Crisis news reports pertain to worrying developments in society, such as a widening economic gap, major humanitarian crises that have developed over time, or significant health issues. They are often highly politicized and polarized, making it difficult to understand the impact they can have on people’s perception of what is actually happening. The rise of the internet and global competition for media attention has also likely increased the incidence of crisis coverage.
When a brand is faced with a crisis, it’s critical to be transparent and quick about responding to concerns. A slow response can exacerbate the damage and can be one of the worst examples of poor crisis communication.
If a company hasn’t already done so, a press release can be a helpful way to communicate important information in a timely fashion. This can include details on what happened, steps being taken to mitigate the situation, rebuttals to unfavorable media reports, and more.
If you are in a hurry, consider using a darkroom, which is a pre-populated site that can be launched with the click of a button (see our article on how to set up a darkroom using Prezly). This will save you valuable time during a crisis and allows you to prepare your key messages in advance. Ensure your message is aligned with your company’s values and brand personality, and that you are adding diverse perspectives to your content creation process. This can help prevent a crisis from turning into a PR disaster, as seen in the Bud light ad and Peloton controversy.
