepted the criticism, no matter if it was right or wrong from their perspective, and thanks to media monitoring, worked out the right move for their public perception.

💡 If you want to dive deeper into this topic, learn how to manage public opinion with this brand perception guide.

Lessons learned: When a crisis is unfolding, tap into media monitoring to discover what journalists and media outlets are saying. Use that information to create new PR campaigns and get the maximum out of the attention you're getting. Monitoring public sentiment and reacting swiftly is key.

#4 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 battery explosions

In 2016, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices started randomly exploding due to their batteries. As you can imagine, customers were not pleased - to put it mildly. 😉

1️⃣ Background

The Note 7 had a battery issue that caused the devices to catch on fire and explode. Not only did it harm the company’s image, but also had significant chances of harming their customers too.

2️⃣ How did the company react?

Initially, it was a mixed bag. They acknowledged the problem and recalled over 2.5 million devices. But the problem was in the communication - which was inconsistent across different markets and lacked transparency.

To make things worse, the replacement phones caught on fire too.

Then Samsung decided to investigate what happened, publicly disclosing why and how the batteries caught on fire. Additionally, they added a new 8-point check for their devices.

All this on top of refunding and replacing the problematic devices.

Lessons learned: Even at the cost of financial damage, keep transparent and disclose what caused a crisis. And act! Give refunds, replace faulty items. In the long run, it will be worth the investment.

#5 Tesla's PR crisis

To continue in the same fashion, Tesla had issues with their Model S catching on fire.

1️⃣ Background

The problem with Tesla cars burning up meant a bigger issue was looming: the reputation of all EV cars was at stake. The public wanted to know more about how (un)safe the average EV is and the scandal came about at a very bad moment in Tesla's development.

2️⃣ How did the company react?

The initial response was led by Elon Musk, appearing now for the second time in this article. He published a statement on the Tesla blog, analyzing the incidents in-depth and providing statistical data about the safety of their cars. This time, the timing and messaging was perfect - especially since it was delivered by an authority - the head of the company.

3️⃣ Evaluation

This approach worked for two reasons. First, it was timely and led by the CEO of the company. Two, he did not appeal to emotion. He instead presented facts and argued that statistically, EVs are safer than internal combustion cars.

Lessons learned: As always, be quick and have a reputable individual represent the company publicly. State the facts and be transparent about what happened and why. And if you're a CEO consider “stepping down” from the pedestal and communicate your messaging to the customers yourself to create the illusion of shortening the distance.

#6 J&J Tylenol's cyanide crisis in 1982

In 1982, a tragic crisis happened - seven people died in the Chicago area because of taking Tylenol made by Johnson and Johnson.

1️⃣ Background

The Tylenol in question was laced with cyanide. The bigger problem? It was not just the reputation of J&J that was at stake, it was the reputation of all over-the-counter medicine.

2️⃣ How the company responded

Very well for PR standards - they recalled all the Tylenol across the USA, costing them a whopping $100 million. They then created hotlines where customers could dial in to get an explanation on what happened. They then created new packages that could not be tampered with.

3️⃣ Evaluation

The campaign was highly effective as it prioritized the well-being of customers instead of profit. With the relaunch of the drug, they bounced back and restored public trust.

Lesson learned: Prioritize your customers and address their concerns quickly, despite the costs.

Crisis management part 2: during a crisis, monitor people’s reactions

As a crisis is taking place, you need to listen to what the public is saying.

Here’s a media monitoring checklist to make sure you’re tracking how the public sentiment around the implemented crisis countermeasures evolves:

✔️ By expanding your keywords: besides your branded keywords, you can include additional ones related to the crisis, such as hashtags, slogans or phrases.

✔️ Increase frequency: scan the web more frequently to get instant updates.

✔️ Prioritize platforms: see where the fire is burning the brightest and primarily focus on that platform.

✔️ Monitor influencers and detractors: keep a close watch on those who can sway public opinion.

✔️ Monitor the volume of mentions: see if mentions are growing or plummeting.

✔️ Track false information: find where misinformation is and address it quickly.

✔️ Adjust in real time: adjust your responses based on the information you get from media monitoring tools.

3 PR crisis management examples: That could’ve been better

These examples show brands that handled their crisis decently, but there was room for improvement.

#1 T-Mobile data breach in 2023

In 2023, T-Mobile suffered a data breach, causing the data of 836 users to be exposed and shared, leading to potential identity theft.

1️⃣ Background

Given its user base, 836 does not seem like a vast number. However, this attack came after they had a previous incident, leaking the data of more than 37 million users in that same year. By comparison, the number was not that great, but the fact it was a repeat occurrence is a problem.

It doesn’t really matter if the leak applies to one or one million users - behind every number there’s a real human being.

2️⃣ How the company reacted

They sent out announcements to their customers that a small portion of the user base was affected by another attack and that it did not affect their financial or call records. At the moment this happened, this was the ninth time a cybersecurity risk hit T-Mobile.

3️⃣ Evaluation

T-Mobile's efforts were seen as too little and too late. Despite having the second attack happen within months, they simply reset the PINs for the affected customers, said they were sorry and compensated them with free services.

Lessons learned: Admit your mistakes and do so early, especially if this is a repeat case. The compensation was a great move though.

#2 iPhone 6 “bendgate”

Just after the release of the iPhone 6 Plus, some users expressed concerns that the phone was too easy to bend and that, with just a little bit of effort, you could change its shape.

1️⃣ Background

The issue arose because customers stated that even mild stress (such as wearing the phone in your pocket) could bend the device. Overnight, Apple's reputation was put at stake.

2️⃣ How the company reacted

They released public statements and invited journalists to their facilities to see how the phones were tested and manufactured.

3️⃣ Evaluation

Perhaps it was because of their strong brand presence or something else, but Apple initially showed little concern about the phones or their users. There were no apologies or statements about the cause of the problem.

Lessons learned: No matter how big or popular the brand, always step up and admit when something goes awry.
👉 Be quick and responsive and try to show genuine care for your customers.
👉 Bonus points for Apple for their quick reaction, minus points for their lack of compensation.

#3 Toyota's acceleration and safety concerns

In 2009 and 2010, some Toyotas decided to accelerate on their own, causing concern to their owners and a PR crisis for the brand.

1️⃣ Background

Some Toyota cars started accelerating without the driver pressing on the gas pedal, causing concerns about the safety of the vehicles. This led to accidents, recalls by Toyota, and an investigation into the safety and the quality of their cars.

2️⃣ How the company reacted

Defensively, blaming floor mats and sticky gas pedals for the issue and recalling these car parts. The problem was that after some investigations, it turned out there were more causes for concern. They ended up recalling millions of vehicles globally.

3️⃣ Evaluation

The company had a lukewarm reaction and took too long to show the underlying cause of the issue. But the public apologies, recalls and campaigns helped regain some trust and reputation in the end. This is especially important because Toyota as a brand is known for reliability and safety.

💡 If you want to focus on tactics that can help you shape public perception of your brand, check out this reputation marketing guide.

Lessons learned: Toyota should have reacted more promptly and shown more transparency in the issues surrounding their vehicles. Their crisis management PR could have been better at the start, saving them precious resources down the road.

Crisis management part 3: post-crisis analysis

Once a crisis is over, take a step back to analyze what happened and why:

#1 Analyze your coverage

Review who talked about you and where - how many mentions you earned across channels to see what the full impact of the crisis is.

#2 Understand the sentiment trends

Look at the sentiment of the mentions you’ve gathered to assess how the public perceives you now versus in the past.

#3 Feedback analysis

Collect feedback from all the stakeholders in the crisis and analyze it. The customers, employees, investors, partners, and everyone impacted.

#4 Pay attention to recovery metrics

Once the dust has settled, look at where your brand sentiment is headed and how your customers perceive you post-crisis.

#5 Stakeholder sentiment

Measure how everyone relevant feels, from your customers to your employees, and how these feelings have changed after the crisis.

Stay on top of things with media monitoring

Running a business means your brand is always exposed to the public, no matter if you're actively engaging on social media or not. Unfortunate events can quickly escalate into a crisis if not handled properly.

The good news is that PR crises are often preventable. By staying proactive and using the right tools, you can address potential issues before they spiral out of control.

Media monitoring is your first line of defense. The right media monitoring tool tracks your brand across digital, print, and broadcast channels, so you're always in the loop, no matter where the conversation is happening.

From a story picking up steam in the press to a TV segment that’s catching attention, or a social media storm brewing, Prowly notifies you in real-time. This gives you the power to address issues fast - before they escalate. With comprehensive monitoring, you can take control of potential crises early and stop them in their tracks.

Prowly helps you stay sharp, giving you the tools to track and manage all relevant mentions with precision and act quickly to protect your brand's reputation.

