Rebranding and the visual aftermath of crises

Under Pressure 11 April 2024

Rebranding and the visual aftermath of crises

What people see and hear in relation to a crisis is the most critical thing. Long after we have forgotten the words that were said we will remember the images associated with what happened. I am sure few people could recount the details of the words said at the press conference after the bridge collapse in Baltimore. But everyone will remember the horrific image of the bridge falling into the water.

There has been some interesting discussion on social media of the need to remove all the lingering signs that were put in place during Covid. In the small area where I live there are ‘thank you NHS’ signs and roadmarkings, and social distancing advice posters. I am not in favour of trying to airbrush what happened out of history as we all need to process what we have been, and for many still are, going through. But continuing to be confronted by these images is not helping people.

The Post Office Horizon IT scandal has left many being triggered by the distinctive red branding. Many businesses that have been through a significant crisis try to rebrand as a way to create distance from the business now and the business then. Even in my younger years I remember the jokes about going from Windscale to Sellafield.

Rebranding is not going to help the Post Office and it needs to see fundamental change, dismantling and rebuilding it from the ground up. Despite the terrible corporate cover up that appears to have happened there are some good people working on the frontline and they need to be considered when looking at the future. But I understand the impact that seeing the Post Office logo will have on all those affected by the scandal.

Change should always happen after a crisis occurs and this means to how the business operates not just how it is viewed by people. Dealing with the visual reminders is one thing but it will be worth nothing if it is not accompanied by significant change.

Cyber threats: a consistent threat

The risk of a cyber attack should remain at the top of the possible threats that businesses and organisations are preparing for. This has been shown recently with a series of problems demonstrating the need to be cyber crisis ready. Leicester City Council are dealing with a data breach (read more here) while vet firm CVS experienced and incident that restricted the use of systems (read more here). The UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey revealed that half of UK businesses had suffered a cyber attack in the past 12 months. (Read more here.)

In short, it means that if you haven’t got a bespoke cyber attack/data loss communication plan in place it is leaving you vulnerable. Preparation is the key to think through what needs to be done before being plunged in at the deep end.

Chat with Professor Lucy Easthope

Thanks to everyone who has registered for the In Conversation chat with Professor Lucy Easthope a noted disaster management and recovery expert. The event takes place on May 21 at 6.30pm BST. It is online and free. If you are interested in joining Amanda and Lucy find out more here.

In Brief:

• If you want to find out a bit more about Amanda she took part in a recent interview with Strategic Magazine looking at her work, what makes a good business and areas of concern. Read more here.

• An article on CEO website has reviewed the crisis situation involving Boeing with three points for CEOs and leaders to remember. The first being that effective communication is critical. Read more here.

• Issues management was identified as an important part of crisis response and communication in a recent Forbes article. Amanda’s book Everyday Communication Strategies focuses on this being a vital part of preventing problems developing. Read the Forbes article here.

• Interesting research that has been published highlights how taking an aggressive stance in crisis communication increases the costs to businesses. It considers the share prices and losses in relation to a number of approaches. Find out more here.

• Cyber attacks are an ever present danger and UnitedHealth in America has suffered a recent attack. Find out how the crisis communication response was viewed by those affected in an article on an IT website here.

• The International Journal of Information Management includes an article on Social Media and fighting misinformation. Among the conclusions are that technology needs to be used as well as a flexible approach. Find out more here.

• Forbes published details of 16 tips for dealing with the media when a crisis has happened. Find out what they included here.

• The latest Testing Times crisis communication case study has been published. If you would like to read a copy find it on Amanda’s website here.

Diary Dates:

• On Wednesday 17 April Amanda will be joining Emma Duke to talk about managing crisis communication in an education setting for the CIPR Not for Profit group. Find out more about the lunchtime session here.

• Amanda will be running an effective crisis communication workshop in Zurich, Switzerland on 19 April. It is part of a two day crisis communication bootcamp run by P World. Find out more here.

• On 25 April Commsfest 2024 is being run by HQN with a focus on all things housing. Amanda will be discussing how to prepare for reputational risks. Then there is a chance to work through a scenario run by Amanda and Bobbie Hough. Find out more here.