Repairing your Brand’s Reputation with PR
Many brands have well and truly messed up over the years. Uber is a prime example; the company has had numerous PR disasters over the past five years, and the #DeleteUber protest made headlines in 2017 when the brand continued to operate while taxis went on strike in the US. Even globally renowned organisations have found themselves in hot water. HSBC’s Assume Nothing Campaign – launched in the late 2000s – translated to Do Nothing in many countries, forcing a complete international rebrand.
While some errors are worse than others, effective PR marketing can be used to improve a brand’s reputation following a slip-up. Here’s how.
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Apologise
We all make mistakes. So if you’re in the wrong, apologise quickly and professionally. Apple, Netflix and KFC are all brands that have missed the mark or upset customers, and put out a prompt, meaningful apology to that effect. People appreciate a sincere apology that doesn’t try to make excuses or pass the blame.
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Confront the Issue
Whatever happens, don’t bury your head in the sand. Confront the issue and make relevant changes where necessary to show people that you’ve learnt your lesson and are prepared to work hard in order to regain trust. Consumers can be understanding, but they need to see that you haven’t just swept the issue under the rug. When H&M put out an advertisement that was racist, it followed up its apology with the appointment of a global leader for diversity and inclusiveness, then ‘built back better’ by setting new company goals. For instance they announced that by 2025, 100% of employees should feel that they have the same opportunity as the person sitting next to them and this will be tracked by employee engagement surveys. The brand also pledged that by 2025, 100% of its employees will be able to see visible diversity in those holding leadership positions, wherever they are.
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Be Respectful
When it comes to PR brand marketing, it’s important to recover from a mistake with grace. This last thing you want to do is to become aggressive or argumentative. Instead, take time to understand the backlash and be considerate of people’s feelings. There might be times when you need to speak to specific consumers individually. While replying to negative comments on social media shows you care, it’s often better to say something like, “Thanks for sharing your concern, we’d love to talk about this matter further. Please get in touch with us at XXX and we’ll look into your case in detail.” This way, the issue doesn’t drum up any more negative press than it needs to.
If you’re trying to appease many unsatisfied customers, then it’s often better to release a statement across your channels stating while this might take some time, each case will be dealt with. Make the most of features such as ‘Pinned Tweet’ to ensure your post gets maximum exposure. This is something many airlines had to do during the pandemic.
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Be Confident in your Actions
Often a so-called PR disaster is not a disaster at all. Sometimes, brands simply choose to act in a controversial way because they believe passionately about something. For example, when Nike hired outcast American football player and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick as the face of the brand’s 30th anniversary ‘Just Do It’ campaign, it caused outrage. But Nike helped calm the situation by staying true to their decision.
Announcing the campaign, Gino Fisanotti, Nike’s vice-president of brand, said: “We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward. We wanted to energise its meaning and introduce ‘Just Do It’ to a new generation of athletes.” The lesson here is that if you’re going to act controversially, be sure of your goals and act with confidence. Reports suggest the move made Nike a whopping $6 billion.
Effective PR can help resolve marketing errors or backlash from the public and must be taken seriously. If you need help re-establishing your brand or improving its image, speak to Whitefish Marketing today.