The post 16 PR Crisis Management Examples You Need to See appeared first on Prowly.

Until you can prevent all public relations crises, you can - and should - prepare for them in advance.

What is PR Crisis Management?

PR crisis management is an organizational strategy to manage and mitigate unexpected events that pose a threat to the reputation or survival of a company.

This approach focuses on thorough planning to promptly and efficiently respond to any crisis that could impact the company's image or stakeholder relationships.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of PR crisis management is gauged by how well a crisis is handled, how swiftly the company recovers, and how the crisis impacts long-term trust and relationships with stakeholders.

Usually, brands plan ahead with PR crisis management strategies, which define:

• what potentially harmful situations look like
• what steps should be taken (and by whom)
• how to handle the media during a crisis
• and what to do after the crisis has been managed

Crisis Prevention: The Real Game-Changer in PR Crisis Management

Identifying Hidden Vulnerabilities

Most brands focus on external risks - negative press, social media backlash, or customer complaints. But the real threats often come from within. Weak internal policies, poor leadership decisions, and unmonitored employee behavior can trigger PR disasters. Conduct regular audits to identify blind spots before they explode.

Monitoring & Sentiment Analysis: Staying Ahead of the Storm

A crisis doesn’t start when the media reports it, but starts when warning signs go unnoticed. Investing in real-time brand monitoring and sentiment analysis can alert you to emerging problems. Track customer sentiment, competitor narratives, and industry shifts to detect early indicators of trouble.

Pre-Crisis Communication Playbook

A well-structured crisis communication plan can be the difference between swift recovery and prolonged fallout. This should include:

• Pre-approved messaging templates for different scenarios
• Designated spokespersons trained in crisis communication
• A rapid response team with clear roles and decision-making authority
• Internal and external communication protocols

Spot a PR crisis in time

The first rule of crisis management in PR: the sooner you know, the better.

Learn our methods of spotting upcoming trouble.

1. Monitor mentions around your brand

If you haven't already started media monitoring, it's high time you did. Why?

You can learn what journalists and social media users say about your brand or the topics you care about in real-time. It's the single biggest reason to use media monitoring. With this intel, you can react appropriately and promptly, which is crucial in PR crisis prevention.

The immediate nature of alerts helps you find out about potential threats and tackle them before the media, your stakeholders, or your client base becomes concerned.

Of course, media monitoring proves insightful all the time. When the situation is stable, you can use it to measure your PR results, like earned media. It also shows you potential new initiatives or cooperation opportunities.

Media monitoring gives you an understanding of what makes up the usual level of noise. With these numbers in hand, you can easily assess what changes should concern you.

→ Interested in diving into the details? Read our Media Mentions Guide.

2. Use media monitoring tools to prevent a PR crisis

You don't have to scroll through the internet in search of media mentions to analyze. Tools like Media Monitoring do it for you, and even add more information, like sentiment, estimated reach, and context.

You can get real-time notifications about the content. Even before it appears on Google search.

Prowly AI helps identify the context of each press hit so you can filter the results and get only those that are relevant to you.

There are some free tools for brand monitoring, like Google Alerts, but they can provide you with inaccurate and outdated mentions. For professional purposes, and especially in PR crisis prevention, you should definitely choose Google Alerts alternatives and limit the drawbacks.

3. Implement a social listening tool

Currently, there's a high chance of a PR crisis coming from social media. That's why your audience might be the first to spot a problem, way before it crosses your team’s radar.

With proper social listening tools, you can prevent an escalation in time. This can even save the company's bottom line, as it can be vulnerable to an untreated PR crisis.

Prowly's Social Listening tool gives a wide range of options, helpful in PR crisis prevention. It can help you understand how your audience feels about your brand. Also, you can gain insights into countries and languages where you have the highest engagement.

All of this helps you make decisions based on real data, instead of a gut feeling.

Noticing a sudden drop in sentiment and a peak in mentions' number? That might be one of the first signs of a PR crisis on the rise.

P.S. Check out this guide on social media crisis management to fine-tune your strategy with a few practical tips.

Pay attention to the volume of mentions

The volume of mentions will naturally rise and fall, all depending on your PR activities, marketing, and other factors. With media monitoring in place, you can set up your baseline — the normal or expected amount of chatter.

Then an unexpected rise in volume certainly won't leave you indifferent. It can be due either to a sudden earned media success, or the alarm to man PR crisis prevention stations. Together with sentiment analysis, they can keep you informed on how to react.

Use filters to focus on valuable mentions

Not all mentions bring value — especially if you track popular or generic keywords. Prowly's tool lets you filter the results and show only what's interesting for you. So  you can save time on extracting the signal from the noise.

You can set various types of filters, like date range, article language, domain country, domain relevance, and sentiment. Group them together to get to the specific media mentions you need.

Set up alerts

Get email notifications for chosen types of mentions. You can choose what situations need your immediate attention. With alerts, you can react quicker and put out a fire before it spreads.

You can set up various alerts and choose who should get them. For example, your communication front line can be notified about negative sentiment mentions so that they can quickly assess a situation as it arises.

Create reports for crisis management

Using technology in Public Relations results in a lot of numbers. And you can use reports to showcase the impact of your work. This way, you'll be able to better communicate the value of your work to the board.

The reporting feature helps you organize mentions, show their estimated reach and views, and translate them into reliable metrics. 

Showing relevant data is especially useful once you educate your stakeholders. If you need to explain to them why it is so important to have a PR specialist on board a crisis team, the numbers can help get your point across.

Insights you gather in a clear, easy-to-digest format will definitely help you prepare for an upcoming PR crisis. They are invaluable in assessing the efficiency of your strategies. With reports, you don't have to go through each situation in detail - just the crucial information.

Keep an eye on your competition

You could limit your monitoring to your brand or go beyond and observe your competition.

If your competitor faces a PR crisis, you'll be able to assess the situation and make sure it doesn't impact your business. Also, you can analyze their reactions and draw insights for future use.

How to handle a PR crisis

It all starts with preparation. Here’s how to manage a PR crisis:

Step 1. Identify potential crisis triggers

This helps you spot potential problems sooner. If you notice a trigger, you can observe how the situation develops and adjust your response.

Potential crisis triggers can be:

• New challenges faced by your competitors or the industry in general
• A PR crisis of one of your competitors
• A negative review of your business
• Mismatched marketing communication
• An executive scandal
• Harassment or discrimination testimonials

Classify the triggers to quickly assess how serious the situation can be.

Step 2. Prepare procedures for PR crises

Adjust your plan of action to how severe the situation is, as one of the crucial rules claims: don't overreact. Your reaction is also crucial in calming (or worsening) a PR crisis. Putting more effort into putting out a fire than is necessary gives the impression that there is something more to hide.

Come up with a few procedures to follow. They can quicken your reaction time.

Specifically, you’ll want to establish:

• Who is the first response line
• Who makes up the crisis PR strategy team
• What type of media you use to reply
• When it should be escalated

If the situation can seriously threaten your company, make sure the public relations and crisis management teams cooperate. As you'll have to work on the unified message you send out to the public, having at least one PR specialist on board is a must.

Step 3. Craft a crisis response strategy

When a crisis hits, you don't have much time to come up with your first words from scratch. A few versatile forms of addressing the problem should be prepared in advance. You can opt for a press release, social media posts, video statements, or blog posts.

In PR crisis management, an effective emergency response to negative publicity includes:

• Reassurance
• Transparency
• An appropriate, respectful tone

Make sure to highlight that you're investigating the situation. Show that you care and respect your clients and stakeholders, and above all treat the issue seriously.

Your quick reaction can show you have control over the situation and gives you time for a more detailed response, and that's gold in crisis PR management.

Later, when you know more about the situation, a press release or more advanced content forms are definitely your go-to tool. Check out our crisis press release examples and see how to craft your own.

Revise your actions after each PR crisis

Learning from real-life situations plays a huge part in PR (and crisis) management. Make sure to assess the efficiency of your PR strategies for crisis management and build them up with new insights as you gain them.

Of course, it'd be best to do it after each PR crisis you spot in your industry. Potentially, you may face similar issues as your competitors, and the audiences’ reactions can guide you in improving your messaging.

Implement helpful technology

PR tools like Prowly help you in efficient media crisis management at all stages of a PR crisis:

• Media Monitoring helps to spot incoming crises and tracks how they develop over time.
• Media Database provides access to over 1 million contacts and helps you build targeted media lists and pitch your side of the story with a personalized message.
• Online Newsroom and Press Release Creator give you the tools to share your narrative and respond to a crisis.
• PR Reports let you analyze the numbers and assess the final impact.

Good PR Crisis Management Examples

The best way to learn is from real-life PR crisis examples, and believe me: when it comes to this topic, it's a never-ending story.

