Why brands must build resilience against a backdrop of Permacrisis
Recent crises at M&S, Co-op, and Heathrow Airport serve as clear reminders: reputational resilience should be tightly woven into business strategy. These incidents disrupted operations, triggered public concern and demanded instant, strategic responses from each brand. They were not isolated incidents but symptomatic of a broader reality where data breaches, ransomware, outages and digital vulnerabilities can bring iconic institutions to a standstill in minutes.
In a world gripped by ongoing instability, resilience is not optional, it’s imperative. From supply chain shocks and public boycotts to cyber hacks, brands today are operating in a state of permacrisis – a constant state of movement and disruption that aptly defines our new normal. This relentless churn demands a shift in communications from one-off crisis playbooks to continuous resilience strategies.
Welcome to the era of permacrisis
Permacrisis refers to the ongoing state of instability organisations now operate within. According to PWC’s Global Crisis and Resilience Survey (2023), a staggering 96% of businesses have experienced major disruption in the past two years. But it’s not just the frequency – it’s the unpredictability and velocity of these events that set the tone for this new normal.
Businesses are being hit from all sides: technological shifts, regulatory actions, polarised consumers and real-time media scrutiny. Against a persistent cycle of challenge and change, crisis communications approaches must change in step. Static crisis communications manuals are no longer enough. What’s needed is an active, embedded culture of readiness, resilience and proactive risk management.
The new model of crisis preparedness
So what does good look like in a permacrisis? The answer will be different for every organisation, but a multi-channel, multi-day, multi-persona approach should be the basis every brand should aspire to. Organisations must practice until they can’t get it wrong, not just until they get it right.
With many communications teams prompted by recent incidents to think more critically about their crisis preparedness, here are just some of the questions they should be asking themselves:
- Do you know where the conversations about your brand are happening today?
- Having the right monitoring tools and understanding the discourse happening around you is fundamental to detecting, responding to threats promptly and reaching stakeholders quickly.
- Is your stakeholder mapping up to date and does it reflect relevant internal and external entities / individuals?
- Knowing the circles of influence that surround your brand are fundamental to any crisis approach. You should know which to monitor, which to keep informed, manage closely and keep satisfied depending on where they sit on the power x influence axis.
- Does your plan consider the generational gaps between audiences?
- Differing viewpoints exist between generations and these nuances need careful consideration. Tailoring content to resonate with your target audiences and having a robust cross-platform approach is essential to meeting them where they are.
- What is your organisation doing to create muscle memory when it comes to crisis preparation?
- Regular drills and crisis simulations prepare teams for real-world scenarios, analysing past incidents embeds continuous learning and improvement.
At Archetype, we partner with clients to build and embed resilience and crisis preparedness across their brand, communications and operations. From critically assessing current levels of crisis readiness to establishing, rolling out and testing crisis communications protocols, workflows and plans. Because crisis readiness isn’t just about predicting the storm, it’s about knowing how to sail through it.
If you’d like help or outside perspectives in building or refining your crisis communications plans we’d love to hear from you. Contact our comms team at [email protected].
