SDL Proprietary and Confidential SDL Proprietary and Confidential

Brand Crisis Webinar

Kara Clark – Account Manager

Hash tag #sicrisismanagement

We have all seen it…

TRAP 1: NOT BEING APOLOGETIC

TRAP 1: NEGATIVE OUTCOME

Tarnishes customer’s

relationship with the brand

TRAP 1: AMERICAN APPAREL EXAMPLE

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TRAP 1: AMERICAN APPAREL EXAMPLE

“I don’t think our marketing guys made a

mistake…I’m sleeping well at night knowing this is

not a serious matter”

“Of course we never mean to offend anyone

and if we made a mistake here, it came from the

good place of trying to keep the machine

going—for the sake of our employees and

stakeholders.”

“Our staff are safe and our stores are back on

track in NY. Come visit us in Williamsburg,

Carroll Gardens & Columbus Circle. Open until

9pm.”

The CEO tries to invalidate

customer’s concerns…

Then a PR rep tries to

explain, but still doesn’t

apologize…

And no response on

Twitter or Facebook

from the brand until…

AVOID THE TRAP BY…

• Meet with your legal team and executive team BEFORE a crisis hits to

decide how to properly apologize during various types of crisis (recall,

employee issues, natural disaster, service disruption, marketing blunder,

etc.) without taking direct blame or liability for the crisis.

• Hold focus groups with customers and get their opinion on these

“approved apologies” - do they resonate? Do they feel sincere?

This will ensure that the company can make a…

Timely and sincere apology that specifically

speaks to customer’s concerns and validates

their emotions

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TRAP 2 – LACK OF TRANSPARENCY

TRAP 2: NEGATIVE OUTCOME

Leads to a Speculation

and a Lack of Trust

TRAP 2: NOVARTIS EXAMPLE

“I want to know why they were

gone so long. It had to be

something major. I want

answers before I will buy

again.”

“Why doesn't Excedrin do us

all the big favor and take the

extra step and tell us where

they are being shipped. This is

almost as bad as going on a

snipe hunt. Excedrin you get

an F for the handling of this

ordeal.”

AVOID THE TRAP BY…

• Having a vendor lined up BEFORE a crisis hits to monitor social media

chatter during the crisis. They can determine what specific concerns and

questions customers have, so they can speak to them directly. Set up an

FAQ page that directly answers the prominent concerns and questions

from the online buzz.

• Utilize social media to disseminate frequent and detailed updates that

specifically explain what steps are being taken and the timeline of

implementation – OR explain clearly why you can’t give that information

out at that time.

This will ensure that….

Customers feel well informed and don’t feel

the need to “fill in the blanks” themselves.

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TRAP 3 – TAKING AWAY CUSTOMERS’ VOICE MID-CRISIS

TRAP 3: YOU TURN A BRAND OPPORTUNITY INTO A NEW CRISIS

TRAP 3: CHAPSTICK EXAMPLE

“I would encourage you to take

Chapstick up on their bold-print offer to

“Be Heard at Facebook.com/chapstick”

except I’ve tried that: they delete any

comments even remotely questioning

or critical.”

“One of the biggest mistakes a

company can make on social media

is censorship. If somebody posts a

negative comment on your

company's wall, don't delete it,

engage them and find out why.

AVOID THE TRAP BY…

• Use your customer’s comments and concerns during a crisis to help mold the right crisis response and understand concerns – they are sharing their feelings and opinions and ideas with you FOR FREE, so use them!

• Don’t, don’t, don’t delete comments unless they are vulgar or they go against your page’s code of conduct

• Assign someone to monitor and respond to ALL messages, tweets, and comments during a crisis to show that your brand is listening and actively solving the problem

This will help the brand…

Turn a crisis, into an opportunity to expand and deepen relationships with the most loyal

(and vocal) fans.

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IN SUMMARY…

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Thank you! Kara Clark kclark@sdl.com