That's why we’ve collected some recent PR crisis examples — both good and bad. Read our analysis and give it some thought. What would you do in such situations?

Let's start with one of the best crisis management examples:

PR crisis management example #1. Slack

Imagine losing access to your company's main communication tool — for 5 hours. That's what happened to Slack users back in 2022.

The company faced the challenge with transparency, keeping their users updated. They even spoke openly about the errors they made in the process. Finally, a sincere apology (with a bit of the sense of humor well known in their overall messaging), made a perfect finish to the crisis.

Slack kept the trust of its users with transparency and honesty. They owned their errors and made sure their users were informed about their progress.

PR crisis management example #2. Aldi's #freeCuthbert

What is an example of good crisis management? Aldi can certainly share some insights.

Back in 2021, M&S, a UK-based food store chain, called their competitor, Aldi, to court. The reason? Aldi's caterpillar cake, Cuthbert, seemed to bear a resemblance to M&S’s version, Colin. If M&S had succeeded in court, it would have had severe consequences - and have caused a huge PR crisis.

And what was Aldi's reaction?

Together with their agency, McCann Manchester, they held a brilliant social media campaign which aimed to win people's hearts. It all started with a simple tweet:

Their entire campaign consisted of about 20 posts, published on Twitter and Facebook for around a week.

And the results were impressive:

They were featured in the media (gaining around £5m in earned media), and significantly increased their followers and social engagement rate. #freeCuthbert was the most popular hashtag on Twitter… twice. People started to make memes and widely used the hashtag.

Also, the entire situation changed the news’ sentiment (Aldi +8.5%, M&S -134%), as well as purchase consideration (Aldi +6.1%, M&S -15.3%). Those are serious numbers that impacted both businesses' bottom lines.

Aldi went further, calling all supermarkets to donate money to cancer foundations - with a new campaign, #caterpillarsForCancer. Cuthbert is still present in their marketing actions, being a big part of their company easter eggs.

The campaign not only turned the PR crisis into a massive win. It even took the Grand Prix at The Drum Award for Social Media, and another Grand Prix at Eurobest Awards in the category of "Influencers and Social."

PR crisis management example #3. Burger King

Brands are getting increasingly more engaged in social issues, especially on dates like International Women's Day. It can be either successful, shedding light on the cause by raising controversy, or a disaster.

Taking a harmful statement and trying to give it a new meaning was a bold decision. In this case, Burger King made the wrong call and provoked their own PR crisis.

What was Burger King's Public Relations response to the crisis? The company owned their misjudgment and sincerely apologized. Pro tip, there's no place for "To all those who felt offended, I want to apologize." They proceeded with showing the aim of the campaign, which was in helping women pursue their dreams of becoming professional chefs.

Also, they explained their decision to delete the original tweet. As the team claimed, comments that appeared in the following thread were abusive and they didn't want to allow them. Without this context, it might have been seen as an attempt to clean up their image and pretend that nothing happened.

Best PR crisis management examples: a wrap-up

Let's summarize the most important take-aways:

⬛ The golden rule is transparency and owning your mistakes. This alongside acknowledging the feelings of your audience helps maintain their trust.

⬛ Even when you're hit by a crisis, PR communication allows some space for humor. Make sure to choose the appropriate moment, though, like Slack - they only became humorous again after solving the problem. Also, it needs to keep in line with your brand voice.

⬛ The last point is, don't forget about giving legitimate reasons for the company's decisions. Burger King deleting the original tweet without explanation would garner more criticism, not praise.

In the best crisis management examples you can spot a common thread of transparency. Even Aldi, with its playful campaign, didn't run away from the fact that it was sued for their cake’s similarities.

P.S. Here’s an article that might come in handy if you’re looking for a tool to measure the impact of your communication efforts.

Bad crisis management examples

Let's go through some cases where crisis management in PR heavily and negatively impacted the company:

PR crisis management example #1. Silicon Valley Bank

This might be the first bank run fueled by social media - a media crisis example to learn from.

The SVB specialized in tech sector financing. With the boom for tech companies that arose with the pandemic, it became the 16th biggest bank in the U.S. and provided financing for about half of all U.S. venture-backed technology and healthcare companies.

Nevertheless, inflation and poor managerial decisions caused a drop in the bank's portfolio value.

On March 8, it started to sell its bonds at a loss to gain capital. As a result, people became alarmed that their money wasn't secure. They started withdrawing it, and a wildfire spread across Twitter and WhatsApp, inducing panic.

As a result, the next day SVB's stock plummeted by 60% and, on March 10, it collapsed.

The relationship between the Twitter noise and the bank’s stock price decrease was confirmed on a larger scale by experts at The Conversation. Their research shows how impactful social media can be - up to the point of predicting a banks' destabilization. And, as the SVB example shows, it can even lead to bankruptcy.

PR crisis management example #2. Twitter becoming X

What is an example of a PR crisis in 2023? Twitter, under the lead of Elon Musk, certainly had its share. But we'll focus now on their rebranding. Twitter was renamed to X — the everything app, which would include payments, video streaming, and e-commerce.

What caused the problem?

First of all, the rush. When the rebranding was announced, the company visibly wasn't ready for it. From a lack of changes in copy to issues with the domain name, it added up to a quickly diminishing trust.

What's more, it was an attempt to eradicate a well-known name, which had grown into everyday language. People still tweet their tweets even now, instead of x-ing their x-es. With Twitter traces still visible in the service, the X name has a long way to go before it can ever Twitter.

Musk also (famously) used Twitter (errr, X) polls to make the final calls on rebranding, like setting the default platform color to black. As you can see on the tweet date, it was posted soon before the rebranding was announced.

This chaotic rebranding communication is only a part of what was a somewhat dubious attempt at media crisis management. Public Relations experts shared their insights with Forbes, talking about how Musk's actions contributed to the Twitter crisis.

PR crisis management example #3. Ticketmaster vs Swifties battle

Taylor Swift definitely has one of the biggest and most active fan bases in the world — and Ticketmaster, a ticker vendor site, faced their anger. Imagine: you're a die-hard fan who can't get tickets to her first tour in years.

And that's exactly what happened.

Ticketmaster kicked off the sign-up process for their Verified Fan presale, giving Swifties the opportunity to get their tickets ahead of the crowd. Its aim was to exclude bots and smooth out the buying process.

Yet, there arose the first problem. When the presale was about to start, they randomly handed out presale codes to 1.5 million fans, leaving a whopping 2 million registered Swifties out in the cold. Nevertheless, the site was hit by over 14 million visitors.

As you can imagine, the servers couldn’t manage the load.

Even fans who got the code couldn't buy tickets, yet at the same time, bots began to appear on the site. This proved that the Ticketmaster system was not prepared for the flood, and was still vulnerable to bots.

Finally, there weren't enough tickets left for a public sale, which was eventually canceled. Tons of fans ended up without the possibility of buying a ticket. What's worse? Tickets available on resale platforms reached prices of up to several thousand dollars.

Swift herself published a statement where she expressed disappointment, comparing the buying process to going through "several bear attacks."

The issue led fans and the ticket platform to court, boosting the discussion about Ticketmaster’s monopoly. The case was even tackled (again) by the U.S. Congress.

As for Ticketmaster and their reaction, they committed various mistakes along the way.

When the problem appeared, they didn't opt for proactive communication, leaving most of the fans uncertain. They also didn't comment on any actions they would take to alleviate the problem.

Their tweet about canceling the tour sale lacked any form of acknowledging their fault, pushing it on "extraordinarily high demands." As Swift stated, she and her team insisted on ensuring that the service would meet the spike, which is contradictory to Ticketmaster’s own words.

Later, they re-published a previously deleted statement with slight edits and added an apology. The first version worsened the audience's reaction and finally got taken down from the company's website.

A lack of transparency and accountability fueled the development of the PR crisis it had to face.

Worst crisis management examples: a wrap-up

Let's sum up these PR disasters with three takeaways.

⬛ The major mistake is chaotic communication - or its lack. In difficult times, each word is assessed by everyone involved. Your choice (even to remain silent) weighs heavily on how a crisis evolves.

⬛ Furthermore, a lack of ownership which contradicts the basic PR rules of an effective apology. These classic rules can guide you on how to approach common situations. Finally, they help get you out of a brand reputation crisis.

In all of the above examples, we have to acknowledge the impact of social media. It seems obvious and well-worn already, but the consequences we saw in 2023 - as serious as taking down a bank - have to be respected.

Key takeaways: effective PR crisis management

PR teams have an increasingly more challenging task. Firstly, companies (and their leaders) are sending out more communication all the time, so the chance of missing the mark continues to rise. At the same time, anyone can reply and start a fire. In this environment, the way you handle it can make or break (or at least damage) your company.

