Disaster on the runway can occur at any point in a fashion mogule's career. Being the creative director of the prestigous fashion design house Louis Vuitton and the designer of his own successful lines, Marc Jacobs has to be prepared for when trouble arises. In preparing for a crisis, one of the first steps that must be taken is the creation of a strong crisis management team. When developing the crisis management team, it is important to choose members that can handle stress, listen to the stakeholders and victims, work well in a group and communicate well with publics. If a company fails to successfully choose the members of their crisis management team, the effectiveness of all of their crisis communication efforts will suffer.
Once this team is selected, they will be responsible for developing a crisis management plan to be executed if and when an organization faces a crisis. In my previous posts, I have discussed some crises Marc Jacobs has faced in the past. From recent plagarism lawsuits to his infamous bribery scandal, it seems that the Jacobs crisis management team has chosen a specfic strategy. Keep Quiet.
Understanding the that fashion industry, like any other industry is prone to various crises, it is clear that the Jacobs PR department must get more information into all potential risks to the company and develop strong guidelines on how to react to them. When crises have occurred in the past, representatives for the company have been hesitant to comment or release statements. This is not a very effective way to contain and minimize the damage of a crisis.
Had the company prepared for potential crises and drafted a crisis management plan, they would have had more success in protecting the image of the brand. As Marc Jacobs has seen, it is possible for a crisis to occur in any industry, fashion included, and it's time for major fashion houses to step up and prepare for the inevitable fashion emergency.
