Navigating the Minefield: PR Risks PR Companies Must Vigilantly Manage

20 June 2024 Charlie Fletcher

We live in a culture where anyone can easily shape their online presence into a verifiable brand. However, not everyone who goes viral on TikTok or creates a successful career on YouTube is adept at managing their public image. A single misstep in marketing can absolutely tank the reputation of an influencer, celebrity, or business overnight.

This is where agencies like yours come in. Public relations (PR) companies are the gatekeepers of reputation management, adept at steering their clients through crises and showing them how to maintain a positive online image.

"Public relations companies are the gatekeepers of reputation management...steering their clients through crises and showing them how to maintain a positive online image."

But as adept as PR companies are at navigating the nuances of building a reputational image, they are not immune to the risks of making missteps themselves – and should they wish to continue being successful, they must have the ability to identify and mitigate risks as they emerge.

In this article, we'll break down some of the most pressing threats to PR agencies, including negativity on social media and fallout from associated clients, and outline a few strategies for identifying and assessing risk.

Negativity on Social Media

Going viral is not always a good thing. While there are plenty of jaw-dropping stunts that PR agencies have spun into positives for their clients, now and then an attempt at marketing may go so wrong it goes viral.

With the reputational baggage associated with the PR industry, ethics in advertising matter; and should something be perceived as unethical, it’ll get a lot of eyes on it and the agency responsible will get severe backlash. For a recent example, look at Bumble: their anti-celibacy billboards went viral on YouTube and TikTok overnight, much to their chagrin.

"With the reputational baggage associated with the PR industry...and should something be perceived as unethical...and the agency responsible will get severe backlash."

When an attempt at advertising goes viral for the wrong reasons, it’s crucial to have a response plan in place to mitigate the damage and get it out of the public eye quickly. An ideal strategy looks like this:

1. Respond publicly and quickly:

Get in front of the backlash by issuing a public statement and pulling the ad. This acknowledgment of your firm's mistake presents you with an opportunity to reaffirm your values, demonstrate proactivity in addressing problems, and stem the hemorrhaging of potential customers.

2. Catch it early? Take it somewhere private:

When you start to see negative comments crop up on social media, your best bet is to take it off a public page. Responding to the disgruntled customer in DMs helps you better understand the issue with the ad, without putting it further into the spotlight.

3. Offer real responses:

When customers air a grievance, they want the person responding to truly listen to their complaints and offer a concrete solution. Tailor your responses to be as compassionate as possible, and apologetic if necessary, then proactively offer a solution that will appease both parties.

4. Know when to disengage:

In the event your mistake reaches the height of virality, sometimes all you can do is release a public statement, act to make it right, and then disengage. Continuing to feed the flames by engaging with everyone who comments on your page will only draw the conflict out longer, causing more harm to your organisation.

These four steps make up the cornerstones of a solid PR response to viral marketing missteps, owning up to your mistake and taking action to correct it.

Managing Indirect Fallout

Of course, sometimes PR companies get backlash for their client's actions. There's some degree of discussion over whether PR companies should work with truly reprehensible clients – but even if you represent a personality that starts off squeaky clean, chances are they’ll do something to ruin their public image eventually.

"...but even if you represent a personality that starts off squeaky clean, chances are they’ll do something to ruin their public image eventually."

Managing these events is a tightrope that you must learn to walk. For initial mistakes or low-impact messes, like Ariana Grande’s treatment of workers in a donut shop, image management strategies are a prescription you can offer without stumbling into the limelight.

But if a client commits a serious crime that tarnishes their image beyond repair, it may be best to cut your losses before they drag you down too.

Assessing Unknown Risks

Managing risk is an ongoing battle, and your enemy may not be within your line of sight at first.

As such, it's key to remain vigilant and constantly assess risk, using time-tested strategies to identify areas of risk that are not easily detectable.

"...it's key to remain vigilant and constantly assess risk, using time-tested strategies..."

These strategies include:

Auditing your current reputation and identifying pain points
Conducting ongoing assessments to account for changes in political and market climates
Assigning risk scores to prioritise risk resolution
Developing a crisis communication plan that involves all relevant stakeholders
Ensuring ongoing education on marketing best practices for employees to prevent missteps

The focus of these tactics is to shift your responsiveness from reactive to proactive, actively seeking out and repairing factors that can potentially grow into serious risks. While this business grapples with unpredictability on a daily basis, vigilance and proper planning will position you for when risks are unavoidable.

Let these tactics be your north star, and you'll have no issue protecting your agency while navigating the minefield of public relations.

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