The Death of the [Your?] Crisis Playbook
In an always-on AI news cycle—where narratives spread faster than facts—static binders and approval chains do not protect brands. Speed does. Alignment does. What matters most is whether your decision-makers can get on the field in minutes, have clear roles, real-time visibility, and the authority to act.
After more than a decade leading integrated marketing communications and crisis in-house at global companies, I learned this fast: outcomes depend on the fundamentals.
Is Your Crisis Team On the Field?
The foundation of effective crisis management is rapid, cross-functional collaboration. So, when a reputational threat emerges, can decision-makers convene within 30 minutes to make smart decisions quickly?
Clearly defining your team and equipping them with the right information at a moment’s notice might be the difference between a tense moment or a long-term risk and reputation situation.
Do You Have the Right Team in Place?
Effective crisis teams extend beyond communicators. They are led by legal and surrounded by senior leaders and subject matter experts across critical areas vital to the business.
Does your team already know their roles and have ways to connect no matter the conditions? Does your CEO or President of your company know who these individuals are- and that they are ready to escalate or manage, as necessary? Do you have tools in place to convene and to monitor the situation in real-time?
Do you have Relevant Usable and Updated Materials?
How many companies have the “playbook” that has not even been looked at for years or until an issue hits? If an issue hits, can you quickly look up “issue,” page 82 and feel you have it covered? Do you even have access to it- at night, on vacation? In today’s era, we must develop materials that are relevant, mobile friendly, protected, and usable in a moment’s notice. Brands need to have AI-powered media intelligence in place- and a team or individual that is using the tools to scour what is said in social, traditional, and digital in real time -and more importantly what it means and what to do about it.
The Right Team is More Important than any Document
Do not wait for the “key learnings” or the failure in the next issue. Make sure you have the mechanisms to bring the team together and media intelligence capabilities in-house or with an agency to support and monitor should something arise. At the very least, bring the team together twice a year to review roles and talk about one potential issue. It is a way to practice, to engage new team members and to refresh with those that have been around.
Your success rests on having a modern team and approach and a constant scheduled refresh.
Jonathan Yohannan is a Managing Director at Sloane and has extensive brand, corporate, sustainability and crisis experience and is available to help companies evolve their issue readiness. Contact: jyohannan@sloanepr.com
