Crisis situations are never fun, but in this day and age of social media, they can be especially challenging for brands. Today, consumers have smartphones and cameras that enable them to publish information to the world as it happens, which could easily turn a bad situation into a crisis.

Mall of America is one brand that had to deal with this type of scenario when it saw 3 suicides happen on its premises, including 1 inside the mall. As Bridget Jewell, the PR manager at Mall of America, explained to us, they used social media platforms to convey that the situation was very sad but that they were doing everything they could to prevent it from ever happening again.

She advises others to talk, listen, and interact with customers on social platforms in order to create a trusting community that will help defend it in the event of a crisis.

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