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When furniture company Wayfair (NYSE:W) was accused of trafficking children through its website, the Company displayed a composed response, but the very spectre of the story has sullied the name of the retailer. It could have been worse but for the careful management by the PR team in Boston, M.A.

In this episode, I share 8 tips to ensure that a company is crisis ready, and some cautionary notes about how social media influencers are sharing unsubstantiated theories which can kill brands.

In response to the conspiracy theories which started on Reddit, the Wayfair Spokeswoman gave an excellent response which was explanatory, authoritative, and explained corrective action.

"The products in question are industrial grade cabinets that are accurately priced," a Wayfair spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. "Recognizing that the photos and descriptions provided by the supplier did not adequately explain the high price point, we temporarily removed the products from site to rename them and provide a more in-depth description and photos that accurately depict the product to clarify the price point." 

Leaning from Wayfair as a case study, I list here and discuss in more details the contents of crisis management workshops which I have facilitated with companies:

1. Have key statements ready for each eventuality
2. Plan scenarios for likely events and messages 
3. List of the key spokespeople for each occasion
4. Determine the level of alert and find the appropriate level of spokesperson
5. Have photos of key spokespeople ready with different sets of clothing/situation 
6. Keep an up to date list of media & influencers to hand
7. Plan the scheduled release of information 
8. Ensure that your brand has an authentic and well-explained story in the market

A crisis can be like a fire, one small spark can ignite a wildfire; good preparation means having a fire extinguisher always ready to douse even the smallest of flames.

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Jim James is the Founder and Managing Director of the EASTWEST Public Relations Group. He recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Whilst running EASTWEST PR, he was the Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, he also he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars

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