Reputational Risk Assessment
Everyone understands that a major sponsorship deal presents a massive marketing opportunity. Too few recognise that it can also present a significant reputational risk.
Fortunately, the communications team at this consumer brand embraced not only the opportunity to publicise its sponsorship of a major new TV series, but also to plan for any possible downside.
Crisis management workshop
Based on a detailed brief from the client, we facilitated a half day risk assessment workshop for eight executives, each selected for their specialist knowledge of one facet of the business. These experts shared the key risks from their professional perspective.
Building on this, we encouraged people to remove themselves from their day job and consider the situation from an outsider’s view, for example, a Daily Mail reporter, anti-capitalist activists and the marketing director of a competitor. Looked at from this perspective, the team was able to identify additional reputational risks which they had not previously considered.
Reputational risk reduction
By assigning a likelihood and impact rating to each risk, the top five priority risks were identified. At the workshop, immediate actions were agreed to reduce their likelihood of occurrence and contingencies agreed to respond in the event of risks emerging.
With the downside minimised and contingencies in place to deal with the key risks, the client could concentrate all of its energy in making the sponsorship the roaring success it turned out to be.