Knix’ Reputation at Stake!
Who is Knix?
Knix is a Canadian firm that focuses on the manufacture of high-quality underwear for women faced a critical social media crisis in September 2019 (Deabler, 2019). The Toronto-based business strives to develop leakproof and more comfortable underwear to ensure that women’s self-esteem and confidence remain high. The bran has attained excellent reputation for its high-quality products.
What Happened to them?
Unluckily, the company’s reputation was at stake following an inappropriate advert that featured on Facebook on the 5th day of September 2019. The firm posted an advert captioned “What happens in Knix Leakproof stays in Knix Leakproof.” Besides, the advert presented a picture of a discarded undergarment alongside a pair of dirty women’s shoes lying scattered on vegetation in a gutter-like place. The post sparked lots of negative responses from the company’s followers. The upset followers criticized the company for expressing a tendency to encourage sexual assault. The advert seemed to promote sexual assault following the appearance of the presented scene and the accompanying slogan. Unfortunately, the advert reached more than 15000 followers within a short period (Deabler, 2019).
How do they respond?
The brand responded immediately to the crisis. It pulled out the post before offering further apologies. After removing the flagged photo, the brand claimed that it was not aware of its (the advert’s) existence on its Facebook page. Besides, the firm asserted that the post was accidentally published. The company’s CEO, Joanna Griffiths, explained how the error occurred. She claimed that internal miscommunication facilitated the mistake. Even so, the brand took ownership and responsibility regarding the error. Still, the firm promised its followers that it had set up appropriate strategies for avoiding similar errors in future. Further, the company offered $15,000 to be used in supporting women in Toronto (Deabler, 2019).
My opinion…
I find that the brand reacted well to the situation. The swift response that is marked with immediate removal of the post followed by detailed explanation of what transpired shows lots of concerned by the brand. Moreover, the act of taking responsibility and owning the mistake demonstrates professionalism in the brand. Still, the practice of supporting the local community through financial support is a tremendous public relations activity (Theaker, 2016). The proper response by Knix is reflected by the positive feedback from the social media individuals. The brand’s reaction impressed many audiences.
Even so, the company could have avoided the undesired situation through the use of a better communication approach. An appropriate communication system would significantly result in avoidance of such an error. Hence, the company should establish a brilliant team to manage its social media and internal communications.
In a digital world, the public relations (PR) department serves as the most responsible entity to address such crises. PR is suitable because they possess vital knowledge and skills that are necessary for handling these types of crisis (Verčič, Verčič, & Sriramesh, 2015). The marketing department could be equipped with technical know-how and skills for pushing sales and attracting new clients, but may not adequately handle crises. Therefore, the PR should remain well-informed about appropriate strategies for managing potential disasters that may occur in a company in the digital world.
References
Deabler, A. (2019). Knix underwear apologizes for ‘appalling’ ad seeming to suggest sexual assault. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2019/09/13/knix-underwear-apologizes-for-appalling-ad-seeming-to-suggest-sexual-assault/
Theaker, A. (2016). The public relations handbook. Routledge.
Verčič, D., Verčič, A. T., & Sriramesh, K. (2015). Looking for digital in public relations. Public Relations Review, 41(2), 142–152.
