More than 1.2 million news articles covered over 300 food recall and outbreak events in 2024. Social media and AI have transformed how issues spread and how brands manage communications, increasing velocity and visibility. Core crisis principles remain: show empathy, be transparent, take accountability and provide clear remediation steps. The current environment requires faster execution and strategies designed to be discoverable and amplified across platforms. Pre-crisis actions include continuous social listening with alerts, established social escalation protocols, a prebuilt crisis toolkit with templates and roles, and proactive tracking of brand presence on AI platforms to build a positive foundation.
Our food isn't necessarily more dangerous, but social media and AI have transformed how issues spread and how brands manage communications. For PR pros, that means the basics of crisis management still apply - show empathy, be transparent, take accountability, share clear remediation steps - but today's environment demands faster execution, more visibility and algorithm-aware strategies.
Crisis management is no longer just about what you say, but how well your response is designed to be found and amplified across multiple platforms. To succeed, brands need strategies that anticipate how messages travel, how algorithms elevate information and how consumers engage.
Social listening: Set "always-on" alerts tied to brand names, health terms, slang and visual cues like logos to catch mentions or misinformation early. Recommended tools include: Sprout Social, Talkwalker and Brandwatch. Establish social guidelines: Set clear escalation protocols for social media so action can be taken quickly and confidently. Define which comments to engage with, which ones to leave alone or take offline and how to handle sensitive information. Create a crisis toolkit: Have pre-approved templates, responsibility assignments, timelines, FAQ scripts and legal guidance ready in advance. Track AI visibility: Test to see current brand presence on AI platforms and generate needed content to establish a positive brand foundation. Recommended tools include: Bluefish, Kai and SEMrush.
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