You know how those Jurassic folks keep thinking it’s a good idea to make a dinosaur zoo only to discover, yet again, that there are issues containing the giant prehistoric lizards making it impossible to ensure the safety of their guests. Every time I see the trailer for another Jurassic film, I think, “Wow, they must have an amazing PR team with miraculous damage control skills to get folks back to another one of these dino theme parks.”
While obviously these PR crises are fictional, businesses regularly experience setbacks from which they must quickly recover. SmartBomb Creative understands that while you can’t always control things that happen, you can control people’s perception of what happened. For example…
In 2016, Chipotle Mexican Grill had a chain-wide shutdown brought on by food-borne illnesses traced to contaminated products served by the fast-food restaurant. In all, around 500 people were sickened by the contaminations leading to numerous lawsuits and a net income plunge of 44 percent. In the last few years, the brand’s recovery efforts have included a serious overhaul of food safety procedures among employees, a strong Twitter presence and leveraging Snapchat to attract millennials and rebuild brand confidence.
Remember Starbuck’s 2015 plain red holiday cup controversy? The following year, the coffee chain unveiled a new cup that sported a design it claimed celebrated community. Starbucks led an outreach campaign including emails, a guest-feedback forum and online videos. Many loved the cup and its message, and others were offended at what they viewed as a political message. While again there was controversy, Starbucks now had the perfect chance to get to know its community and create a little unity.
Lululemon sprained an ankle in 2013 with two major gaffes that left the brand limping and trying to regain its balance. First there was a massive recall of several styles of yoga pants for being too transparent, and then a few months later the company’s founder claimed on television that some women’s bodies “just actually don’t work” for Lululemon clothing. He mentioned something about women’s thighs rubbing together. In a swift response, Wilson was ousted as CEO and Christine Day took the helm. The company offered full refunds for the recalled pants and put an upgraded version on shelves within 90 days. The brand made improvements to its inspection process and upped its quality control. They also launched a marketing campaign that included an educational component designed to win back hesitant clients.
None of these cases are nearly as serious as a T. Rex snacking on guests at a theme park, but they show that brands can bounce back from setbacks despite their severity and even go on to thrive in a competitive marketplace. Transparency, apologies, candor and honesty are the keys. In the unfortunate circumstance that your brand is damaged, SmartBomb can help you stand behind your core values and reach out to loyalists promptly and genuinely to rebuild your shaken brand.