Branding is a tricky business and it’s difficult to get it right all the time; and sometimes companies can fail, big time. 2016 was a big year for brands like Johnson & Johnson’s, Volkswagen, Uber, and Samsung. All of which have come under fire for making mistakes before or after releasing products.

While there are many things at stake for a company undergoing scrutiny or scandals, it’s the public perception of the brand that suffers most. Website ThinkDesign recently shared an infographic of the ten biggest brand disasters of 2016. These examples may not be all of the companies making small mistakes like messing up an ad campaign, but are instances where brand disasters actually lost big bucks.

Scroll down to view the infographic and find out which are the companies whose reputations suffered the most last year.

Brand damage control

Mitigating the fallout from a mistake can be a balancing act, especially when a business reputation is at stake. Sometimes it’s best to do nothing, while other times it calls for a serious case of damage control.

The most common method of resurfacing was rebranding. It’s one of the most commonly used tactics by brands that are under inspection for some reason. This year several brands did a complete makeover by changing the logo, brand colours and some even introduced new packaging.

Containment is usually one of the first and best things you can do for your brand. While in the middle of a crisis, try releasing a press statement before the news is the leaked in the media. Take responsibility and reveal that you are committed to getting justice and finding the real culprits.

However, if silence is your best option, employ third party voices to take a stand for the brand. This tactic is useful when a brand is on the defensive.

When all else fails, you might have to dip into your wallet. Before those who have been wronged can get together and ally against the brand, offer them a service as compensation. And then inform them you’ll figure out what really happened.

Source: http://blog.logodesignguru.com/10-brand-disasters-2016/