Branding For Dummies®

Chapter 19. Taking Action When Bad Things Happen to Good Brands

In This Chapter

• Watching for brand‐damaging landmines

• Preparing for the worst, just in case

Sometimes brands make news for the worst reasons. In spite of a million good intentions, brands can run into trouble due to anything from bad management to bad luck. When they do, the situation requires action, ASAP. The alternative — waiting around while you try to wish the problem away — is a formula for a public relations disaster.

This chapter is about righting wrongs should they happen. We begin by helping you steer clear of the biggest problems brand owners encounter. Then we prepare you for a major threat to your brand so that you don't get blindsided. Finally, we lay out a plan for kicking a crisis management plan into high gear, when and if the need arises.

If all goes well, you'll never need to implement the advice in this chapter. But follow it anyway, just in case. Your preparation and ability to respond promptly someday may be the key to saving your brand's equity.

Handle with Care: Avoiding Brand Equity Landmines

Most brand‐damaging events fall into one of these categories:

• A lapse in social responsibility: For example, some apparel brands have had their images tainted by news that goods are manufactured in factories where worker mistreatment occurs.

• A lapse in corporate behavior: For examples, look at the business stories of the early 2000s about companies that cooked the books, violated regulations, and used loopholes ...