The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

194: Ingredients in a Social Media Crisis: Daily Harvest’s Crumbling Credibility


Listen Later

When there are victims involved in a crisis, they need to be shown compassion and assured that there will be no more victims. 

In this episode of the Indestructible PR Podcast we discuss the good, the bad, and the ‘even worse’ of how Daily Harvest handled their food poisoning crisis.

Influencers took to TikTok to post about the gastrointestinal issues she experienced after consuming one of Daily Harvest’s products, the world of social media went up in arms and more victims came out of the woodwork. 

We look into how Daily Harvest handled the crisis, why they were manipulative, how they made the crisis worse, and how they deceived their customers. We also discuss how the presence of a victim in a crisis changes it and raises the stakes for the company at fault. Tune in to hear all this and get another indestructible PR tip about victims in a crisis.

 

Key Points From This Episode: 

 

  • Today’s topic of discussion: how Daily Harvest handled the online criticism they received when customers reported gastrointestinal issues after consuming one of their products. 
  • Abigail Silverman’s experience with Daily Harvest and the health issues they caused. 
  • How Daily Harvest handled the crisis – the playbook response.
  • We read a portion of Daily Harvest’s email response to the reports and explain why it’s manipulative.
  • Why Daily Harvest’s response to the crisis was more of a problem than the actual faulty product. 
  • We read some Reddit feedback on the product. 
  • How Daily Harvest is trying to cover the issue up and why it makes the crisis worse. 
  • Why a victim changes a crisis and why you should ‘go to’ them and speak to healing. 
  • Molly’s TikTok response about the Daily Harvest’s crisis. 
  • The importance of considering the victim’s feelings. 
  • Another mistake Daily Harvest made: deceptively hiding the problem by making the advisory difficult to find.
  • The indestructible PR tip for today: Victims need somebody to blame, and for the owners to show empathy and remorse.

Tweetables:


“There was a recall of their food which caused problems for their customers. That is not an external incident, it’s an internal incident [and] Daily Harvest needs to own it.” — @MollyMcPherson [0:06:15]


“For any brand

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media
Click here to subscribe to Molly's live events.

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

This podcast is supported by Muck Rack, the PR management platform I use to monitor media coverage, track journalist activity, and inform high-stakes strategy with real-time data. Click here to try Muck Rack for yourself.


Follow & Connect with Molly:

  • https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
  • ...
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The PR Breakdown with Molly McPhersonBy www.mollymcpherson.com

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

205 ratings


More shows like The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

View all
No Filter With Zack Peter by Zack Peter

No Filter With Zack Peter

66 Listeners

Ringer Dish by The Ringer

Ringer Dish

1,641 Listeners

The Emily Show by Baker Media, LLC.

The Emily Show

1,946 Listeners

Pop Apologists by PodcastOne

Pop Apologists

3,161 Listeners

SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

SmartLess

57,464 Listeners

Celebrity Memoir Book Club by Vox Media Podcast Network

Celebrity Memoir Book Club

6,357 Listeners

Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast by Chelsea Devantez

Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast

2,178 Listeners

Beyond The Blinds by Cloud10

Beyond The Blinds

3,216 Listeners

FluentlyForward by CAKE MEDIA

FluentlyForward

2,198 Listeners

Deux U by Deuxmoi & Audacy

Deux U

2,072 Listeners

The Official Gilded Age Podcast by HBO

The Official Gilded Age Podcast

1,578 Listeners

Daily Dose of Dana by Dana Bowling

Daily Dose of Dana

1,927 Listeners

Fixing Famous People with Chris DeRosa & Dominick Pupa by Chris DeRosa & Dominick Pupa

Fixing Famous People with Chris DeRosa & Dominick Pupa

529 Listeners

Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce by Wave Originals

Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce

10,057 Listeners

Good Hang with Amy Poehler by The Ringer

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

7,904 Listeners