Overlooking the importance of transparency hurts your brand
In today’s world you never know when a crisis is going to hit. I watch organizations and brands struggle with this publicly and as a communications professional, it’s one of those things I hope and pray won’t happen to me. However, in a culture dominated by a 24-hour news cycle and social media, the likelihood is not if but when. How a company or organization acts or doesn’t act when a crisis hits will have lasting effects. We have best practices that help inform how we should proactively respond, yet somehow organizations still miss the importance of being transparent, showing empathy, and being apologetic. In my home state of Connecticut, the University of Hartford has made national news with what seems like their inadequate handling of alleged racism between two students. In the video linked, you’ll notice the story headline highlights “bullying,” but as this story has evolved and more facts have been reported, Brianna Rae Brochu, the student accused of harass