Peloton’s response to an emerging crisis situation underscored an important crisis management best practice: Don’t wait to respond to a crisis. The sooner you react to the situation, the sooner you can put the emergency behind you.
Peloton did just that earlier this month. Twice.
What they did, why they did it and how they did it provides important crisis management lessons for business leaders.
‘A Smart Move’
Aaron Gordon is a partner at Schwartz Media Strategies, a communications and public affairs firm. He said that, “With its flagship product thrust into a crisis, Peloton made a smart move by quickly bringing actor Chris Noth into the fold and shifting the narrative away from Mr. Big’s on-screen demise.
“Peloton’s marketing campaign struck the right tone, reminding everyone that Sex and the Cityis indeed a work of fiction and that no actors were harmed during the making of And Just Like That.”
No Time For Due Diligence
Gordon said, “[The] problem is, Peloton’s fast action response meant the company didn’t have time to conduct proper due diligence and the plan backfired when Noth was publicly accused of sexual abuse just days later, forcing the company to do an about-face.
“This turn of events reinforces the importance of fully vetting a potential partner before a company hitches its wagon to their personal brand. Peloton’s instincts to change the narrative quickly and creatively were on point, but these decisions should not be made in haste,” he said.
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