Don't just look at the cause (weather). Look at your response to the cause. If your process fails, SCCT demands an apology, not an excuse. Theory 2: Image Repair Theory (Benoit) The Rule: When your reputation is damaged, you have five options: Denial, Evading Responsibility, Reducing Offensiveness, Corrective Action, or Mortification (full apology).
We all know the stats: 79% of PR pros have faced a crisis in the last five years. But knowing a crisis is likely and knowing how to handle one are two different things. Don't just look at the cause (weather)
In the classroom, we learn elegant models—Coombs’ Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), Benoit’s Image Repair Theory, and the simple 3Ps (People, Product, Process). In the real world, however, the CEO is panicking, Twitter is on fire, and the legal team is screaming, "Say nothing!" Theory 2: Image Repair Theory (Benoit) The Rule:
The crisis: KFC switched delivery partners to DHL. It went horribly wrong. Hundreds of UK stores ran out of chicken. #KFCCrisis trended globally. Angry customers posted photos of locked KFC signs next to "finger lickin’ good" slogans. The theory applied (badly first): Initially
The theory applied (badly first): Initially, JetBlue used (a low-responsibility response). "It's the weather." But SCCT says: Weather is a victim crisis, but the lack of contingency plans is a preventable crisis. By waiting 6 hours to cancel flights, JetBlue owned the blame.
April 14, 2026 | Reading Time: 6 minutes
Whether you're Tylenol (1982) recalling capsules perfectly or Boeing (2019) denying MCAS software flaws, the public uses a simple moral test: Are you choosing safety over money? People over process?