Reputation management is more important than ever before
Reputation. It can help your organization to succeed, or it can be the reason your doors close for good. Though the level of understanding regarding just how important reputation really is has skyrocketed over the past couple years, most organizations still aren’t ready to protect theirs from serious threats.
Interviewed for a Holmes Report Trend Forecast, Vivian Lines, chairman of the Asia-Pacific region for Hill+Knowlton Strategies, nailed down the issue at hand:
“Companies are going to be held up to even higher standards of scrutiny than we have seen in the past year, including being held directly accountable for supply chain issues and risk management situations. Most companies believe they are prepared for consumer onslaughts online and offline. In reality their crisis preparedness is woeful and formulaic, rather than being dynamic and responsive.”
In other words, while many have what they consider legitimate and workable crisis/reputation management plans in place, the truth is that all but a small selection are going to fall apart minutes into a truly ugly situation. We have seen this happen with many new clients, organizations that found themselves reeling in the aftermath of a crisis which tested – and broke – their existing crisis planning.
If you haven’t tested your plans using tools like tabletop exercises and simulations then they’re not complete. And, if you’re not thinking every day about how you can greater satisfy stakeholders, avoid issues that threaten your good name, and turn dangerous items like sagging online reviews or negative media coverage around, you’re in for a rude awakening this year.
The BCM Blogging Team
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com