If you haven’t prepared a brand reputation management plan before an issue occurs, you’re already several steps behind, says Louisa Kraitzick of Pead and Houston Issues Management.
PSA: “I’ll just ring the agency” shouldn’t be the extent of your plan when reputational risk comes knocking. Brands that perform the best are the ones that plan for impact before it lands.
The risk landscape is intensifying and optimism is scarce, thanks to the recession. Our collective doldrums are raising the stakes for brands and the cost of mismanaging an issue has never been greater.
‘She’ll be right’ doesn’t cut it in a world where every brand interaction can shape reputation in the speed of a post. One badly handled misstep can unravel trust, dent sales and fracture internal culture.
Whether it’s a frustrated customer publicly airing their grievances, a cyber breach or product recalls, today’s misinformation spreads faster than facts and generative AI is breathing life into old news, ensuring nothing online is ever truly forgotten.
Stakeholders expect instant, authentic responses, and they’re watching closely.
Complacency can kill
An Adobe Trust Survey revealed that 57% of Kiwis would stop buying from brands that break their trust. In other words, trust is the currency brands are built on today. Brands are battling for attention and customer loyalty in a market where the margin for error is razor thin.
While brands usually invest in building their reputation, many fail to protect it with the same intensity. That leaves a dangerous gap.
Reputation takes years to build and seconds to lose. And in a world where screenshots live forever, people don’t forget.
Whether you’re a household name or a two-person start-up, you can be thrust into the spotlight overnight. The brands that survive are the ones that stay alert, act fast and treat reputation like the business-critical priority it is.
Prepare to be one step ahead
Not all issues are catastrophic. A major crisis can have minimal impact, while a small issue can snowball into a full-blown disaster. It all comes down to how it’s handled.
Regardless of size or sector, leading brands proactively map out potential issues and audiences, define and communicate operational protocols, assign roles and responsibilities and run live simulations with their teams.
A mix of planning and art
That’s right, you need to plan, but there’s an art in responding to a genuine reputational threat in real time.
Well-meaning businesses can over-communicate, unintentionally spotlighting issues that to the outside world weren’t problems.
Others end up owning issues that aren’t theirs, or not owning what they should.
Strong internal comms capability is vital, but external advice adds a valuable perspective too. An outside lens can spot nuance, challenge assumptions and shift the entire response strategy.
In a reputational crisis, the right move isn’t always obvious. Understanding your blind spots, the range of skills and expertise needed in a room – and when to bring them in – can be the difference between responding with clarity, confidence and control or a panicked reaction.
Shit happens. And in this climate, brands must be prepared – because when the tide turns, it turns fast.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 85, Dec 2025-Feb 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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