You might say that wherever there’s a Kardashian, drama is sure to follow. But regardless of whether that’s bad luck or careful planning, no one knows how to capitalize on a crisis like this family. Their PR prowess in general is impressive, but their ability to weather scandals and missteps and come out the other side with an even stronger brand is a master class in crisis communication. Here’s what the Kardashians can teach your brand.
Lesson One: Stick to The Crisis Communication Plan
Yes, you should have one in place BEFORE any type of crisis hits. And the word is that when you know what hits the fan, the Kardashians have a meeting−all of them−no matter where they are the family is on the phone, on FaceTime, etc. Kris Kardashian is said to lead these meetings where the family discusses how to handle the situation and do damage control; no doubt their PR firm plays a big part in this as well. The key is, everyone already knows what to do. This is important because with roles and steps already set, you can respond quicker and focus on the crisis itself, not a last-minute scramble.
Lesson Two: Do Your Best to Control the Narrative
There really are any number of crises or scandals you could pick from Kardashian-wise from Kendall’s Pepsi ad to Kim’s crypto controversy to Kylie’s billionaire status to the Tristan Thompson cheating scandals to the never-ending saga that is Kanye. But through them all, if you’re watching closely, you can tell the family stays on the same page in their responses. Or, they don’t respond at all. You won’t catch one Kardashian making a statement and another disputing it or saying the opposite.
That’s the key here; present a united front. Know the narrative you want to get across and make sure everyone sticks with it. What’s more, the Kardashians haven’t been front page news all these years without making media connections and they use them to get their narrative out there. Most brands don’t have those connections, but PR firms do, which is another way they can help in a crisis.
Lesson Three: Humanize the Situation
One advantage the Kardashians have already is their personal brand. Yes, everyone in the family has a business brand (or two, or three), and to some degree their own personal brand (depending on the family member), but it all collectively rolls up into the Kardashian family brand. And the operative word here is family. So, it’s easier here to humanize, when regardless of the crisis, you hear from Khloe, Kourtney, Kim, Kris, or other family members directly. You know them, to a degree, on a personal level already which helps as they tell their side of the story. But brands can do this too.
A proactive approach is to humanize your brand, in general, by connecting with your audience as much as possible before any crisis takes place through brand ambassadors in the company, influencers, and/or even social media stories about employees, customers, community involvement, social causes, etc. Then, when a crisis happens, and you follow a similar approach specific to that situation, your audience is likely already more receptive. But however you engage with your audience, it must be sincere and relevant or it will backfire. A good PR firm can help you craft the right approach here as well.
Lesson Four: Make the Most of Any Situation
The Kardashians never let a crisis or scandal slow them down. And not just that but they are definitely in the camp that there’s no such thing as bad publicity because they have made the most of it on the regular. Case in point: Kylie’s lip injections. She came under fire when just a teenager for getting lip injections and soon after launched her own makeup line, Kylie Cosmetics. Initially, the line sold lip kits but has now turned into a cosmetics giant. Certainly, not all crises turn out this way, but the point is that brands can look for opportunities during any situation to come out the other side better and stronger. And your PR firm can help make that happen.
To learn how R team can help your brand with crisis communications, schedule your FREE discovery call today!