Remember the stages of crisis management in public relations: preparation, damage assessment, take action, and analysis.

The most important part of managing any PR crisis is preparation. Think about the problems you could face and plan ahead with possible solutions. They can prove invaluable when time literally becomes money.

Proper technology helps you face any PR crisis more effectively. Prowly proves useful not only in times of PR crisis, it covers your entire PR workflow: with media pitching, an online newsroom, and press release creator.

Sounds interesting? Give it a try for 7 days for free.

The post PR Crisis Management Playbook: What the Pros Won’t Tell You appeared first on Prowly.

But on the “bright side” of PR scandals, each brings along some valuable professional lessons to be learned. So while you may feel tempted to turn your eyes away from the cringe-worthy event, you should pay close attention to every move the company makes, as well as the reactions of the public.

Below, we’ve collected 5 recent public relations crises that not only made us cringe but also bring to light important reminders for all PR professionals.

PR Crisis #1:  Bud Light’s “Up for Whatever” Campaign

In 2015, Bud Light kicked off its “Up for Whatever” ad campaign with a series of different messages printed on their product labels. One of these messages struck a nerve with the public in particular. It read, “The perfect beverage for deleting “no” from your language for the night.”

Although the company originally saw the line as playful and focused on allowing yourself to enjoy a good night out, many consumers immediately connected the message to irresponsible behavior and the many people who have been victimized while intoxicated. 

The company acknowledged this insensitivity, apologized, and removed the message from its campaign.

Lesson Learned: Take a Global Perspective

Advertising campaigns are often the root of PR scandals. Ever see an ad and wonder, “How did no one in the room see how wrong this could go?” (Note to every advertising team: please bring in your PR team to review your ad campaigns before launch. Since we end up playing defense for the company’s missteps, we can usually spot a potential public outcry a mile away).  

The bigger lesson here is that a diverse group of executives makes a company’s messages stronger. Companies need all kinds of voices to share how an ad or PR campaign can be read from perspectives across sex, race, and gender. 

And if you find yourself in one of these rooms where something is getting approved that feels “a little off,” don’t be afraid to speak up! If you are having a reaction, it’s highly likely that others will have that reaction too.

PR Crisis #2: United Airlines Forcefully Removes a Passenger

If you’ve seen the viral photo of this public relations crisis, you probably already have this disaster burned into your memory. In 2017, United Airlines took major heat when one of its flight crews decided to forcibly remove a man from an overbooked flight. 

The man was a doctor who insisted he needed to be on the flight to reach and treat his patients. Despite his plea, the airline called a security team that dragged him off the plane, visibly shaken and bloody.

Plane passengers witnessing the event appeared to stand with the ejected doctor. They took videos and photos and shared them on social media, where the distressing images immediately went viral.

This PR scandal didn’t end there, though. The company’s response added even more fuel to the fire, and acts as its own example of when public relations goes wrong. The CEO’s apology for the event felt defensive in nature and sounded much more focused on the distress of the airline than the distress of the bloodied passenger.

Lesson Learned: Make Sincere Apologies

An apology is not an apology if it’s not delivered in a humble manner that avoids all defensive inclinations. 

If you are a PR rep in charge of handling a PR crisis, it is essential that you coach the executive making the apology. Don’t just write and hand off a statement for them to read. Bring them into the writing process and point out your reasoning for the selected language, coach them on how to answer questions in a concise manner, and remind them that the goal is to deliver the apology in a most sincere manner.

If you can’t get the executive to cooperate, you should select another company spokesperson to take on the role or to speak on their behalf.

You only get one opportunity to get your response out there, so work tirelessly to get it right.

PR Crisis #3: Better.com’s Layoffs 

In late 2021, the CEO of Better.com, Vishal Garg, laid off 900 employees in a single Zoom call. On top of that, the layoff happened in the holiday month of December and only one day after the company secured $750 million in investment funding.

News of this company event spread quickly, and several communications executives within the company responded by handing in their resignations.

Garg then proceeded to make another PR mistake, by apologizing for the insensitive layoff technique to the company's remaining employees, rather than to those who had been laid off.

Lesson Learned: Think it Through

Sometimes, company decisions appear to be made on the demands of time and cost efficiency, without any real thought for how human beings will feel about the moves.

This is how this particular decision came across.

In fact, this is one of those bad PR examples that feels like it could have been easily avoided if more executive leadership had been brought into the decision. A human resources team alone would have likely stopped this layoff decision in its tracks. 

While it’s important for business leaders to be swift in making decisions, the big ones that affect human lives (think both employees and consumers), should be taken with greater care, discussion, and thought.

Otherwise your company gets marked as prioritizing the bottom line first, with little regard for your people’s livelihoods.

PR Crisis #4: HyperSocial’s Crying CEO 

When HyperSocial’s CEO, Braden Wallake, posted a selfie of himself crying on LinkedIn, he obviously did not expect the immediate backlash he’d receive.  

His post was intended to share his personal response to his layoff of two employees, and he claimed he just wanted to share the emotional difficulty he experienced in that task as a business leader.

However, despite the best of intentions, many found the post to be self-serving for the CEO. They claimed he was taking the spotlight and redirecting sympathy towards himself, rather than towards those who had lost their jobs.

Lesson Learned: Optics Matter

Although Wallake claims he does not regret the post, citing the positive responses he received from other business leaders, it is evident that optics matter when making public appearances. 

Even when you believe your intentions are good, you have to put on your PR lens and consider how company or executive actions can look to the public eye.

In this case, Wallake may have at least considered that a statement about his personal disappointment would have been better received without the accompanying photo.

PR Crisis #5: Tropicana’s #TakeAMimoment Campaign

It’s no secret that the pandemic has been especially difficult for parents, particularly in the earliest days of 2020 when remote schooling fell entirely on their shoulders. 

In December 2020, Tropicana’s #TakeAMimoment campaign attempted to make light of this situation by encouraging parents to slip away for secret mimosas. The campaign made a joke of hidden stashes of mimosa ingredients, particularly of their orange juice.

But for many, the act of secretive drinking for parents is a real issue, and one not to be taken lightly. The public outcry was swift.

In response, the company apologized for the campaign and simply stopped running it.

Lesson Learned: Admit to your Mistakes

If you take any lesson, take away that a company almost always benefits from a quick response with admission to a mistake. It’s your best shot at a PR recovery.

If your company also has a long history of trust, then such has an even better chance of being forgiven by the public. A direct and well-timed response shows people that you’ve received their message and are making corrections. Many times, it’s that acknowledgment that most are seeking.

💡 Check out this guide on social media crisis management to fine-tune your strategy with a few practical tips or get inspired by 16 more PR crisis management examples — find out which were handled well (and which weren’t), why they succeeded or failed, and how to get it right yourself.

Be Prepared

Even with the best of planning and PR know-how, PR disasters can still happen. 

The best course of action you can take today is to have a PR crisis plan prepared in writing. It should be detailed and include specifics like:

• A list of the response team members.
• A plan to quickly coach executives in advance of their public statements.
• A goal to respond quickly, but not so quickly that responses aren’t completely vetted.

The development of this PR crisis plan should be accompanied by an ongoing company effort to build trust with the public by being a good community member. 

How to do this? Share and make good on your company values, give back through sponsorships and donations, and practice corporate transparency and responsibility.

With this foundation set, your company is much more likely to survive any fallout from a PR disaster.

And finally, when facing a PR scandal, make your company statements and then move on. If you put everything into getting the first response right, you shouldn’t need to dwell on the matter. Fortunately, consumers are usually forgiving and ready to move on as well.

The post 5 PR Controversies That Made Us Cringe - Lessons on Handling a PR Disaster appeared first on Prowly.

The customer is talking, too, and not just with their wallets, anymore. They’re talking with their tweets and texts, their posts, and their emails. And that kind of talk gives you an invaluable opportunity to create new relationships, grow existing ones, and even rehabilitate damaged ones.

Customers have always voted with their pocketbooks, of course. That’s nothing new. But today’s customers, and especially millennials, require a bit more finesse. Studies show, in fact, that millennial consumers expect robust, consistent interactions with any company they patronize. They want to be able to communicate with their businesses of choice at any time, in any way, and across multiple platforms.

In other words, doing PR today means prolific and on-going communications with customers in real-time, from public tweets to private texts. But that’s not an easy dance to maintain over the long haul without a misstep at some point. And when your company is already in crisis mode, the challenge is even greater. Because not only are your customers expecting you to engage, they’re asking you to explain. They’re expecting you to help them learn to trust you again, even in an environment where trust in the media, from journalism to PR alike, is growing increasingly thin.

The Erosion of Trust

If you are tasked with managing communications in a period of crisis today, one of the first and most important things you’re going to have to deal with is the public’s pervasive skepticism toward the media. 

Decades of public accusations of media bias and “fake news” by political leaders and others in positions of authority have taken their toll. And you don’t have to be in journalism to pay the price. Pretty much anyone with a public platform or persona, a microphone, or a brand, can fall under the shadow of suspicion. 

There is some evidence that the situation is improving, however, and that the climate of mistrust is beginning to dissipate. For now, though, the fog of doubt remains. And that means that to communicate effectively during a crisis, you’re going to first need to cut through that haze of cynicism.

But How?

When you’re confronted with a crisis situation in an environment where distrust already lingers, it can feel like the battle to win your audience’s trust is lost before the first shot has even been fired. But that’s not the case. You just need to know who your audience is and how to reach them.

For example, it’s vital to understand how your target market consumes news and information and on what platforms. Knowing how to reach, engage, and interact with your customers is imperative on an ordinary day, but it is especially important in a crisis situation because this helps you control the narrative.

If your company, for instance, is the first to acknowledge an issue, such as through a press release across the company’s various social media sites, then not only will you be establishing the parameters of the narrative, but you also get essential authenticity credit. Customers increasingly want authenticity from the brands, and the companies, they support. And there are few actions more authentic than having the guts to admit when you’ve made a mistake or done something wrong.

👉 Tip: Read this full guide on social media reputation to get a complete picture of your PR strategy.

Be Accountable

When you’re dealing with a crisis, being the first to own up, instead of being cowed into an admission, is a great first step toward building trust. But it’s just that: a first step only. There’s a lot more that has to be done.

You also have to be accountable. That includes transparency not only about what happened, but also about what’s going to happen. It means being up front with your customers about how things went down, who was responsible, and who was affected.

It also means following through, and communicating that process to your customers. After all, if they’re going to support your business, they have a vested interest in ensuring your brand really stands for what it claims to stand for.

When a crisis comes, it’s not enough to pay a lip-service apology. Wronged parties must be made whole and transgressors punished. To be sure, such actions will probably be outside of your wheelhouse, as a PR professional. But what is within your scope is to communicate to your customers to goings-on that they may not have privy to, but which they have a right to know.

Important Specifics

There is, without a doubt, a fine balance to strike between protecting the company and its sensitive information and protecting your customers. But, in the end, protecting your customers’ right to know is also protecting the company. The more they trust in and align with your company and its brand, the longer they will survive and thrive.

To get it right, you need to have a plan in place before the disaster strikes. Create a crisis management team that can immediately be assembled, whether in-person or virtually, to ensure your company gets out ahead of the story. As your team puts together its crisis response, you’re going to need to determine not only what the story is, but who your target audience is, and what they need and have a right to know. You’re going to need a designated spokesperson and a clear, cohesive, and comprehensive message. The goal, above all, is transparency, accountability, and atonement.

Looking for real-world examples of crisis communication in action? Explore these 16 PR crisis management examples to see how brands navigated challenges and rebuilt trust.

The Takeaway

Doing public relations isn’t easy in the best of circumstances. In an era where trust in the media, from journalism to PR, is depressingly low, public relations pros have significant obstacles to overcome before they can even hope to make their company’s voice heard.

On the other hand, however, the saturated media climate means that there are now more and better options than ever before for reaching the target audience. Young consumers are especially prolific media users across diverse platforms. Best of all, these customers not only desire but expect highly interactive relationships with the companies they support. This provides an important opportunity for engagement, relationship building, and relationship rehabilitation. 

Cover photo by Nijwam Swargiary on Unsplash

The post Crisis Communications in an Era of Media Distrust appeared first on Prowly.

Crisis management is hardly exclusive to big business. Small firms—especially in the age of the ubiquitous internet—are also able to make use of this knowledge.

The first rule to dealing with any crisis reads that “prevention is better than cure.” A disaster (even a small-scale one) can cost the company a lot—from lost sales and compensation to the time of those who are handling the crisis and finally to the “unmeasurable” damage to the reputation. It is, therefore, better to have the procedures to prevent a crisis in place than to cope with it later.

You can find them in our crisis communication plan .pdf e-book, which was prepared together with Michelle Garrett, a renowned PR expert, and recently updated for 2020 and COVID-19.

Learn everything you need to prepare for a crisis:

• Why you need to have a crisis communication plan in place
• Steps in a crisis communication plan
• How to apologize if your brand messes up
• Crisis communications planning tips from the pros

With major brands from Pepsi to United finding themselves in hot water, the crises of 2017 have shined a spotlight on why planning ahead for one of these scenarios is so important. It brings a new appreciation for what crisis communications and PR pros do. If we can take any lessons from these situations, it’s that EVERY business really needs to have a plan in place in the event of a crisis.

[Editorial note: What is Public Relations? A Comprehensive PR Guide]

When you think about your business, can you anticipate a crisis that might arise? An inappropriate social media post or tweet. A mishandling of a situation with a customer. A public safety issue. And the list goes on. The truth is that anything can happen at any time.

And with social media, news travels fast—be it good or bad. The last thing you want is to allow a situation to fester without a response directly from you. This can make a bad scenario worse.

So what can we do?

If we plan ahead and proactively think through crises that might befall our businesses, we can be much better prepared to handle these situations appropriately.

Let’s take United as an example. They had the biggest PR crisis of 2017 when a passenger was dragged off an overbooked flight. The response from the public was swift—and furious. The airline quickly found itself in the midst of a major public backlash.

But, the way United handled it helped feed the fire. Given, the video of the incident was undeniably horrific. There was no way around that. However, the way the brand reacted could’ve used some serious reworking.

Had the airline apologized immediately and taken steps to help make the situation right, the backlash might have been far less in magnitude. Instead, it took three attempts to get it right. By then, the damage had been done.

On the other hand, we have Adidas. When they made a misstep by sending an inappropriate email regarding the Boston marathon (“Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon”), they were quick to admit the mistake and apologize, taking full responsibility for the incident and not making excuses.

So, what’s the lesson here? Of course, we’re not all United. But, are we in denial about the odds that we’ll find our businesses in the midst of a crisis? If so, let’s not bury our heads in the sand. This only makes us look guilty—even if it was a simple misunderstanding that caused the issue.

Getting out in front of the story before it blows up is in your best interest. The way to do that is to be prepared. Have a plan, even if it’s a simple one. What will you say? Who will say it? What other steps will you take? Think through the possible scenarios. Talk through it with your communications team.

What’s the old saying—“Forewarned is forearmed?” There is no excuse in today’s world to NOT be ready for the worst. 2017 has shown us that even if we believe the worst can’t happen—it can. And sometimes does.

What Belongs in a Crisis Communications Plan?

Planning is the best way to be sure you’re prepared. The crisis response plan should address at least the basics so that WHEN (not if, but when) a crisis occurs, you’re ready to hit the ground running to contain the damage before it spirals out of control. It could make the difference between a minor crisis blowing up into a major disaster for your brand.

If you’re thinking about putting together a crisis communications plan for your business, where do you start? Here are the basics to consider:

Select a crisis team

This should include various departments across the company, such as management, communications, legal, HR, and operations. For smaller companies, this may be simple, as the owner assumes many of these responsibilities. It can raise important points, for example, making sure you have an attorney in place should you need one.

Of course, the communications piece is critical, so if this isn’t your strong suit, make sure you have someone to call on for help. For example, we’ve seen brands digging themselves into a deeper hole than they need to when they fail to have a solid response on social media to questions or criticisms during a crisis. The public-facing piece is vital, as is communicating internally to your employees and shareholders, so don’t skimp here. Hire help if you need it.

Determine audiences

The audiences you should consider include your customers, employees, the news media, the community, partners, and perhaps investors. This varies, depending on the type of business and the type of crisis.

Designate a spokesperson

This is usually the CEO or owner of the business. In a larger company, it could be another C-level executive. If needed, you can name more than one spokesperson, such as one who can handle more complex questions requiring specifics the CEO may not be as well versed in. Remember, too, that it’s always a good idea to have a backup, just in case your top choice is traveling, ill, or otherwise unavailable.

Prepare for interviews

Practice answering tough questions. Prepare a Q&A session that covers the most difficult questions and the answers you want to provide. For example, once I worked on an agricultural event when swine flu was in the news. We prepared the spokesperson to address tough questions on the risk to the public, as we knew the media would ask.

And DON’T just “wing it”—you need practice. And it isn’t only the words you use but the tone. More on that here.

Establish policies and procedures for dealing with the media.

These may vary, but some common practices include:

• Routing all journalists to the same contact or department.
• Logging every call/contact.
• Keeping notes on how each contact is handled. If you promise to follow up with a reporter on a question, be sure to do that.

