When the Crisis Is You: How Ignoring Your Social Media Team Can Spark a PR Meltdown

It starts with a single post.

A message signed off by senior leadership. Confident. Polished. Tone-deaf. Triggering. Within minutes, comments start flooding in. Not the good kind. People are offended, angry, hurt, pissed off. Screenshots are being shared. Influencers are weighing in. You’re trending, but not in the way you hoped. And the worst part? Your social media team saw it coming.

A Crisis Caused from the Inside

This is not about being hacked. This isn’t a viral hoax. This is a self-inflicted storm, caused by a decision made without the input of the people who actually manage the public conversation. The social media team may have flagged the wording. Raised concerns about timing. Tried to explain that the tone might be misread. But the response from leadership?

“We know what we’re doing.” - Except this time, they didn’t.

CASE STUDY: Pepsi's 2017 Kendall Jenner Ad

• What happened: Pepsi released an ad featuring Kendall Jenner handing a can of Pepsi to a police officer during a protest, trying to convey a message of unity.

• Why it failed: The ad was widely criticized for trivializing serious social justice movements like Black Lives Matter. Pepsi’s leadership reportedly pushed the campaign despite early warnings from marketing and social teams that it could be tone-deaf.

• Outcome: Immediate backlash, memes mocking the ad, and an apology from Pepsi. The brand’s reputation took a hit for appearing insensitive.

CASE STUDY: Dove’s Facebook Ad Controversy (2017)

• What happened: Dove posted a Facebook ad where a Black woman removes her shirt to reveal a White woman, which many saw as implying Black skin is “dirty.”

• Why it backfired: The post wasn’t adequately vetted for cultural sensitivity

• Outcome: Quick backlash, accusations of racism, and an apology from Dove.

I’ve raised concerns about messaging or language that I knew could be triggering, or recommended that we stay within our area of expertise. On some occasions, that advice was taken seriously. Other times, it was not, and the result was an avalanche of negative comments, abuse, and backlash. Moderation was pushed into overdrive, all due to language and tone that could have been easily adjusted. There is always a sense of frustration in those moments, because the situation was entirely avoidable.

Reading the Room Is Not Optional

Social media professionals live in the comment section. They know what’s trending, what’s sensitive, what’s acceptable, and what will light a match in a dry forest. They are not just content schedulers, they are the early warning system. When your manager or the leadership team overrides or ignores their advice, it sends a clear message: we don’t trust your judgment. Even worse, it puts the business at risk.

Using outdated, loaded, or patronising language is a fast way to alienate your audience. In today’s climate, tone matters. Nuance matters. Timing matters. And perception is everything.

What Happens Next? The Fallout

The internet does not wait. Once the backlash begins, it escalates quickly. What could have been a thoughtful, well-timed message becomes a lesson in what not to do.

Here’s what typically follows:

• Floods of negative comments and shares

• Angry emails and DMs

• Media coverage

• Staff embarrassment and burnout

• A rushed apology (if you’re lucky)

Your social team is now in damage control mode, responding to people who are rightly upset, many of whom now see your brand as out of touch or worse.

The Real Damage

The biggest harm in these situations is not the original post. It’s the erosion of trust.

• Trust between your audience and your brand

• Trust between your social team and leadership

• Trust within the team, who now feel unsupported and ignored

You can’t expect your team to protect your reputation if you consistently cut them out of the decision-making process.

How to Avoid Becoming the Villain

1. Listen to your social team. They are your eyes and ears. If they flag something, take it seriously.

2. Test tone and messaging. What sounds clever in the boardroom might land poorly online.

3. Understand the cultural context. Timing, language, and audience sensitivity must be factored in.

4. Establish sign-off protocols. No post should go live without review from the people trained to assess its impact.

5. Debrief after mistakes. If something goes wrong, own it and learn from it. Don’t just move on and hope it fades.

Social media crises are often preventable. But only if businesses respect the people closest to the conversation. If your social team is waving red flags and you ignore them, you’re not just risking a PR disaster, you’re creating one. In a world where a single post can go viral in minutes, the cost of not listening is too high.

Let your experts guide you. That’s what they’re there for.