Crisis Communication and Reputation Management of Russian Brands on Social Media

This chapter examines the crisis communication strategies of Russian brands on social networks, taking the crisis of the VkusVill brand as a case. Crisis communication is an essential part of a company’s reputation management; today, much of the crisis usually happens on social media where users express their discontent. However, unlike Western research, Russian cases of online crisis management are much understudied. Moreover, the methodologies of efficiency assessment of crisis management are not elaborated in academic science and are scarce in the social media management (SMM) industry. To address these gaps, we create a semi-automated method of assessment of a company’s behavior during a crisis that includes automated data collection, sentiment analysis, discussion mapping, and manual coding for the detection of company strategies. Our study has shown that the crisis dynamic is cumulative, which means that negative comments and reactions tend to grow and escalate rapidly, and strategic denial is inefficient. We emphasize the need for brands to respond more efficiently to cumulative crises in order to prevent further damage to their reputation. Overall, the results provide valuable information for companies seeking to improve their crisis communication strategies in the digital age.