Communication Tools

Business damage control begins and ends with brand preservation. Yet the phrase, “business damage control,” is misleading. If the communication initiative in the wake of a crisis or scandal or lawsuit is at all effective, it will do more than control damage. It can actually make the brand stronger than before the crisis or scandal or lawsuit occurred. Business damage control is more about opportunity than survival.

Cases in point of such business damage control abound. Sears Roebuck strengthened its relationship with conservative consumers by sensitively handling a potential controversy over employee benefits for same-sex couples. The “controversy” disappeared quickly. When BP America handled an oil spill off the coast of California, it actually promoted the cleanup as a news story. Sheetz won a major victory with news photos of its executives eating their own food to demonstrate its safety.

The marketplace is too competitive for business damage control. The damage control is merely the first step. Business damage control is merely stepping into the batter’s box. The next step is to swing the bat and hit the ball.