8 Steps to Manage Transgressions and Rebuild Trust with a Brand

Following George Floyd’s death, several well-known brands like Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth underwent rebranding to change their identity. This phenomenon led the Jains to explore brand transgressions and their impact on their victims and the presumed perpetrators (i.e., the brands). This exploration is captured in a new book, “Managing Brand Transgression: 8 Principles to Transform Your Brand,” which is available for order and aims to equip managers with the tools needed to turn brand missteps into opportunities for transformation. Published by De Gruyter, the book contends that how a brand responds to a perceived transgression can significantly affect its long-term reputation and relationship with its stakeholders. Importantly, it details eight core principles that can guide brands through acknowledging a transgression, rebuilding trust, and ultimately emerging stronger.

The ‘8 principles’ framework represents a range of practical strategies, both short and long-term, that can enable the transgressing brand to re-engage with disillusioned customers, realign its values with those of its stakeholders, and take specific steps not only to recover but to transform itself from the inside out. A key principle the Jains discuss is the importance of “Doing The Right Thing.” This principle emphasizes that a transgressing brand must swiftly acknowledge the victims’ pain following a transgression and show genuine empathy and commitment in its words and actions to address it. Doing so helps regain consumer trust while setting a precedent for responding to future transgressions. It demonstrates that the brand is prepared to handle challenges transparently and ethically. Some other principles relate to being transparent, taking accountability, and ethical leadership in managing brand transgressions before they become calamitous. These principles are concretized based on brand case studies from all over the world.

Through Managing Brand Transgressions, Shalini and Shailendra Jain provide a novel and crucial guide for brands navigating the complexities of modern business, where a single misstep can have devastating consequences. Thoroughly researched, their work assumes particular relevance in today’s climate, where consumers hold brands to higher standards than ever before, have instant access to information, and are quick to hold brands accountable for any expectation violations. The Jains' research expertise, combined with their lucid and clear writing, makes this book a valuable resource for CEOs, managers, students, academics, and those managing brands and/or interested in the evolving landscape of brand management. It represents a significant contribution to marketing, brand management, and social issues in management, offering readers the tools to navigate the poorly understood and turbulent waters of brand transgressions.