Hong Kong’s PR crises: how brands can save themselves from destruction
Recent high-profile incidents involving Lancôme, Leon Lai, City University and even the Ngau Tau Kok fire show what approaches work and don’t
While the adage may be that there is no such thing as bad publicity, recent events in Hong Kong have shown that the way companies, institutions and individuals respond to public relations crises can lead to very different results.
Whilst some have adopted a proactive approach to potentially brand-damaging events by keeping their audience informed with timely updates on social media, others have sought to contain an embarrassing blunder by making limited comment.
As soon as Kun heard about the collapse, he spoke with the university’s senior management who agreed that a press conference should be held within a few hours to head off speculation and rumours.
“If you don’t give [the public] accurate information, the media may interpret things by themselves,” he said. “So I think timing was very important for us at that time.”
