Thought Leadership

The Biggest Brand Crises of 2013

At Red Banyan Group, we feel it’s critically important to stay abreast of the latest news in the crisis communications industry, which we often discuss and analyze on our blog. In a similar fashion, Inc. Magazine recently released its list of the “Worst Brand Scandals of 2013.”

Many of the PR crises included on this “worst of” list were discussed on the RBG blog throughout the past year, including Lululemon’s “pantsgate” scandal and the controversy surrounding Victoria Secret’s “Bright Young Things” campaign.

Other brands that made the list include: Target, Xbox, Vice Magazine, Ford, Abercrombie and Fitch, Fifa, Facebook and J.C. Penny.

As the Inc. article notes, some of the brands were able to successfully navigate the PR challenges they faced with strong damage control efforts and come out largely unscathed. Others exacerbated their problems with oversights or missteps in their crisis management plans (or lack thereof). The end results provide further evidence of the importance of proper crisis response and communications preparation.

To check out the entire list of 2013’s top brand crises, visit Inc. Magazine.