WITH many businesses and entrepreneurs constantly working to build and maintain successful brands, the call is being made for these entities to simultaneously take an integrated approach and crisis-proof their brands. The call comes from development communications strategist and CEO for Infinity Integrated Marketing Communications Limited (Infinity IMC) Shanoy Coombs, who describes crisis-proofing and crisis communications as the “all too important but often forgotten” component of brand building. She was speaking to Caribbean entrepreneurs recently on the topic of ‘Better business branding’ at the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship Caribbean.

While noting that many companies and entrepreneurs have the common pain point of deciding how to utilise often limited budgets, Coombs indicated that an integrated approach and a crisis communications component are important to help bridge this gap.

“What I have found from consultations with varied clients is that while many small, medium and large enterprises are keen on building their business through branding, marketing, social media or public relations, they often do this in isolation and rarely do they ever include a crisis communications plan to be prepared in the event of any small or large-scale crisis,” she stated.

Noting that brand emergencies are unpredictable, Coombs, who has worked on diverse integrated campaigns for organisations locally, regionally and internationally, further indicated that crisis proofing one’s brand is key to protecting the image and reputation of the business that companies and entrepreneurs would have worked so hard to build.

“You may never know when your brand may have an emergency — faulty products, subpar service or disgruntled customers can be unpredictable and have far reaching consequences, hence the best way to address a brand crisis is to be prepared for it,” she explained.

She further encouraged entrepreneurs to work with a trained team or company to not only create a crisis communications plan but one that takes an integrated/360-degree approach to ensure that all aspects of marketing and visibility are activated in sharing the same solid message at the same time. This integrated plan can include possible crisis scenarios and the company’s response to each of these scenarios as well as pre-prepared statements, chains of command, information on designated speakers and all channels where information will be communicated.

This “always prepared” approach also allows businesses to engage in continuous communication with the media, their customers and other internal and external stakeholders even during what could become a public relations or other form of disaster.

“The last thing your company needs is for a crisis to hit and you disappear because you panicked. If you do this, your brand narrative will be built without your input. So the key to addressing crisis situations is to ensure that your business is prepared and actively engaging in any conversations about your brand,” she shared.

In addition to crisis proofing, Coombs encouraged Branson Centre entrepreneurs to take an integrated approach to establish their business in a competitive market. She noted that branding must move beyond logos, slogans and taglines and be supported by research, public relations, marketing and advertising together, instead of being used in isolation. This, she says, can build credibility and encourage consumers to consistently choose one brand over another.

Through her company, Infinity IMC, Coombs and her team works with clients across the Caribbean to build their crisis communications kit. Companies are taken through a series of scenarios and situations to create realistic and meaningful responses to the issues that are likely to emerge and help them to map a first-responder plan should a crisis actually arise.

Clare Bailey, Branson Centre’s head of programmes and strategic partnerships, welcomed Coombs’ better business branding recommendations by noting, “certainly the information that has been shared here in this forum is invaluable. I myself learnt so much from it and I have a background in marketing. Thanks so much for supporting the start-up ecosystem and Branson Centre”.

Infinity IMC is a full-service development communications firm which specialises in behaviour change interventions, corporate and development communications. The organisation has worked with several international organisations, NGOs, private and public sector organisations to integrate communication in a more meaningful manner.