The most valuable asset your business or organization has is its brand. Its reputation. What consumers think about you means everything. They will influence how family, friends and others view your organization and, as a result, those views will go a long way in determining whether or not individuals purchase your products and services.

If your business is fortunate enough to establish a strong brand a positive reputation, you cannot stop there. Your organization will need to work hard to maintain that trusted standing. Because as former AXA Group CEO Henri de Castries once said, “Reputation arrives on foot and leaves by horse.” Simply translated: It may take your business decades to establish a positive reputation, but it can all go away in an instant.

While crisis issues may be relative, being as prepared as possible to stay ahead of issues or respond when needed, is not. 

With extensive experience managing crisis, MLA Communications can assist you in developing a robust communications plan –with partnership across your organization – that will not only serve as a roadmap should crisis occur, but also will proactively stay out in front of the issues facing your business.

Mini Case Study

Until its sale in December 2014, Lincoln Financial Media – which was made up of several radio stations across the U.S. – was a sister company of Lincoln Financial Group. Crisis quickly unfolded one June morning in 2013 when three radio hosts on an Atlanta-based sports radio station owned by Lincoln made fun of Steve Gleason. Gleason was a former New Orleans Saints football player courageously battling ALS.

As enraged listeners, New Orleans Saints fans and others flooded the station’s website, many of them noticed its connection to Lincoln Financial Media and, with an even higher profile, Lincoln Financial Group.

Almost immediately, the company was being called out in dozens of angry social media posts, as well as being mentioned negatively in media coverage. Guided by a crisis communications framework already in place, Lincoln was able to respond quickly and shared the steps the company was going to take to respond to the incident. From members of the press and social media users, to legislators and the company’s own employees, the company was proactive in its response.

View media coverage of the incident