Crisis as a Catalyst for Change

Even the strongest brands eventually face low moments or dark days. It is inevitable- if you operate in the outside world you are exposed to potential crisis. The key to coping with crisis is not trying to avoid it but how you respond to it.

We were reminded on Sunday of the lows that can be faced by a business. IndyCar lost one of its most vibrant personalities when driver Dan Wheldon was killed in a wreck during a race in Las Vegas. The sorrow of Wheldon’s death was great, and the unspoken question arising from the tragedy was “Now what, IndyCar?” What can you learn from this painful event to make racing safer?

History provides many examples of brands in crisis- think Tylenol, NASCAR, Mattel, Coca-Cola, and Toyota, to name a few. These brands experienced crisis related to product safety. In the end, process improvements were made to create quality safeguards that restored brand confidence.

Whether your brand is hurt by product recall, loss of key customers, negative publicity, or some other crisis, you will not be the first to go down that road. For IndyCar, here is hoping that the weight of heavy hearts inspires change that serves as a catalyst for transforming IndyCar into a stronger organization.

Author: Don Roy

Don Roy is a marketing educator, blogger, and author. His thirty-year career began with roles in retail management, B2B sales, and franchise management. For the past 27 years, Don has shared his passion for marketing as a marketing professor. Don's teaching and research interests include brands, sports marketing, and social media marketing. Don has authored over 20 articles in scholarly journals, co-authored two textbooks, and self-published three books on personal branding. Don is an avid hockey fan and enjoys running. He and his wife, Sara, have three sons. View all posts by Don Roy