A PR crisis is any negative event that gains public traction and threatens how customers, staff or investors see a business. It can be a data breach, a product failure, a supply problem, an executive scandal or a single post that spreads.

Not every bad review is a crisis. Two tests help:

• It is escalating The story is moving beyond what the communications team can contain and is reaching senior management

• It affects operations The publicity is disrupting everyday trading, bookings or sales

If neither is true, respond in proportion and move on. If both are, treat it as a crisis now, because delay is where most of the damage happens.

The best time to plan is before anything goes wrong. A brand that has done the groundwork responds in hours rather than days.

• Write a crisis plan Set out who does what, who signs off statements and which channels you will use

• Name a response team Combine people who know the business with an outside adviser who can see it objectively

• Choose your spokespeople Decide in advance who speaks for the brand, so every message comes from an authorised person

• Draft holding statements A holding statement acknowledges the issue before all the facts are in. Templates for likely scenarios save time when it counts

• Set up monitoring Track mentions and sentiment across press and social media, so you hear about a problem before it peaks

When a crisis breaks, silence lets rumours fill the gap. Aim to say something within the first 24 hours.

1. Gather the facts Find out what happened, who is affected and what is still unknown

2. Issue a holding statement Acknowledge the issue, say you are investigating and say when you will update

3. Take responsibility Apologise sincerely where you are at fault, without blaming suppliers or customers

4. Say what you are doing Explain the steps you are taking to fix it, then follow through

5. Tell everyone affected Staff, customers, suppliers, partners and the press all need to hear from you, ideally before they read it elsewhere

6. Use the right channels Post updates where your audience already is and point people to one official statement page. For a highly publicised crisis, a press briefing lets you take questions directly

Some reactions turn a manageable problem into a lasting one.

• Staying silent or denying it Silence, deflection and misleading claims erode trust faster than the original problem

• Reacting on impulse An emotional reply makes a brand look unprofessional. Take the time to write a measured response

• Speaking with several voices Conflicting messages from different people suggest nobody is in control

• Arguing in public Defensive replies to critics on social media escalate quickly. Some criticism is fair and worth learning from

• Sidelining the PR team Keep leaders informed, but let the people trained for this run the response

KFC and the chicken shortage

In February 2018, KFC closed hundreds of UK restaurants after problems with its new delivery partner, DHL. It apologised with a full-page newspaper ad showing an empty bucket with its letters rearranged to read "FCK", opening with "A chicken restaurant without any chicken. It's not ideal." The ad owned the problem with humour that fitted the brand, and YouGov reported that KFC came through with its reputation intact.

CrowdStrike and the global IT outage

In July 2024, a faulty CrowdStrike update crashed about 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide. Chief executive George Kurtz apologised publicly and promised transparency, and a senior executive later told a US congressional hearing, "We let our customers down." The company also sent partners a $10 gift card, which some reported was cancelled when they tried to use it. A token gesture that fails can undo goodwill.

Facebook and Cambridge Analytica

After the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, the US Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook $5 billion in July 2019 for misleading users about their privacy. Early deflection kept the story running, and the lesson for any brand is that a slow, defensive answer rarely ends a crisis.

Once the pressure eases, the work turns to restoring confidence.

• Lead from the top Leaders rebuild trust by owning the issue and explaining what has changed

• Look after those affected Contact affected customers directly. Refunds or a goodwill gesture help, as long as they work

• Run a review Look at what went well and what did not, then update the plan

• Move the story on Once the issue is resolved, return to positive news, launches and brand stories

If you would rather have a team on it, see our fashion and lifestyle PR service or our hospitality PR for hotels, restaurants and bars. You can also contact us directly, or read more in the PR section of the Journal.