The word ‘reputation’ is an important word that brands carefully cultivate over the years. On the other hand, we as consumers have a choice which one we should pick over the other, but loyalty always plays a pivotal role in making a brand versatile and withstanding against all odds.
However, despite their best efforts, brands can face crisis situations following an episode. An outburst by anyone on social media, senior management behavior, sexual harassment issues or an ad campaign gone horribly wrong catches the eyes of the readers and no sooner people start becoming judgemental about the whole episode. All it takes is one viral social media post which will send the brand into a downward spiral that quickly unfolds into a public relations disaster.
Indigo’s numero uno position crashes: Why assaulting a passenger damaged the reputation of the reputed airline.
The recent Indigo airlines incident, where a passenger was assaulted by ground staff, is now on a long list of events that quickly escalated and became a talking point on social media. United Airlines’ forcible removal of a passenger, Uber’s unending troubles over policy issues all over the world, private company owned drivers, regularly misbehaving with the passengers are some of the instances this year which have immensely damaged their reputation cycle.
In such a crises, brands should not only focus upon managing or fixing the issue; but the criticism needs to be addressed immediately, publicly and honestly and making sure that a particular issue is managed successfully in a time-bound manner. While most of the brands have a habit of remaining quiet or being ‘unavailable for comments or telling a PR agency to ‘Stop Press’, this strategy further escalates the issue and makes the brand lose its sheen and credibility in the market.
As our ancestors have said – Honesty is the Best Policy, so be the first, to tell the truth. Answer every question and don’t hide dust under the carpet. Answer it before it is asked. When you are wrong, just admit it quickly.
Always cooperate with the investigating authorities, on the other hand, don’t wait for an external investigation or social media to spill the beans; always do it yourself. Always acknowledge what has gone wrong and an admission of immediate rectifying action is critical. What has to come across clearly and unequivocally is that the brand is being transparent and genuine and have a strong corporate social responsibility model which is not only on paper but in their actions too.
So what Indigo could have done?
1. While the avenues of communication and the speed at which news spreads have changed dramatically over the years, conventional wisdom continues to rule the management of a crisis. Anticipate, plan, communicate, and then wait.
2. When Indigo was made aware of this episode, they should have spoken to the affected passenger, investigated the case involving all stakeholders, including the whistle-blower and the employee who manhandled the customer.
3. Once the internal investigation was done, the Indigo management should have personally apologized to the passenger.
4. When it comes to media briefing, Indigo should have identified a spokesperson who will take all the media queries.
5. The most critical aspect of the crisis response is the message that Indigo should have communicated – The message would have reached out to the heart of the customer, but with rational parameters and rectifying actions.
6. Your employees are your best brand ambassadors. So keeping employees engaged, reduces the spread of false information on social media through unnamed sources. At that critical juncture, frequent updates were important; so that media and employees would have been aware what steps Indigo has taken or will take with regards to this particular incident.
While Indigo may not emerge unscathed from this untoward incident, had they followed the above crisis mitigation initiatives, the handling of the situation would have helped them to win back some respect, especially when customers see you are willing to publicly accept your mistake and take necessary action.
The message that should have gone to the whole world: Even we are human ….not perfect always though we strive to be.
