It’s impossible to predict the future, yet it isn’t impossible to be prepared. Whether it’s a public callout, viral criticism on social media, being made into an unflattering meme, being linked to a problematic influencer or a number of other crises, it’s important to plan for any and all scenarios that could possibly arise.
Hire a crisis management team before you have a crisis. Part of their expertise should lie in identifying concerns and potential crises. If your brand has all the pieces in place before a crisis hits, then it’s more likely you’ll be able to ride the wave instead of getting swallowed up by it.
Be prepared for the court of public opinion
Whether you’re representing a celebrity selling out arena shows or an influencer on their way to one million subscribers, not a single person or brand is immune to the court of public opinion. Information is traveling faster and faster via social media and, at the same time, public patience is thinning when it comes to wrongdoing. Public figures must be aware of how their perceived brand can shift in a mere moment’s notice.
That said, it’s crucial that you don’t allow the public’s response to dictate and muddle your plan forward. Public opinion is increasingly reactionary, however, that does not mean brands can afford to be reactionary as well.
Yes, every celebrity should do their research, know what people are saying and be aware of the discourse while working through a crisis. However, what people are saying shouldn’t affect your brand response in such a way that it drives an impulse decision—making things worse, or elicits an uncontrolled, unintended emotional response. You and the brand you represent should be mentally prepared for what the public could say before they say it. Most of all, don’t let what the public says tarnish an unused, valuable crisis tactic.
Genuinely apologize
While it isn’t in your brand’s best interest to react or lash out due to poor public perception, when appropriate in a crisis, a public figure should be able to offer a genuine apology. Admitting full ownership of wrongdoing can go a long way to earning forgiveness and repairing damage.
A recent example of an apology that could have gone better is the one made by Kai Cenat’s PR team after the influencer incited a riot in New York’s Union Square. While Cenat’s team, AMP Group, did own up to wrongdoing, Cenat didn’t take responsibility.
A better, more powerful apology would’ve been Cenat himself saying those words. Coming from his PR team, the apology seems disingenuous. Since then, Cenat has lost followers and has been unseated as Twitch’s most-followed account.
