Regularly communicating product safety must be standard operating procedure for any company. Those assurances must also continue even when things go wrong. In instances where recalls are on the table, product and brand loyalty is tested like never before. Successfully navigating these situations by committing to make things right, and following through with that promise, can transform a crisis into an opportunity…if done strategically.

The way a company handles a recall can have a real, lasting impact on reputation and brand, but also sales and profits. The stakes have never been higher; anxious consumers are quick to fan the flames on social media, while an increasingly aggressive news media and heightened regulatory scrutiny and political oversight put additional pressure on any situation. Likewise, competitors (smelling blood in the water) will seek to gain market share by exploiting the matter.

Be it voluntary, or required by regulators, conducting a safe, orderly, precise recall is only the tactical part of the job. The strategic objective of any recall is to ensure that consumers, regulators, lawmakers, and plaintiffs’ attorneys can see for themselves that a company is putting the public’s needs first. Closing off an opponent’s pathway to attack is accomplished by going beyond regulatory compliance and reassuring audiences.

Communicating the proactive actions taken along with a commitment to product and public safety will showcase dedication to customers. Making things right while simultaneously ensuring you are an unattractive target can turn the vulnerable time of a recall into a trust and brand building exercise.