Responding Responsibly to Crisis and Disaster: The Communication Challenges

Colleen E. Mills and Sussie C. Morrish

Chapter 15 in Beyond the Dark Arts:Advancing Marketing and Communication Theory and Practice, 2023, pp 291-313 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: How an organisation responds to crises and disasters has significant implications, for not only its reputation and brand but also its business continuity. We propose that four important considerations, power, honesty, transparency and timeliness, must be addressed when designing crisis communication. We then discuss how failure to give these priority can lead to emotional contagion, conspiracy theories, moral panics and fake news. We conclude by proposing that if crisis communication management is to be effective, then not only should it be ethical and socially responsible but also contingent, stakeholder centric and involving cycles of sensemaking and sense giving.

Keywords: Advertising; Behaviour Change; Communication; Data-driven Advertising; Data-Driven Marketing; Digital Advertising; Digital Marketing; Digital Media Studies; Macromarketing; Marketing; Marketing Communications; Social Change; Social Impact; Social Marketing; Social Media; Social Media Marketing; Social Responsibility; Socially-Responsible Communication; Socially-Responsible Marketing; Sustainability; Sustainable Development Goals; SDG; Social Advertising; AI; Artificial Intelligence; Behavioural Ecological Model; Big Data; Communication Ethics; Communication Studies; Consumer Data; Corporate Social Responsibility; Culture; Design Thinking; Diversity; Emerging Technologies; Ethical Behaviour; Ethical Marketing; Ethics; Health; Health Communication; Inclusion; Machine Learning; Media Studies; Public Health; Public Policy; Supply Chains; Social Media Influencer; Influencer; Socially Responsible; Advocacy; Brand Activism; Business Ethics; Circular Fashion; Conspiracy Theories; Context; Coronavirus; COVID-19; Crisis Communication; Critical Communication; Critical Marketing; Dark Side; Emerging Adults; Esports; Ethical Fashion; Fake News; Fast Fashion; Gamers; Evaluation; Gaming; Honesty; Inequality; Legal and Regulatory Frameworks; Modern Slavery; Morals; Multidisciplinary; Natural Language Processing; Nutrition; Objectives; Norms; Paradigms; Philosophies; Racism; Retailers; Slow Fashion; Strategic Communication; Sustainable Fashion; Stakeholders; Technological Solutionism; Transparency; Upstream Social Marketing; Vulnerability; Young Adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M1 M3 M30 M31 M37 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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