If you’re proactive in working with journalists, they tend to go a little easier on you. They’ll trust and believe you more than if you’re evasive and dodge questions. Give straight answers. If you don’t know an answer, it’s OK to say you’ll find out and get back to them. Then be sure to do that, in as timely a manner as possible.

Keep in mind that this is a very basic outline. If you’re ready to start planning for what your organization will do in the event of a crisis, try following the above steps to draw up a simple framework. Or, contact a PR expert to help you flesh out a plan to fit your needs.

While having a well-structured crisis communication plan is essential, understanding how such plans are executed in real situations can provide invaluable insights.

💡 Explore our compilation of 16 PR Crisis Management Examples to see how various organizations navigated their crises, what strategies they employed, and the lessons learned from their experiences

How to Apologize If Your Brand Messes Up

To set the stage, let’s look at how 2017 has gone for brands. I don’t know if it’s that more brands are making mistakes–or that more people now notice with social media there and always ready to spread the news—but it seems like there’s ALWAYS a company in the news for saying something it shouldn’t have said.

Missteps will happen. Some do a good job of apologizing (Southwest) while others not so much (United). Southwest’s apology was immediate and sincere, while it took United three attempts to finally begin to get it right.

So, what makes a good apology? Here are some elements it should include:

• It should be timely: The apology should quickly follow the misstep. In these days of social media, news—good or bad—can spread like wildfire. Brands no longer have days, or even hours, to come up with an apology. They have to act fast. And, it’s important to get it right on the first try. If it takes you several tries (like United), you risk losing even more favor with the public.
• It should be sincere: It goes without saying that the apology should be heartfelt and genuine. Yet, when people find themselves in a situation in which they need to apologize, they’ll often deny any wrongdoing. Why?

“Denial is the simple thing to do, and people grasp wildly at the first straw to occur to them,” said William Benoit, Ohio University Communications professor and author of Accounts, Excuses, Apologies: Image Repaid Theory and Research.

It wasn’t until Oscar Munoz, United’s CEO, appeared on Good Morning America using words like “shame” and “embarrassment” that he began to come across as more remorseful. And, United announced it would refund the fares of all the passengers on the affected flight, a gesture illustrating empathy.

• You should take responsibility for your actions: If you’ve done something wrong, say so. Admit your error. Don’t make excuses or try to shift the blame. There’s an appreciation for simply saying, “We messed up—and we’re sorry.” Experts agreethis is one of the best ways to begin rebuilding trust.
• Just say it, plain and simple: No need to use fancy words. Simple terms are best. It’s better to use words that reflect language your audience relates to. Don’t use industry jargon.
• Include an explanation of what happened: If it’s warranted, explaining what happened can also help folks understand—and perhaps be more forgiving.

For example, when it was revealed that PricewaterhouseCoopers was behind the debacle at the Academy Awards in 2017, the next day, not only did they apologize, but they offered an explanation of what happened. This helped them mend fences with the Academy.

If you need more examples, check out SorryWatch, where founders Susan McCarthy and Marjorie Ingall review public apologies each week and give advice on structure and language. For instance, they recently took a stab at dissecting Equifax’s attempt at apologizing.

And what’s the one most important piece of advice Ingall gives? If you make a mistake, don’t make excuses. “Apologizing well means acknowledging that, at that moment at least, you were not good,” says Ingall.

After all, everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you apologize that matters.

“During times of sensitivity, adversity or crisis, the most important thing you can do is step up, be present, and answer the tough, yet important, questions. Even better, be prepared before a crisis so you and your company will know what to do during and after—you must create organizational muscle memory—many people are depending on you to lead them through the storm. Our mantra is, ‘If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And, when someone else tells your story, it certainly won’t be the story you want to be told.’”

Rob Weinhold, chief executive, Fallston Group

Identify and know your stakeholders:

“Who are the internal and external stakeholders that matter to your organization? I consider employees to be your most important audience because every employee is a PR representative and crisis manager for your organization whether you want them to be or not! But, ultimately, all stakeholders will be talking about you to others, not on your contact list, so it’s up to you to ensure that they receive the messages you would like them to repeat elsewhere.”

Jonathan Bernstein, president, Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

Communicate with your wider staff:

“In a crisis, maintaining a single channel of communication with the press is vital if you want to keep control of the message being delivered. While your focus may be on what is happening externally, you have to remember the importance of ensuring your employees are aware of, and up to date on, the ongoing situation.

You have to remember; it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a receptionist or salesperson, for instance, could answer the phone or be approached by a journalist and say something they shouldn’t. Everyone who works for your business needs to know what to say (and what not to say!) if they are contacted by the media, and where they should direct them.

Advice also needs to be given on the content of your employees’ personal social media channels—this is especially true in a crisis situation and should be covered in your social media policy document.

This internal communication, alongside a robust social media policy document that limits company information being shared on personal channels, will help protect the established lines of communication between the business and the press.”

Martin Stone, associate director, Tank

P.S. Here’s an article that might come in handy if you’re looking for a tool to measure the impact of your communication efforts.

Say—but more importantly DO—the right thing at the right time:

“Saying—but more importantly DOING—the right thing at the right time is key to managing a crisis. Get it right, and you could deepen your connection with your customers for the long term, and perhaps win more business through positive word of mouth. Get it wrong—and it could be a real threat to your future growth.”

Neil Hopkins, owner, NeoNodal

Make use of your internal champions:

“Plan out in advance some of the possible issues or crises the firm might encounter and draft working statements (these can always be amended if needed). Have an internal support network, spokespeople who can cover a particular area, e.g., an issue relating to HR, facilities, etc. and are aware that they are the crisis point person. You need to establish close contact with a core group of senior spokespeople who you can relay the issue to, plan/draft the response and issue. The key is speed and accuracy.

That said, make use of your internal champions, i.e., PAs, who can be invaluable in chasing down spokespeople, getting sign-off on statements, etc.”

Mark Hook, Head of PR, Brightpearl

Here’s hoping you’ve done your crisis communications planning already—and that you won’t need to use it.

About Michelle:

PR consultant and writer. You’ll find Michelle at the intersection of PR, content marketing, and social media. As a public relations consultant, content creator, blogger, speaker and award-winning writer, Michelle’s articles and advice have been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, Muck Rack, Ragan’s PR Daily, Meltwater, Spin Sucks, CIO, Upwork, Freelancers Union, SheKnows, CommProBiz, and others.

She was named a Top 100 PR Influencer by Onalytica and was recently named to the advisory council of National Organization American Women in Public Relations (Women in PR USATM) Women in PR USA.

About Prowly:

Prowly is a PR tool for agencies, communication departments, and freelancers. It allows to easily find relevant media contacts, create online newsrooms, and distribute visual press releases to the media.

Several hundred professionals in Europe and the US are already using Prowly, including PR representatives of such brands as Vimeo, Grupa Pracuj, Techland, Deloitte Digital, IKEA, Spotify, National Geographic, and Allegro.

Cover photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash

The post How to Create a Crisis Communication Plan (Updated for COVID-19) appeared first on Prowly.

When organized in the right way, remote teams can play a powerful role in business success. People around the world can work on and contribute to one business project. Members of a remote team often have a better work/life balance compared to conventional, working on face-to-face basis teams, which means more committed employees.

However, many companies naturally have concerns about the security implications of having a remote team. When people are spread around the world, there’s less direct control over security as opposed to a traditional office environment.

Thankfully, there are proven practices organizations can use to help remote teams communicate and work as securely as possible.

Consider Security From the Start of Your Remote Work Project

Remote team security isn’t something that can be treated as an afterthought—it’s something that needs to be considered from the earliest stages of any given project.

Why is it so important to make security considerations an important aspect of the initial planning process?

Simply put, security must be kept in mind every step of the way. It impacts everything from setting objectives, formulating policies, and even planning the types of questions to ask when hiring remote team members.

So what are some of the methods organizations can use to make security considerations a crucial part of a project’s earliest phases?

• Past Experience. Before embarking on a new remote team project, organizations need to look at their past work. What are the lessons from past remote projects that can be applied to their current objectives?

• Industry Best Practices. Apart from considering the internal organizational knowledge gained from past projects, it’s important to look beyond the boundaries of the organization. What are some current industry-wide best practices that can be put in place?

After taking the opportunity to consider security first, how can organizations apply the takeaways to make sure their remote teams can make use of them, too?

Create Policies and Standard Operating Procedures

Of course, simply considering security before a project begins isn’t enough. It’s easy for even the best ideas and practices to get lost if they aren’t formalized in some way.

To ensure that your company's security considerations don't get lost or neglected along the way, it's worth creating policies and standard operating procedures to ensure that your future remote team can put your ideas into practice.

