UNFORCED ERROR!-Should Susan G. Komen’s Board Resign?

As a Crisis Management Consultant, I have never seen a brand so utterly self-destruct in a 24-hour period in what I call an unforced error. The Komen well-crafted brand, at the least, is tainted. At worst, it is damaged. Rebuilding this brand from the ground up is in order. In the seven days from when the story hit, my analysis of News story about Komen have revealed nothing but negative. Worse, most who had never known of Komen until this story have an unfavorable view of this great organization. Can this brand be saved? Yes, and it should. Apologizing was a very good first step. Karen Handel resigning was another good step on this long road to recovery.

DON’T WASTE A GOOD CRISIS
Komen can utilize this crisis to fix what internally may have created this major snafu, which now threatens this organization’s very existence. Will the entire board resigning do the trick? Symbolically, it may. But restoring a damaged organization reputation demands more than symbolism. It needs a structural reload, beginning with revisiting and possibly overhauling the organization’s mission and/or raison d’etre.

Emmanuel A. Smart, @StrategicPR_Pro
Pres, SMART EXPRESSIONS, Strategic PR & Communication Consultants. Houston, TX.
Building . Managing BRAND Reputation.
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