PR Fails to Avoid: 5 Crisis Communication Lessons for In-House Teams

PR fails can destroy years of reputation building in a matter of days. In today's digital landscape, social media amplifies every organisational misstep, no matter how small. Even months of positive stories and thought leadership can be overshadowed by a single crisis.

The modern consumer is more sceptical, values-driven and vocal than ever before. When organisations get it wrong, they face long-lasting erosion of trust, revenue and loyalty. The stakes for effective crisis communication have never been higher.

Unfortunately, there's no shortage of PR disasters to learn from. We've analysed five major PR fails from the past 18 months to understand what went wrong and what in-house communications teams can learn from these reputation management failures.

The Post Office Horizon PR Fail: Lessons in Crisis Accountability

The Post Office Horizon IT scandal began decades ago, but the ITV programme "Mr Bates vs the Post Office" thrust it back into the spotlight in 2024. This reignited national outrage and created a fresh crisis communication challenge.

The real PR disaster came in the aftermath. Senior executives refused to accept accountability and were found to have lied and obfuscated the truth. They avoided taking responsibility for the hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongfully prosecuted for fraud due to faulty software. This case highlights the devastating impact of failing to admit wrongdoing, particularly when the consequences are so significant.

Key lesson: Transparency and accountability are essential during crisis communication, even when admitting fault carries serious implications.

Jet2's Meme Marketing Fail: When Campaigns Go Viral for Wrong Reasons

Jet2's summer holidays advert became infamous over the past 12 months. The "Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday" slogan burned into the collective consciousness, but not as intended.

The campaign was quickly converted into a meme template and went viral for all the wrong reasons. Social media users shared widespread images of flooding and natural disasters alongside the company's carefully crafted caption. Jet2 attempted to lean into the trend, but it was too late to control the narrative.

Key lesson: Monitor sentiment regularly and adapt messaging quickly if it starts heading in an unfavourable direction.

BBC's PR Crisis Management: Multiple Reputation Failures

The BBC has battled several reputational nightmares and faced accusations of mishandling high-profile cases. These include the Huw Edwards allegations and fallout over Gary Lineker's social media activity, amongst other PR disasters.

While the organisation has acted in many instances, it faced criticism for drawing these sagas out far longer than necessary. The BBC also failed to implement policies clearly or consistently across different cases.

Key lesson: Act quickly and consistently when crisis strikes. Prolonged uncertainty often causes more reputational damage than the original issue.

BrewDog's Living Wage PR Fail: Authenticity vs Reality

BrewDog has become a serial offender when it comes to PR fails. The brewing company's extensive branding and marketing efforts have contrasted drastically with its treatment of employees, leading to accusations of inauthenticity.

BrewDog first reversed its decision to pay staff the Real Living Wage after extensive publicity around the initial commitment. The company then faced another scandal linked to workplace culture. BrewDog dealt with both crises  less than effectively, citing economic pressures whilst making no gestures towards staff wellbeing.

This example highlights that values-based branding only adds value if it's authentic and lived internally. BrewDog's positioning as a challenger brand fighting corporate giants, with ethics at its core, conflicted wildly with cutting employee support without transparency.

Key lesson: Ensure your external communications align with internal actions, or risk major reputational damage.

Mattel's Adult Website PR Disaster: The Cost of Poor Quality Control

Toy manufacturer Mattel released a series of "Wicked" branded dolls in the UK with packaging that accidentally linked to an adult website. The error largely went unnoticed until sharp-eyed parents complained.

The firm recalled the items and made a public apology, but the scandal spread online. The brand remains closely associated with this mishap on social media, particularly in parenting forums and tabloid press coverage.

Key lesson: Thorough proofreading and quality control processes are essential to protect brand integrity and avoid embarrassing PR fails.

Key Takeaways: Avoiding PR Disasters

These crisis communication failures highlight several critical points:

• Act quickly and transparently when issues arise
• Monitor social media sentiment continuously
• Ensure consistency between values and actions
• Implement robust quality control processes
• Have clear crisis communication policies in place

Almost all organisations rely on trust and reputation, which can quickly be eroded through high-profile PR fails. Every firm is just one mistake away from a crisis communication disaster.

Many of these examples stem from deeper systemic failings, but others result from simpler issues like poor planning, inconsistent messaging, or failure to read the room. These PR disasters can be avoided by working with the right communications partner who can guide strategy, messaging and overall approach.

If you're not already investing in reputation management, now is the time to start. In a world where everyone is watching, saying nothing, or saying the wrong thing, can echo louder than you think.

Looking to strengthen your crisis communication strategy?  Let's talk.

Author: Bruce Callander

With over a decade’s experience in PR, marketing and communications, Bruce develops and executes media relations, content and social media strategies for firms in the recruitment and hiring industries, as well as suppliers to those sectors and other organisations both in the UK and internationally.