Navigating the storm: why crisis PR is essential for every brand

When the headlines hit and the public spotlight turns hostile, it's not the time to figure out your next move. Crisis PR is not a luxury for global brands or a response reserved for scandal. It's a foundational discipline that every brand, no matter the size, must take seriously. Whether you're steering a Fortune 500 company or building a startup, your brand's reputation is your most valuable asset. When that reputation is threatened, your response determines whether you recover, survive, or collapse. The brands that weather crises best aren't lucky. They're prepared. 

Crisis preparation doesn't begin when the fire alarm rings. It starts long before, in quiet rooms with executive teams, legal counsel, and communications professionals identifying threats that haven’t yet surfaced. The brands that come out of a crisis with their reputation intact are the ones that planned for it when everything was calm. 

Take Johnson & Johnson’s response to the Tylenol poisoning crisis in 1982. Seven people died after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. The company didn’t wait for regulators or public outrage to escalate. It immediately pulled 31 million bottles from shelves, costing over $100m. More importantly, it introduced tamper-evident packaging that became the industry standard. Johnson & Johnson didn’t just protect its brand, it set a precedent for corporate responsibility. This wasn’t improvisation. It was the result of a corporate culture that prioritised consumer trust and had the foresight to act decisively. 

Preparation means more than a crisis binder collecting dust on a shelf. It requires a living, breathing plan. That includes identifying potential threats through regular risk assessments, monitoring social media for early warning signs, and training your team through simulations that mimic real-world chaos. Brands should be using real-time monitoring tools to catch small sparks before they become infernos.  

The companies that fail in crisis often do so not because the crisis was unmanageable, but because they were slow to respond. Time kills trust. In a crisis, the first few hours are the most important. Delay gives space for speculation, misinformation, and public outrage to take hold. The longer a brand stays silent, the more control it loses over the narrative. 

Facebook’s handling of the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018 offers a cautionary tale. When it was revealed that data from up to 87 million users had been improperly accessed, Facebook’s initial response was sluggish and vague. CEO Mark Zuckerberg waited five days to issue a personal statement. By then, the damage was already mounting. The delay allowed critics to shape the story and cast doubt on Facebook’s commitment to privacy. While the company eventually took steps to address the issue, its slow start cost it credibility and trust. 

Contrast that with Starbucks' response to a racially charged incident in 2018. When two Black men were wrongfully arrested at a Philadelphia store, the backlash was immediate. Starbucks didn’t wait. CEO Kevin Johnson issued a public apology within 24 hours, met with the affected individuals, and announced the closure of 8,000 stores for racial bias training. That decisive response shifted the conversation from outrage to accountability. Starbucks didn’t erase the incident, but it showed leadership and took responsibility. That’s what stakeholders remember. 

Speed alone isn’t enough. The message must be clear, consistent, and come from the top. During a crisis, people want to hear from leaders, not faceless spokespeople. Authenticity matters. Brands must resist the urge to sugarcoat or deflect. Acknowledge the problem, explain what you’re doing to fix it, and follow through. Anything less reads as evasive. 

Transparency is not just a communications tactic, it’s a business imperative. When Equifax suffered a massive data breach in 2017 that exposed the personal information of 147 million Americans, the company’s response was widely criticised. Executives waited six weeks to disclose the breach. The delay, combined with a confusing public response and reports of insider trading, eroded public trust. Equifax eventually issued a public apology and offered credit monitoring services, but the damage was already done. The breach cost the company over $1.4 bn in legal fees and settlements and permanently tarnished its reputation. 

Transparency doesn’t mean airing every internal debate or misstep. It means being honest about what happened, why it happened, and what steps are being taken to prevent it from happening again. That kind of honesty builds trust, even in difficult moments. Consumers understand that mistakes happen. What they won’t forgive is dishonesty or denial. 

Authenticity also means aligning your response with your brand values. If your company claims to prioritise customer safety, then your actions during a crisis should reflect that. If you position yourself as a champion of social justice, then silence during a societal crisis sends a message louder than words. The public is watching, and inconsistency between words and actions will be called out. 

After the immediate crisis passes, the work isn’t over. In fact, the post-crisis phase is where reputations are either rebuilt or left in ruins. Brands must continue communicating, updating stakeholders, and demonstrating change. This isn’t about PR spin, it’s about operational follow-through. 

Starbucks didn’t just issue an apology and move on. It followed through on its commitment to bias training, engaged with civil rights leaders, and made changes to store policies. Over time, that helped restore public trust. The company turned a potentially reputation-destroying incident into an opportunity to reinforce its values. 

Rebuilding trust requires consistency. That means regular updates, honest assessments of progress, and a willingness to admit when things aren’t going as planned. It also means engaging advocates, both internal and external, who can speak credibly about your efforts. Influencers, brand ambassadors, and employees can play a key role in shaping public perception, but only if they believe in the message. 

A well-managed crisis can even strengthen a brand. It shows resilience, accountability, and leadership. But that outcome is only possible with preparation, speed, transparency, and authenticity. Brands that treat crisis PR as an afterthought or a reactive function are gambling with their reputation. And in today’s environment, where social media can amplify outrage in seconds, that’s a bet few can afford. 

The question isn’t whether your brand will face a crisis. It’s when. And when that moment comes, the quality of your preparation and the integrity of your response will define your brand for years to come. Get ahead of it. Build a real plan. Assemble a team that knows what to do and when to act. Monitor the world around your brand with vigilance. And when the pressure mounts, lead with clarity, honesty, and speed. 

Because at the end of the day, trust is earned in calm times, but it's proven in crisis. 

Ronn Torossian is the founder and chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the United States. 5WPR has been named as a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year.

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