Reacting appropriately during a crisis in the Social Media Age is extremely important. In fact, its a must for corporate executives, small and large companies/organizations, politicians, celebrities, professional athletes, amateur athletes, etc... Its imperative to understand the importance of properly reacting to a situation that has not just public relations implications but also major legal ramifications as well.
In the Social Media Age, the right reaction may determine whether your brand is permanently damaged like Paula Deen's or Anthony Weiner's or if you can make a comeback like Charlie Sheen (a little contrition mixed in with talent, luck, and a "wining attitude"). Americans have always loved great comebacks. The biggest in recent memory (the last 20 years) was Bill Clinton's come back from impeachment proceedings.
The latest high profile person to incur a major negative personal/professional event (actually multiple matters) is former pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan. The National Enquirer recently published a private racist rant Hogan made years ago. The leaking of this information to the media may be connected to a $100 million dollar lawsuit Hogan commenced against the digital platform Gawker for publicizing a private sex tape that he may have unknowingly participated in.
It appears that right before Hogan's behavior became public knowledge the WWE (Hogan's employer) scrubbed him from their website and cut ties with him. Within hours of the world learning about his racist rant, Hogan issued to People Magazine a full apology and took full responsibility for his actions.
Will Social Media, the WWE, his fans, etc... forgive Hogan for his behavior? As long as Hogan's team doesn't follow the missteps of of others, he has an opportunity for redemption. A good first step was a quick apology. Will Hogan's next step on his road to redemption be an appearance on The Today Show or other media outlets?
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