By Thomas Mustac, Publicist — Otter PR
2023 showed many companies the unexpected role global politics could play in their communications strategies. While many companies successfully leveraged international events as part of corporate social responsibility campaigns, others found themselves amidst a major crisis, and few examples of the latter stand out so much as Zara’s recent high-profile advertising blunder.
Understanding Zara’s crisis
The reason why Zara has recently been the subject of intense public scrutiny is their advertising campaign called “The Jacket.” In this campaign, models are depicted surrounded by mannequins, many of which are missing limbs, and others are covered by shrouds. Although Zara, like many fashion brands, is no stranger to evocative imagery, this campaign took things too far, resulting in a controversy that the company may struggle to overcome.
Many criticized the campaign online, calling it “insensitive” or “tone-deaf,” pointing to the similarities some of the images shared with the aftermath of the attacks happening during the Israel-Palestine conflict. Some have even gone so far as to claim that the similarities are not a coincidence and that the brand was acting in bad faith when it created and distributed this campaign.
Zara’s response was to pull down the campaign and issue a statement explaining that the campaign was not intended in how it was interpreted. Yet, in a crisis situation like this, it’s less about the intent and more about how the public perceives it.
Regardless of the meaning behind the campaign, the public was outraged by it. For Zara to overcome this crisis, it was important for them to use the principles of crisis communication.
How Zara’s situation shows the importance of a crisis response plan
Situations like this are a perfect example of why having a crisis response plan in place is essential for any business. Although preparing for every potential obstacle may not be possible, having a game plan ready allows an organization to jump into action before it’s too late. If a business must devise a crisis management strategy from scratch when it faces a crisis, the damage could be done before the company ever even has a chance to respond.
One of the biggest lessons of this crisis is the importance of timing. At any other time, this campaign would have been provocative — perhaps even controversial — but it would not have caused the massive stir it did. By having the foresight to shelve the campaign until a later date, Zara realistically could have avoided the crisis while having a campaign to use at a later date.
Another major mistake made by Zara was diffusing blame over the situation rather than taking accountability for the mistake. Zara’s apology might have been prompt, but it attempted to shift the blame from themselves to the circumstances. Instead of apologizing for the mistake, Zara tried to soften the situation by claiming that the campaign was conceived and shot before the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Many criticized this response as inauthentic, claiming it shows that Zara cared not about the situation but merely its optics.
The other big mistake Zara made was not learning from its past mistakes. Zara had already come under fire in recent years due to the company’s position on the conflict in the Middle East, and in 2021, Zara faced another crisis when one of its head designers made anti-Palestinian comments. Instead of firing the designer, the company simply condemned her statements. Because of this history of not taking a strong enough stance against anti-Palestinianism, many consumers questioned the validity of the company’s response to this most recent crisis.
Zara’s fatal error was making the same mistake that had previously created a crisis. Having known the trouble caused by the past turmoil, the company should have maintained a particularly keen eye for sensitivity regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. Although a brand can recover from a crisis, a history of being caught in the same crisis repeatedly has long-lasting effects on the organization’s reputation — consumers will start to feel that they can no longer trust the company.
While there are some things that Zara did right in its crisis response, namely responding as quickly as it did, several aspects of the company’s response could have been improved. For one, rather than attempting to avoid blame, the company should have acknowledged its mistake. Zara leadership also could have made a statement offering unequivocal support for the people they were perceived to have wronged rather than a statement simply affirming their “deep respect for everyone involved.”
Regardless, Zara’s response to this controversy — in terms of both what the company did wrong and what it did right — offers valuable lessons to other business leaders about the importance of crisis PR. By responding to a crisis in a timely and authentic fashion and learning not to repeat the same mistakes in the future, a company can overcome any reputational hit they may have received and maybe even come out the other side stronger.
— Thomas Mustac is Otter PR‘s medical and health industry PR specialist. He previously held positions at the “Dr. Oz Show” and New York Medical College. He has his Master’s Degree from Iona College and received an Advanced Certification in Nonprofit Public Relations. He has a diverse background in healthcare, pharmaceutical, telehealth, tech, cosmetics, sports, and interior design public relations.
