MAX crisis.
• A disconnect between marketed values and actual behavior.
For marketers and brands, credibility, once lost, can trigger an avalanche of consequences that no amount of clever advertising can stop.
According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, 63 % of consumers choose brands based on their beliefs and values. More crucially, 71 % of consumers say they will stop buying from a brand they feel has betrayed their trust.
The Digital Amplification Effect
What makes these stories particularly relevant for marketers is understanding the mechanics of trust in the digital age. Modern credibility crises are particularly dangerous in their velocity- it’ s the digital age, where social media magnifies every misstep, and even a single negative incident can snowball into a public relations disaster. Cancel culture is real!
When United Airlines faced backlash over forcibly removing a passenger from an overbooked flight in 2017, the video went viral within hours. The company ' s initial defensive response only fueled the fire, leading to a $ 1.4 billion drop in market value within days.
Prevention is the Best Medicine
For marketers and o ye brand custodians, preventing a credibility crisis requires more than crisis management planning. It demands a fundamental shift in how we think about brand building. I learned this early in my career while working in the fashion industry. There was no customer service or public relations department, so those roles finally fell into Marketing. And it was relatively easy because the company invested heavily in the quality of products. So, when, in my reports, I started tracking and showing a rising negative sentiment towards a certain product line on social media and newspaper letters, the company acted fast- and went back to the manufacturing lines to fix the issue. That’ s how I found myself in manufacturing team meetings to represent Marketing, customer service and PR. That way, we could bring in the market’ s sentiments before the product actually hit the market.
Compare this with Patagonia ' s approach to transparency. The outdoor clothing company regularly publishes reports about their supply chain challenges and environmental impact- even when the news isn ' t flattering. This proactive transparency has built a reservoir of trust that helps protect them during difficult times, lest they fall into the issues that fast-fashion brand Shein encountered when media investigations revealed poor working conditions in their supply chain, and despite their massive social media presence and influencer partnerships, they couldn ' t simply market their way out of the crisis.
Rebuilding Trust is a Marathon, not a Sprint
It’ s not all doom and gloom if the crises occur. Most businesses and brands will experience a version of their own. Not all credibility crises end in disaster. Take Samsung ' s handling of the Galaxy Note 7 battery explosion scandal in 2016. The company ' s swift response- recalling millions of devices and implementing a comprehensive battery safety check program- initially cost them $ 5.3 billion. However, their transparency and commitment to customer safety helped them bounce back stronger. Today, Samsung remains a leader in the smartphone market, demonstrating that how you handle a crisis can be as important as preventing one.
Recovery requires more than just damage control. Johnson & Johnson ' s handling of the 1982 Tylenol crisis remains the gold standard. When seven people died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, the company immediately recalled 31 million bottles nationwide, introduced tamperresistant packaging, and maintained transparent communication throughout. This response not only saved the brand but strengthened it.
Similarly, KFC’ s humorous handling of its 2018 UK chicken shortage- an issue that left stores unable to serve their iconic dish- turned a potential PR disaster into a case study on effective crisis management. They owned the mishap and communicated transparently, and the brand regained customer goodwill.
Key Lessons for Marketers
The through-line in this article and my stories points to several crucial insights on how brands can safeguard themselves against credibility pitfalls. Here are a few key takeaways for marketers:
Transparency isn ' t optional: Information travels at the speed of social media and attempting to hide problems typically backfires. Brands must build transparency into their DNA. If something goes wrong, own up to it and take immediate corrective action. Speed matters, but accuracy matters more: Quick responses are crucial, but they must be thoughtful and honest. United Airlines ' hasty, defensive response to their passenger removal incident only deepened their crisis.
Values must be lived, not just marketed: Modern consumers can spot the difference between authentic brand values and marketing spin. Patagonia ' s success comes from living their environmental values, not just advertising them.
Deliver on Promises: Over-promising and under-delivering is the fastest route to a credibility crisis. Ensure that your advertising aligns with your product’ s actual capabilities. Another example is quality. From product design to customer service, quality should never be compromised. GeoPoll’ s 2024 study shows that Kenyan consumers, and this applies anywhere, value quality( 83 %) over aspects such as affordability.
Build trust reserves: Brands that consistently invest in building trust- through actions, not just words- are better positioned to weather credibility crises when they occur.
The bottomline
Maintaining brand credibility will only become more challenging as we move deeper into an era of deepfakes, AIgenerated content, increasing skepticism, and a very demanding customer base. The brands that survive and thrive will be those that understand that trust is their most valuable asset- one that must be earned every day through consistent, authentic actions.
For that dealer’ s customers in Nairobi, the lessons may have come too late. But for marketers everywhere, these stories serve as powerful reminders that in the attention economy, credibility is the currency that matters most. Build it carefully, guard it zealously, and if you lose it, be prepared for a long journey to earn it back.
Frankline Kibuacha, MCIM, is the Senior Manager for Marketing and Outreach at GeoPoll. With over a decade of experience in marketing, brand management, and consumer research, he has witnessed firsthand how brands build, lose, and rebuild trust in an increasingly complex digital landscape. You can commune with him via mail at: Mwenda @ frankmwenda. com.