Why Companies Still Struggle with Crisis

crisis intervention team members working together to help someone

Crisis communications, on its surface, is easy to comprehend and understand – when something bad happens, respond accordingly. However, crisis (as it is simply referred to in PR) much like the industries it serves, is constantly evolving to effectively and efficiently respond in times of need. We sat down with Robert Ford, Senior Vice President of Corporate, to discuss why companies continue to struggle with crisis communications, and how they can keys to better prepare companies for it. One of the biggest problems companies make? “Authenticity…” Read the full interview below! Why do you think companies continue to struggle with crisis communication? There are a handful of reasons companies struggle with crisis communications. One reason is that the ground continues to shift beneath them – social media pile on, while not a new phenomenon, is a path laden with pitfalls. There’s still no exact science as to how and when a company should use social media for communicating in a crisis. Part of the challenge is that customers have greater and greater direct contact with brands, particularly direct-to-consumer brands. It is a double edged sword: while people feel a deeper connection to your brand, they demand answers when they feel an action you’ve made or a position you’ve taken as a company is not consistent with what they believe your brand should be about. Companies are often between a rock and a hard place. Granted, there are plenty of situations where a company has taken a misstep and should acknowledge it, apologize for it, and make it right. But for those companies who may be faced with a situation where the public conversation is not a fair representation of what’s taken place, they have a serious challenge ahead of them. Not the least of which is that the media is incentivized in the wrong ways – the media is built to be first, not to get it right. What do you think are the biggest mistakes companies make when it comes to crisis management? Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes companies make in crisis situations, beyond technical glitches like timing or nuance in messaging, is not being authentic to their brand. Crisis situations are uncomfortable for companies to deal with – they will do anything to make it stop. The tendency is for companies to think too much about what they’re supposed to say and the subsequent criticism that will come with it. As a result, they don’t act with authenticity, and the response is usually rushed. A concept underpinning a company’s crisis response should be: “What are we willing and able to do as a business?’ If companies start there, the path becomes clear, and then it’s simply a matter of filling in the important details. What is key when it comes to preparing crisis situations? For companies to build out a useful crisis preparedness plan, it is essential that they be honest with themselves about their vulnerabilities. That could involve self-reflection about some of their policies, internal complaints on employee conduct, or the right person to speak publicly on a given topic. The point of crisis preparedness is to take the guesswork out of the equation when faced with a situation. What do you foresee will change in the next year for crisis communication? I think companies are going to be increasingly drawn into the political sphere even more than they are now. There will be no shortage of wedge issues drawn along party lines in the lead–up to the 2020 election. Businesses have a challenge before them as they often take measures to gain political influence through efforts like lobbying, but balk when they’re expected to take a side on a political issue. Companies will increasingly have to factor this reality in the calculus of how they engage with both their public and the governmental entities that regulate them. Additionally, the media is programmed to demand companies pick a side to reinforce their conflict narratives. What follows is a tremendous amount of pressure on brands to venture standard deviations outside of their core business into the political fray. This will continue to be a challenge beyond 2020, but expect a fever pitch in the days ahead.

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , his writing on AI communications and brand reputation is published on his personal site, and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. He continues that commentary on his own publishing platform , where he writes about reputation, crisis, and AI-mediated discovery. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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Why Companies Still Struggle with Crisis

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