Weekly strategic communications advice to help you drive relevance and impact

July 23, 2025

First off, let’s make this clear: we are not here to dunk or pile on.

With that said, if one of your executives were caught in something similar to last week’s surprise kiss-cam scenario, what should you do?

When a tech company, usually confined to enterprise circles, becomes pop culture fodder, it’s a clear signal: PR disasters don’t stay in their lanes. The way a company responds can shape its reputation long after the headlines fade.

Crisis management needs to begin long before a crisis erupts. Whether navigating a full-blown viral firestorm or a lower-profile issue, your company can seize the opportunity to show leadership, reinforce its values, and build long-term trust. Here’s how. 

Take control of the narrative: Early, strong statements can dismantle speculation from the media, customers, or even random content creators on TikTok. Something as simple as “We’re aware of the situation and we are investigating” can help calm a viral news story. 

Act swiftly: While a well-crafted, concise, and informative statement can help, if it has to go through 25 executive approvals and then be reviewed by the board, its value diminishes as a viral story gains momentum.

Build a foundation: Brand reputation can take years to build, but only a moment to break. The sooner you bring your core crisis team into the fold of a potential issue, the better prepared you’ll be to navigate it if things go sideways.

Flip the situation on its head: Sure, the spotlight is on you, and maybe not for a great reason. But now you have the microphone, and it’s as good a time as ever to reinforce who you are and what your company stands for.

Be a human: Empathy, understanding, and transparency go a long way when it comes to building (and rebuilding) trust.

For more building blocks of crisis comms, check out our most recent blog from EVP of Media Strategy Lisa van der Pool and SVP Christine Lewis.  

An AI policy update from Glen Echo Group, our Orchestra partner that transforms tech and innovation issues into positive policy outcomes:

• After the rise and fall of the AI moratorium for inclusion in President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, individual states (California included) have already begun setting their own safeguard regulations for AI development.
• On June 30, over 60 organizations signed the White House’s Pledge to America’s Youth: Investing in AI Education to increase accessibility to AI education for K-12 students.   Some of the signatories included Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Meta, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI.