The Painfully Obvious Problem With Your Crisis Plan

Who are these people kidding with the 24-hour response window? Twenty-four hours? In what universe do you have that kind of time anymore? It's 2025! You've got seconds—not hours, not days—seconds before everything falls apart. And you're still sitting there with your "crisis committee" and your "approval process"? While you're debating comma placement in your statement, the internet has already tried and convicted you. Your reputation is being shredded while you're deciding whether to use "investigating" or "looking into" in your response.

THE CONCERT CATASTROPHE NOBODY SAW COMING

Did you hear about that couple at the Coldplay show in Boston? The kiss cam found them, and instead of smooching like normal people, she hid her face while he ducked down like someone was shooting at him. Very suspicious behavior, if you ask me.

And then what happened? Chaos! Absolute chaos! The video spread everywhere. TikTok, Reddit, TMZ, Page Six—even LinkedIn! LinkedIn! A business platform! What's next? Crisis updates on my microwave? "Your popcorn is ready AND your CEO is trending for all the wrong reasons!"

The worst part? The company these people worked for said nothing. Nothing! Zero! Like if they ignored it hard enough, everyone would just forget and move on. Newsflash: that's not how this works. That's not how any of this works!

THE WAITING GAME NOBODY WINS

Here's what happens when you wait to respond to a crisis: other people fill in the blanks. And let me tell you, those blanks get filled with some truly awful stuff.

While you're sitting around waiting for legal to approve your statement—which, by the way, will read like it was written by a robot programmed to avoid lawsuits—the internet is creating memes, wild theories, and even fake apologies that look completely real.

Someone actually created a fake apology from that company—logo, corporate-speak, the whole thing—and it spread faster than the original story! By the time the real statement came out a day later, nobody cared! The damage was done! The narrative was set!

Who makes these decisions? "Let's wait until tomorrow." Tomorrow? TOMORROW? Do you know how many news cycles happen in 24 hours now? About 7,000! You might as well respond next century!

YOUR CRISIS PLAN PROBABLY STINKS

Be honest with yourself. Your crisis plan is outdated. It probably covers natural disasters, product recalls, maybe data breaches. But what about when your executive gets caught doing something embarrassing on camera? What about employee scandals? What about viral moments that make no sense but somehow involve your brand?

These aren't rare occurrences anymore—this is Tuesday in 2025! TUESDAY!

If your plan is "we'll handle it when it happens," that's not a plan. That's like saying, "I'll learn to drive if I ever accidentally buy a car." Good luck with that strategy!

THE FIRST HOUR: PURE MADNESS

Listen, the first hour of a crisis isn't about having all the information. Nobody has all the information! CNN doesn't have it. The New York Times doesn't have it. But they're still talking about it!

All you need is one simple sentence: "We see what's happening and we're looking into it. Updates coming hourly."

That's it! Not a confession. Not your life story. Just a sign that you're alive and paying attention.

But to post that one sentence, you need:

• People who can hit "publish" without seventeen approvals
• Weekend coverage (crises LOVE weekends—they plan their vacations around them!)
• Templates ready to go
• Actual access to your own social accounts

And remember: if you're silent, someone else is talking. Maybe your competitors. Maybe former employees. Maybe just random people who suddenly fancy themselves experts on your company.

WHEN SMALL PROBLEMS BECOME BIG NIGHTMARES

Most PR disasters start small. A video. A comment. An awkward moment that should have been forgotten by dessert time.

But these things grow when ignored. Suddenly, it's not about two people acting weird on camera—it's about your entire company culture, your values, that thing your founder said four years ago, and why your logo looks like something inappropriate if you turn it sideways.

Don't dismiss something because "it's just a joke." Some of the biggest PR messes started as jokes! Remember when a fictional TV show—FICTIONAL!—caused real people to throw away their Crock Pots? What kind of world are we living in where make-believe can damage a real company?

YOUR EMPLOYEES KNOW EVERYTHING

You know who finds out about your crisis last? Your own employees! The people who represent your company every day! The ones who get texts from their college roommates saying, "Isn't that your company on the news?"

What are they supposed to say? "No comment" to their mother-in-law at a family dinner?

If your team is learning about your problems from social media instead of from you, you've already failed. They're not just workers—they're walking billboards. And if they don't trust you, why should anyone else?

You need to tell them first. Give them talking points. Tell them what to do when Uncle Steve asks about "that scandal" over Thanksgiving turkey.

THE EMPTY SPACE GETS FILLED WITH GARBAGE

Nature hates a vacuum, and the internet hates it even more. It will fill that empty space with whatever trash it can find or create.

In the Coldplay kiss cam fiasco, someone made a fake company statement that looked so legitimate it fooled thousands of people. It had everything—the logo, the corporate tone, the meaningless apology phrases. And it spread faster than wildfire!

By the time the company actually spoke up—A FULL DAY LATER—nobody cared what the truth was. The story was written. The jokes were made. The screenshots were shared.

And here's the real kick in the pants—even when they finally responded, they couldn't outrun the fake statement. It's like trying to catch a runaway train while wearing flip-flops. Not happening!

EVERY SECOND COUNTS (AND COSTS)

Every second you wait during a crisis is a second someone else defines who you are. Every minute is a minute where fiction becomes "fact." Every hour is an hour where your silence looks like guilt.

We're in a world where artificial intelligence can write a more believable apology than your PR team. Where teenagers with phones break news before major networks. Where "no comment" might as well be "we did it but we're hoping you'll get distracted by a celebrity divorce."

You don't need perfect information before you speak up. You just need to show up.

Say something. Say it quickly. Say it like a human being, not like a legal document that came to life.

THERE'S NO ESCAPING THIS REALITY

I used to tell clients to be prepared if a crisis hits. But that's ridiculous now. It's not if—it's when. It's definitely when. And probably sooner than you think.

And just when you think things couldn't get weirder? That company from the Coldplay kiss cam drama hired Gwyneth Paltrow—yes, Chris Martin's ex-wife—as their spokesperson. I mean, come on! You can't make this stuff up! 

So here's your final lesson: if you wait too long, the story gets stranger. If you move quickly enough, the story stays yours.

Want a crisis plan that actually works when seconds count? Contact the Winsome PR team and sleep better tonight.