The exact type of policy or SOP document created will differ from industry to industry. Even within a particular organization, security procedures will probably need to be adjusted and adapted to accommodate the different team roles.

What are some effective ideas for formalizing security knowledge into a policy?

• Length. The entire purpose of a standard operating procedure or other security policy document is to make sure remote teams can put policy into practice. Therefore, it's vital to consider that such documents should strike a balance between brevity and comprehensiveness. Remote team members should have all the information they need to work securely, without being overwhelmed by lengthy documents.

• Feedback. One of the main mistakes companies make when drafting policy and procedure documents is failing to consider how they will play out in the real world. When creating documents on communication security for your remote teams, seek feedback along the way. Making adjustments at the drafting stage is a lot easier than making them further down the line.

• Suitability. Make sure that the security policies in place will be suitable for the people using them. This can take the form of ensuring any policies are easily accessible, in the language of all team members, and presented in the right format. For example, short videos might be more useful than written documents, depending on the needs of your team.

Taking the time to formalize these ideas into a policy document will make security rules clear and easy to adhere to.

Choose The Right Team Communication Tools

One of the major mistakes organizations make regarding security considerations in leading remote teams is failing to make sure that their tools and practices align.

Too often teams end up using fairly standardized, default tools, that might not meet their security needs in full.

Often, once a particular tool is adopted, it’s either too expensive or too inconvenient for an organization to switch to another one. Take the time to compare different options. It’s essential to get the decision right the first time.

So how can organizations select the most appropriate tools to support security in managing remote teams?

• Features. It's essential to have a full list of security features your tools will need to have ahead of time. Otherwise, it's easy to get excited about a tool based on its overall appeal, without properly considering it from a security standpoint. You might find it useful to list all the security features you find essential and desirable in order to have a clear shot at evaluating potential tools.

• Cost. There are several important factors related to the cost of choosing secure tools for your remote team. Depending on a particular tool, there might be price tiers for user numbers or extra costs to access extra storage, for example. The tool with the lowest price shouldn’t be your default choice. It’s worth spending more to get better security, as the cost of a breach can far outweigh the money you spend on the tool.

• Future. When choosing a set of tools for your remote team to use, it’s important to look ahead. It may seem relatively easy to plan for the short-term, and chances are you’ll end up hurting your security. You want to consider whether the tool you want to use will be supported in the longer perspective, whether the company that created it is likely to endure, and, finally, whether the tool itself will remain compatible with your organization’s intended hardware.

Aligning the tools like business phone systems with your policies and procedures is essential. Otherwise, even the best security plan doesn’t stand a chance of becoming an effective practice.

Configure Your Collaboration Tools

Choosing the right tools for remote work isn’t enough.

If you’ve chosen well, your remote collaboration tools will allow for customization and adaptation.

Don’t make the mistake of just using the tools with their default settings. Instead, take the time to ensure they work in a way that best meets the needs of your team and organization.

• Access Levels. Take the time to determine and adopt proper access levels for your remote team. In most situations, different team members will need different levels of access to things such as communication channels, storage drives, email, and so on. Customizing access levels not only fosters organizational security but helps teams perform effectively and efficiently.

• MFA. Consider configuring your tools to make use of multi-factor authentication (MFA). While this is good practice in a lot of cases, it might not always be right for your team. Evaluate the benefits of single factor VS. multi-factor authentication for the context of your remote team.

• Password Policy. Depending on the particular tools you choose, you might want to put a password policy in place. Of course, many tools require a certain strength of a password by default. Also, if you’re using an access method such as fingerprints or other biometrics, these might be enough on their own.

Just as it’s important to choose a set of tools that match the security needs of your organization, it’s essential to configure them to operate in the way you wish. Doing so will ensure both security and workflow are as smooth as possible.

Monitor and Improve

The final step in making sure your remote team communicates as securely as possible is to never think your security concerns are fully addressed.

There’s always room for improvement, just as there are always new lessons to learn and best practices to implement.

So how can you make sure that your organization applies a growth- and improvement-oriented mindset when it comes to security for remote teams?

• Team Feedback. Take the time to regularly gather your team’s thoughts and opinions on the tools they are using and the security situation associated with them. Implementing this real-world feedback ensures that you adjust to the reality on the ground.

• Learn From Mistakes. Even with the best tools, policies, and procedures in place, mistakes will inevitably occur. The important thing is to treat each mistake as an opportunity for improvement.

• Tool Updates. The world of tech and software never stands still. The tools used by your remote team will likely change and evolve. Make sure that they remain compatible with the goals of your organization, and evaluate new alternatives as they emerge.

• Industry Best Practices. Security issues evolve and must be addressed as we speak. Keep an eye on industry journals and thought-leaders to make sure that your organization's security policy and practices remain in harmony with industry-wide best practices.

Failing to adapt as security issues evolve will eventually make your organization vulnerable to the new threats.

Keep an eye on changes and address them to ensure the highest level of security for your remote team.

Security Issues Shouldn’t Stop You From Benefiting From Remote Teams

Remote work may pose some security challenges, but so does working in traditional, face-to-face work models.

No work setting will ever guarantee 100% security. But that doesn’t make security challenges impossible to tackle.

By taking a proactive approach based on best practices and ensuring a private and secure Internet connection, you can make sure communication with and within your remote team remains as safe as possible.

Main photo: Distel.co

Get PR tips & insights to your inbox, every week. Subscribe to Prowly’s Newsletter.

The post Security Best Practices for Your Remote Team appeared first on Prowly.

Crisis management is hardly exclusive to big business. Small firms—especially in the age of the ubiquitous internet—are also able to make use of this knowledge.

The first rule to dealing with any crisis reads that “prevention is better than cure.” A disaster (even a small-scale one) can cost the company a lot—from lost sales and compensation to the time of those who are handling the crisis and finally to the “unmeasurable” damage to the reputation. It is therefore better to have the procedures to prevent a crisis in place than to cope with it later.

You can find them in our crisis communication plan e-book, which was prepared together with Michelle Garrett, a renowned PR expert, and our updated e-book for 2020 and COVID-19.

Learn everything you need to prepare for a crisis:

• Why you need to have a crisis communication plan in place
• Steps in a crisis communication plan
• How to apologize if your brand messes up
• Crisis communications planning tips from the pros

With major brands from Pepsi to United finding themselves in hot water, the crises of 2017 have shined a spotlight on why planning ahead for one of these scenarios is so important. It brings a new appreciation for what crisis communications and PR pros do. If we can take any lessons from these situations, it’s that EVERY business really needs to have a plan in place in the event of a crisis.

[Editorial note: What is Public Relations? A Comprehensive PR Guide]

When you think about your business, can you anticipate a crisis that might arise? An inappropriate social media post or tweet. A mishandling of a situation with a customer. A public safety issue. And the list goes on. The truth is that anything can happen at any time.

And with social media, news travels fast—be it good or bad. The last thing you want is to allow a situation to fester without a response directly from you. This can make a bad scenario worse.

So what can we do?

If we plan ahead and proactively think through crises that might befall our businesses, we can be much better prepared to handle these situations appropriately.

Let’s take United as an example. They had the biggest PR crisis of 2017 when a passenger was dragged off an overbooked flight. The response from the public was swift—and furious. The airline quickly found itself in the midst of a major public backlash.

But, the way United handled it helped feed the fire. Given, the video of the incident was undeniably horrific. There was no way around that. However, the way the brand reacted could’ve used some serious reworking.

Had the airline apologized immediately and taken steps to help make the situation right, the backlash might have been far less in magnitude. Instead, it took three attempts to get it right. By then, the damage had been done.

On the other hand, we have Adidas. When they made a misstep by sending an inappropriate email regarding the Boston marathon (“Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon”), they were quick to admit the mistake and apologize, taking full responsibility for the incident and not making excuses.

So, what’s the lesson here? Of course, we’re not all United. But, are we in denial about the odds that we’ll find our businesses in the midst of a crisis? If so, let’s not bury our heads in the sand. This only makes us look guilty—even if it was a simple misunderstanding that caused the issue.

Getting out in front of the story before it blows up is in your best interest. The way to do that is to be prepared. Have a plan, even if it’s a simple one. What will you say? Who will say it? What other steps will you take? Think through the possible scenarios. Talk through it with your communications team.

What’s the old saying—“Forewarned is forearmed?” There is no excuse in today’s world to NOT be ready for the worst. 2017 has shown us that even if we believe the worst can’t happen—it can. And sometimes does.

What Belongs in a Crisis Communications Plan?

Planning is the best way to be sure you’re prepared. The crisis response plan should address at least the basics so that WHEN (not if, but when) a crisis occurs, you’re ready to hit the ground running to contain the damage before it spirals out of control. It could make the difference between a minor crisis blowing up into a major disaster for your brand.

