Drama Control 101: How PR Turns Brand Chaos into Comebacks
Every brand has its “oops” moment. Whether it’s a tone-deaf tweet, an influencer partnership gone rogue, or a product malfunction that made headlines for the wrong reasons. Chaos is just one customer comment away, and it’s even more rampant as technology keeps advancing. But guess what? Chaos doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
Let’s dive into Public Relations: the not-so-secret sauce behind turning brand ‘wahala’ (chaos) into well-crafted comebacks.
PR isn’t just for blowing grammar in press releases or sending hampers during Christmas. It’s your brand’s fire extinguisher when things get hot, and your hype squad when the heat dies down. Let’s break it down with real-life gist and sprinkle in a few receipts.
Remember that infamous Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad in 2017? The one that tried to solve police brutality with a can of soda? Yes, that one.
The backlash was loud and global. People dragged Pepsi like ‘small gen’ with a bad plug. But what did they do? They pulled the ad, issued a public apology, and went quiet for a bit, a strategic silence. Their PR team let the dust settle, did internal clean-up, and slowly rebuilt brand credibility. Today, we remember the flop, but Pepsi didn’t die on that hill. That’s PR damage control in motion.
Let’s bring it to our country, Nigeria.
In 2020-2021, remember when GTBank had that social media meltdown over app downtimes and customer complaints? For weeks, it seemed like customers were more loyal to dragging them than using their services. But the brand didn’t ghost. They responded with consistent updates, transparent apologies, and even revamped their tech. They followed it up with witty, human-centered content that reminded us why we liked them in the first place. PR didn’t just fix the drama, it reintroduced a fresh side to the brand.
Yes, companies need PR to fix chaos, but personal brand wahala counts too.
In 2015, after Toke Makinwa’s very public relationship fallout, many thought Toke would disappear from the spotlight. Instead? She leaned into her truth, shared her story on her terms in 2016 through her memoir “On Becoming,” and rebranded herself as a media powerhouse. That’s not just resilience, that’s PR
Here’s what most people get wrong: PR isn’t just about controlling the narrative. It’s about owning it before someone else does.
So, How Exactly Does PR Flip the Script?
- We Stay Ready So You Don’t Have to Get Ready: Crisis communication plans are real. We help you anticipate the fire before it starts.
- We Humanise Your Brand: A good apology has tone, timing, and tact. No “we regret any inconvenience caused”. Your audience wants realness.
- We Rebuild Trust, Loudly & Softly: From brand statements to exclusive interviews and thought-leadership content, we help you talk your talk… intentionally.
- We Don’t Just React, We Reinvent: Every scandal is a plot twist, and plot twists make stories more interesting.
Your brand’s chaos doesn’t have to be its legacy. The truth is: People don’t cancel brands. They cancel silence, dishonesty, and lack of accountability. If your brand messes up (and one day, it might), what matters is how you bounce back.
Your brand can go from being dragged on Twitter to being featured on *Forbes Africa if the PR is right.
PR is not a cover-up; it’s a clean-up. It’s not only “damage control”; its reputation rebuild. We don’t just sweep things under the rug, we craft a comeback story so strong, even your critics start to clap.
At Redwood, we don’t panic, we plan. Whether your brand is under fire or just needs to glow up from its last chaos, we help you speak clearly, act boldly, and recover gracefully.
Because in this economy, you can’t afford to be forgotten or forgiven too late.
Let’s turn your ‘mess’ into a message.
Leave a Reply