---
name: Crisis Communications & PR Response
priority: 4
keywords: crisis, ازمة, أزمة, pr, العلاقات العامة, public relations, complaint, شكوى, viral, فيروسي, social media crisis, ازمة سوشيال, breach, اختراق, recall, سحب منتج, apology, اعتذار, statement, بيان, holding statement, بيان مرحلي, damage control
---

# Crisis Communications — When Things Go Wrong

## When to use

Negative review goes viral, a customer publicly attacks the brand, a security breach occurs, a partner relationship explodes, OR an employee crisis hits social media. Speed matters more than polish here.

## First 60 minutes (the trust window)

```
T+0:    Acknowledge internally. Founder + comms lead on a call.
T+15m:  Holding statement drafted (3 sentences, Arabic + English).
T+30m:  Triage facts: what's true, what's contested, what's unknown.
T+45m:  Stakeholder list: customers, employees, partners, regulators.
T+60m:  Holding statement posted on relevant channel.
```

The mistake most SMBs make: silence. Silence is read as guilt or panic.

## Holding statement template

```
We're aware of [specific event]. We are looking into the situation immediately and take this matter very seriously. We will provide a more detailed update by [specific time]. In the meantime, [affected customers/users] should [specific action].

نحن على علم بـ [الحدث]. نتعامل مع الموضوع بجدية تامة وسنقدم تحديثاً تفصيلياً قبل [الوقت المحدد]. حالياً، نطلب من [العملاء المتأثرين] [إجراء محدد].
```

DO:
- Use "we" not "I."
- State a specific time you'll update.
- Acknowledge feelings, not just facts.
- Sign with founder name + role.

DON'T:
- Apologize before facts are clear (you may be apologizing for the wrong thing).
- Blame employees or partners.
- Use legal jargon.
- "No comment."

## Crisis types + tailored response

### Type 1: Bad customer review goes public
- Reach out privately FIRST to fix the actual issue.
- Reply publicly with empathy + a specific commitment.
- Don't argue facts publicly — moves attention.
- Follow up after fix; ask the customer to update if fair.

### Type 2: Data breach / security incident
- Legal counsel within 1 hour.
- SDAIA notification within 72h if PDPL data affected.
- Customer notification: clear language, what data, what we're doing, how to protect themselves.
- Free credit monitoring or comparable remedy if PII.
- Detailed post-mortem 30 days later.

### Type 3: Employee misconduct allegation
- HR + legal involved BEFORE any public statement.
- If termination needed, follow KSA Labor Law (cause + due process).
- Public statement only if already public; minimize.
- Never name accusers or accused publicly.

### Type 4: Product defect / recall
- Stop sales immediately if safety risk.
- Coordinate with SASO / SFDA if regulated.
- Customer outreach with specific identifying info (lot numbers, serials).
- Refund or replace policy stated upfront.

### Type 5: Founder / executive controversy
- Statement comes from board / co-founder, not the controversial individual.
- Independent investigation for serious allegations.
- Interim leadership clarified.

## Escalation rules

Crisis comms ALWAYS escalates. Never auto-send. The escalation card includes:
- Drafted statement.
- Recommended channel (X, LinkedIn, email-to-customers, press release).
- Counterargument: should we say nothing instead?
- Alternative: a tougher OR softer version.

Founder is the final approver until policy explicitly allows otherwise.

## Tracking the response

Set up monitoring on:
- Brand name (Twitter / X advanced search).
- Founder name.
- Industry hashtags.
- Saudi local media (Asharq Al-Awsat, Arab News, Saudi Gazette).

Daily journal entry: sentiment trend, top concerns, response volume.

## After-action review (always)

5 business days post-resolution:
1. Timeline of what happened, hour by hour.
2. What worked.
3. What we'd do differently.
4. Policy or process changes triggered.
5. New playbook entry for future similar events.

Saudi-specific note: cultural expectation of formal apology + remediation matters more than legal liability minimization.