If you’re thinking about putting together a crisis communications plan for your business, where do you start? Here are the basics to consider:

Select a crisis team

This should include various departments across the company, such as management, communications, legal, HR, and operations. For smaller companies, this may be simple, as the owner assumes many of these responsibilities. It can raise important points, for example, making sure you have an attorney in place should you need one.

Of course, the communications piece is critical, so if this isn’t your strong suit, make sure you have someone to call on for help. For example, we’ve seen brands digging themselves into a deeper hole than they need to when they fail to have a solid response on social media to questions or criticisms during a crisis. The public-facing piece is vital, as is communicating internally to your employees and shareholders, so don’t skimp here. Hire help if you need it.

Determine audiences

The audiences you should consider include your customers, employees, the news media, the community, partners, and perhaps investors. This varies, depending on the type of business and the type of crisis.

Designate a spokesperson

This is usually the CEO or owner of the business. In a larger company, it could be another C-level executive. If needed, you can name more than one spokesperson, such as one who can handle more complex questions requiring specifics the CEO may not be as well versed in. Remember, too, that it’s always a good idea to have a backup, just in case your top choice is traveling, ill, or otherwise unavailable.

Prepare for interviews

Practice answering tough questions. Prepare a Q&A session that covers the most difficult questions and the answers you want to provide. For example, once I worked on an agricultural event when swine flu was in the news. We prepared the spokesperson to address tough questions on the risk to the public, as we knew the media would ask.

And DON’T just “wing it”—you need practice. And it isn’t only the words you use but the tone. More on that here.

Establish policies and procedures for dealing with the media.

These may vary, but some common practices include:

• Routing all journalists to the same contact or department.
• Logging every call/contact.
• Keeping notes on how each contact is handled. If you promise to follow up with a reporter on a question, be sure to do that.

If you’re proactive in working with journalists, they tend to go a little easier on you. They’ll trust and believe you more than if you’re evasive and dodge questions. Give straight answers. If you don’t know an answer, it’s OK to say you’ll find out and get back to them. Then be sure to do that, in as timely a manner as possible.

Keep in mind that this is a very basic outline. If you’re ready to start planning for what your organization will do in the event of a crisis, try following the above steps to draw up a simple framework. Or, contact a PR expert to help you flesh out a plan to fit your needs.

How to Apologize If Your Brand Messes Up

To set the stage, let’s look at how 2017 has gone for brands. I don’t know if it’s that more brands are making mistakes–or that more people now notice with social media there and always ready to spread the news—but it seems like there’s ALWAYS a company in the news for saying something it shouldn’t have said.

Missteps will happen. Some do a good job of apologizing (Southwest) while others not so much (United). Southwest’s apology was immediate and sincere, while it took United three attempts to finally begin to get it right.

So, what makes a good apology? Here are some elements it should include:

• It should be timely: The apology should quickly follow the misstep. In these days of social media, news—good or bad—can spread like wildfire. Brands no longer have days, or even hours, to come up with an apology. They have to act fast. And, it’s important to get it right on the first try. If it takes you several tries (like United), you risk losing even more favor with the public.
• It should be sincere: It goes without saying that the apology should be heartfelt and genuine. Yet, when people find themselves in a situation in which they need to apologize, they’ll often deny any wrongdoing. Why?

“Denial is the simple thing to do, and people grasp wildly at the first straw to occur to them,” said William Benoit, Ohio University Communications professor and author of Accounts, Excuses, Apologies: Image Repaid Theory and Research.

It wasn’t until Oscar Munoz, United’s CEO, appeared on Good Morning America using words like “shame” and “embarrassment” that he began to come across as more remorseful. And, United announced it would refund the fares of all the passengers on the affected flight, a gesture illustrating empathy.

• You should take responsibility for your actions: If you’ve done something wrong, say so. Admit your error. Don’t make excuses or try to shift the blame. There’s an appreciation for simply saying, “We messed up—and we’re sorry.” Experts agreethis is one of the best ways to begin rebuilding trust.
• Just say it, plain and simple: No need to use fancy words. Simple terms are best. It’s better to use words that reflect language your audience relates to. Don’t use industry jargon.
• Include an explanation of what happened: If it’s warranted, explaining what happened can also help folks understand—and perhaps be more forgiving.

For example, when it was revealed that PricewaterhouseCoopers was behind the debacle at the Academy Awards in 2017, the next day, not only did they apologize, but they offered an explanation of what happened. This helped them mend fences with the Academy.

If you need more examples, check out SorryWatch, where founders Susan McCarthy and Marjorie Ingall review public apologies each week and give advice on structure and language. For instance, they recently took a stab at dissecting Equifax’s attempt at apologizing.

And what’s the one most important piece of advice Ingall gives? If you make a mistake, don’t make excuses. “Apologizing well means acknowledging that, at that moment at least, you were not good,” says Ingall.

After all, everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you apologize that matters.

“During times of sensitivity, adversity or crisis, the most important thing you can do is step up, be present, and answer the tough, yet important, questions. Even better, be prepared before a crisis so you and your company will know what to do during and after—you must create organizational muscle memory—many people are depending on you to lead them through the storm. Our mantra is, ‘If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And, when someone else tells your story, it certainly won’t be the story you want to be told.’”

Rob Weinhold, chief executive, Fallston Group

Identify and know your stakeholders:

“Who are the internal and external stakeholders that matter to your organization? I consider employees to be your most important audience because every employee is a PR representative and crisis manager for your organization whether you want them to be or not! But, ultimately, all stakeholders will be talking about you to others, not on your contact list, so it’s up to you to ensure that they receive the messages you would like them to repeat elsewhere.”

Jonathan Bernstein, president, Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

Communicate with your wider staff:

“In a crisis, maintaining a single channel of communication with the press is vital if you want to keep control of the message being delivered. While your focus may be on what is happening externally, you have to remember the importance of ensuring your employees are aware of, and up to date on, the ongoing situation.

You have to remember; it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a receptionist or salesperson, for instance, could answer the phone or be approached by a journalist and say something they shouldn’t. Everyone who works for your business needs to know what to say (and what not to say!) if they are contacted by the media, and where they should direct them.

Advice also needs to be given on the content of your employees’ personal social media channels—this is especially true in a crisis situation and should be covered in your social media policy document.

This internal communication, alongside a robust social media policy document that limits company information being shared on personal channels, will help protect the established lines of communication between the business and the press.”

Martin Stone, associate director, Tank

Say—but more importantly DO—the right thing at the right time:

“Saying—but more importantly DOING—the right thing at the right time is key to managing a crisis. Get it right, and you could deepen your connection with your customers for the long term, and perhaps win more business through positive word of mouth. Get it wrong—and it could be a real threat to your future growth.”

Neil Hopkins, owner, NeoNodal

Make use of your internal champions:

“Plan out in advance some of the possible issues or crises the firm might encounter and draft working statements (these can always be amended if needed). Have an internal support network, spokespeople who can cover a particular area, e.g., an issue relating to HR, facilities, etc. and are aware that they are the crisis point person. You need to establish close contact with a core group of senior spokespeople who you can relay the issue to, plan/draft the response and issue. The key is speed and accuracy.

That said, make use of your internal champions, i.e., PAs, who can be invaluable in chasing down spokespeople, getting sign-off on statements, etc.”

Mark Hook, Head of PR, Brightpearl

Here’s hoping you’ve done your crisis communications planning already—and that you won’t need to use it.

About Michelle:

PR consultant and writer. You’ll find Michelle at the intersection of PR, content marketing, and social media. As a public relations consultant, content creator, blogger, speaker and award-winning writer, Michelle’s articles and advice have been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, Muck Rack, Ragan’s PR Daily, Meltwater, Spin Sucks, CIO, Upwork, Freelancers Union, SheKnows, CommProBiz, and others.

She was named a Top 100 PR Influencer by Onalytica and was recently named to the advisory council of National Organization American Women in Public Relations (Women in PR USATM) Women in PR USA.

About Prowly:

Prowly is a PR application for agencies, communication departments, and freelancers. It allows to easily create online press centers with press releases, articles, or blog posts and facilitates the distribution of press materials to the media and measuring the results. Several hundred professionals in Poland, Europe, and the US are already using Prowly, including PR representatives of such brands as Vimeo, Grupa Pracuj, Techland, Deloitte Digital, IKEA, Spotify, National Geographic, and Allegro. Prowly is a member of the European Tech Alliance, alongside some of the biggest technology startups from Europe (King, Spotify, BlaBlaCar, Deezer), supporting the European Commission in the Digital Single Market (DSM) project.

The post Better Safe Than Sorry: Your Crisis Communication Plan From A to Z appeared first on Prowly.