PRBI Case Study: US company in personal care / beauty products
Office Locations: US (lead agency – RED PR; support – Bridge Global Strategies, NYC) and South Korea (CJ’s World, Seoul)
Challenge: Korean health ministry found a banned, toxic substance in the company’s product, resulting in widespread negative media coverage in South Korea
Solution: Research, situation analysis, messaging, introduction to a Korean regulatory consultant, media training
Results: Crisis diminished in days. Client said that RED and PRBI understood and defused a volatile situation, produced a future-proof crisis plan, and used local knowledge to prevent potentially costly mistakes: “Heartfelt thanks to this terrific organization!”
RED PR’s client, an international company in the personal care-beauty products industry, discovered through its South Korean distributor that samples of its products had been taken from a retailer by Korean health ministry officials for random testing and that the product had been found to contain a banned chemical substance. News about this was reported in major Korean media, painting a very negative picture of the company and its products.
RED PR asked Bridge Global Strategies (which specializes in international PR) for help in managing the crisis, and then pulled in Seoul PRBI member company C.J.’s World, as well. The team researched the situation by reviewing media coverage, interviewing company executives and speaking to U.S.-based Korean government officials. They then suggested a plan of action and strategy for dealing with the crisis, which included message development and media training in Korea for the company’s spokesperson there. The PRBI team was also able to connect the client with a highly-qualified regulatory consultant in Seoul who could advocate for the company, both in the crisis situation and ongoing.