Brand Recovery: Communication in the Face of Crisis

In 2007, JetBlue faced enormous criticism from its customers and the media after a Valentine's Day storm led to delays and cancellations. How did the airliner navigate the crisis? In this note students study communication strategies developed from scientific research on the process of persuasion that can help brands recover from adverse publicity and regain their customers' trust. Six examples illustrate a range of actions — such as the "come clean" response and "polish the halo" response — and teach students how to apply various communication frameworks.