Crisis communications training for fashion labels and clothing retailers
As the leading provider of crisis communications training for fashion labels and clothing retailers we’ve been watching the Paul Marchant story closely. In case you haven’t caught it. the CEO of Primark has admitted to what he calls an “error of judgment” and has resigned. This follows an allegation made by a woman about his behaviour towards her in a social situation.
Although we obviously cannot comment on this particular case in detail, it vividly illustrates the growing number of threats that fashion brands face. Increasingly, in-house communications teams and PR consultancies are bringing us in to provide crisis communications training for their clients.
Message development for clothing brands
We provide message development and crisis communications training for clothing brands who are concerned about allegations about their supply chain. Investigative reporters might claim, for instance, that they are using child labour. Accusations of greenwashing, in other words making sustainability claims which are not true, are another concern amongst many clothing manufacturers.
In case you were in any doubt about the impact of such allegations it’s worth noting that shares in Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of Primark, experienced the largest fall in the FTSE 100 index in early trading on Monday, off 4%, before recovering slightly to 2.5%. We’ve spoken before about companies such as United Airlines that suffered allegations of mistreatment and saw their share price drop. Even those who might not care much for the human impact of these situations might be concerned about the financial fallout.
We’ve worked with fashion retailers and clothing brands who have suffered accusations about the way that they treat their shop staff. In the case of Paul Marchant of Primark the fact that he has given an unreserved apology and then resigned makes things a lot easier for him and the company. Whenever we provide crisis communications training for fashion brands or, indeed, any other company we stress the importance of apologising if they have made a mistake. This apology must be without qualifications or reservations. It should also be expressed in natural, human language.
But what if you’re not to blame for the situation? Or what if it’s not yet clear where that blame lies? In this case you can always express sympathy. It might not be shown to be your fault but at least, as an organisation and as an individual you can appear to be sympathetic, caring and understanding.
Crisis communications training course for senior managers
We recently worked with one fashion brand that was accused of treating workers in factories badly. Various media organisations were bombarding their press office. They brought us in at short notice to provide a crisis communications training course to help their senior managers handle media interviews. Both the in-house communications team and the PR consultancy realised that not saying anything in the face of these allegations was not an option. It would have made the brand look hostile, suspicious and, in many people’s eyes, guilty.
It’s interesting to note how so much of the media coverage of this case looks at the history of Primark and its recent trading performance. Journalists are clearly looking around for anything that they can use to add to their word count. This includes speaking to experts, financial analysts and consultants. All of the media trainers delivering our crisis workshops for fashion brands are working journalists, operating under strict non-disclosure agreements. That means that they know how journalists behave during a crisis – the pressures they’re under and how they pull together reports. This is an essential part of our crisis communications training, and it ensures that what we say to our course participants is entirely authentic.
Issue management workshops
Even before a crisis strikes, our crisis communications training courses for fashion brands enable them to identify what elements of their operation might be vulnerable to negative media coverage. In our crisis communications and issue management workshops with clothing manufacturers, we will provide advice and guidance to everybody from senior managers to supply chain experts and operations teams. We can also put the in-house communications team through their paces with some realistically hostile media interviews. Don’t worry, though – this is all within a safe, confidential environment and the aim is to give people confidence when dealing with a crisis, rather than to humiliate them.
The world has become an increasingly risky place for fashion brands, clothing manufacturers and even luxury fashion houses. That’s why being prepared with messages and a communications strategy should things go wrong, is more important than ever. Come and talk to us about our crisis communications training for fashion brands and clothing manufacturers.
Media Training for fashion brands
We’d love to work with you – come and speak to us about our media training for fashion brands. You can follow us on LinkedIn here.
