Crisis responses need a refresh with the rise of social movements

One of the main takeaways for brands and organisations today, with the increasing impact of social movements, is to reflect their elevated relevance and significance in issues and crises response playbooks.

From cost of living and governance issues to sexual and gender-based violence, fast-paced social movements should be factored into issues preparation and planning.

The proliferation of digital platforms has facilitated virtual mobilisation and engagement as well online protests, making them easier to organise by anyone, and their impact potent, with potential implications for brands and organisations.

Previously, potential scenarios in organisations’ issues and crisis playbook would typically include terror attacks, fires, breach in physical and cybersecurity alongside industry-specific ones such as accidents and system outages. Not anymore – social movements are increasingly as important, with the added risk that they may not necessarily be related to the brand’s core business.

When anti-government protests broke out in Kenya this year against the planned introduction of new taxes in Finance Bill 2024, they evolved into a thunderous digital roar that also sucked in brands and organisations. Across digital platforms, information spread rapidly, updates were issued in real-time, and an atmosphere of solidarity prevailed.

According to an analysis conducted by research and marketing firm, Nendo, the protests and live audio conversations generated 25 million mentions on the X social media platform while videos of the demonstrations posted on TikTok had more than 1.3 billion views.

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Brands and organisations featured in the online chatter for their perceived acts of collusion or silence; while others were named for supposed acts of support and solidarity. To various degrees they all suffered from reputational impact.

The lesson for brands out of all this is the emerging reputational risks from the activities of social movements. When it evolves into a crisis, it will be sudden and will require immediate response.

Therefore, this requires better preparation and the existence of robust protocols to minimise impact on the brand’s reputation and business continuity. For this preparation to be effective, it will require due consideration of some factors beforehand to inform a swift response, mitigate the issue and minimise brand erosion.

The first consideration is recognising that social movements are a potential reputational risk and preparing for them accordingly.

As with other potential risks, this requires exhaustively mapping out scenarios, preparing positioning statements, conducting simulations and regularly updating the issues and crisis response manual to ensure that it is fit for purpose.

Secondly, is to consider when silence is golden, as per the old adage; and when it could be a double-edged sword. This means clarifying under what circumstances the brand intends to deliberately keep mum.

This could be where the conversation has yet to gain traction; or other credible independent voices proactively picking it up; or when it is a broader industry mention and no direct mentions. Such decisions can be eased by investing in appropriate listening tools to flag conversations and direct mentions that will inform the stance to be taken publicly.

Third, brands need to decide which social issues to take up, even before they become a hot potato, and a movement begins forming behind them.

Thus, when the brand adds its voice, it comes across as authentic, based on a track record, and not necessarily piggy backing on a movement for selfish reasons – likes and activity on social media. This means proactively taking an authentic stand and being clear how to speak about the issue and intervene.

Finally, as in all issues and crises, response to social movements has to be empathetic, measured and delivered confidently, in the right manner.

Alongside the usual statements put out through the media, website and social media, there is need for regular updates targeted at staff, investors, regulators and other stakeholders through appropriate channels.

It is also worth remembering that social movements are often emotionally charged and to prepare for this.

With these considerations added to the preparation arsenal, brands should be in better stead to navigate and weather the evolving landscape.

Cosmas Butunyi is Associate Partner at Hudson Sandler, a strategic communications and sustainability consultancy