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Strengthen

your brand in

the time of crisis

Ashok Lalla comments on what it takes for brand anti-fragility in these
volatile social media times.

s an avid consumer watcher and digital marketing The 6 things a brand must NOT do when faced with a crisis:
practitioner, I have had the opportunity to watch 1. WISH FOR THE INCIDENT TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH
social media grow right from its evolutionary days In these hyper-connected, always-on times, remember that
to today where it has become an integral part of there are more eyes, ears, cameras and video recorders on
Athe life of brands and consumers alike. phones around than the biggest airline in the country has
Nowhere is the resilience of a brand tested as much as it is passengers in a year.
in the time of a crisis. That is when all the cute, viral videos and Nothing dies. It just festers and then rears an ugly, highly
fun banter of a brand counts for nought. It is when the intrinsic infected and toxic head. So act as soon as you become
character and values of a brand come to the fore. aware of an incident. Delay to act can create decay for the
My primer on brand anti-fragility is built through a brand.
FRPELQDWLRQ RI ͤUVW KDQG H[SHULHQFH DV GLJLWDO KHDG IRU 7DM 2. BE REACTIVE AND DEFENSIVE
Hotels at the time of the 26/11 attacks), advising several You lose critical care time by being reactive rather than
clients in time of crisis, and my analysis of several brands that taking the initiative to address an incident before it turns
have encountered crises over the years: AirAsia when its plane into a crisis. And defensiveness is often seen as a tactic to
disappeared from the air a few years ago; Maggi and its cut one’s losses and save face, so only ends up aggravating
pesticides crisis; Indigo when a staffer attacked a guest; Fortis matters rather than serving as a salve that soothes.
and the several crises that struck its hospitals related to 3. HIDE BEHIND A CORPORATE CLOAK OF ANONYMITY
patient-care issues; Johnson’s crisis around the safety of its Social media today has enabled people to connect with
baby care products, and others. people, and express and share opinions at speed and scale.

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