9. Conclusions: Whether for Legal or Illegal Reasons—Examine Results in Terms of Your Purpose, Performance, Progress

Brand trauma emerges with a crisis for a number of reasons. You reacted. You put plans in place to address the organizational and brand trauma that emerged. You targeted these efforts to deal with the strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the organization and, importantly, to help those stakeholders whose trust and faith in the organization is jeopardized. Those who suffered “brand trauma.”

But trauma is a difficult beast. It can’t be expected to heal like a cut or bruise. This trauma, brand trauma, affects human values, emotions and psyche. There are no “silver bullets” or “turnkey” approaches for brand trauma. Those treating brand trauma are crafting solutions for the stakeholders who are affected. Think about it. When will the trauma associated with United Airlines, the war in Iraq, a terrorist bombing, a home invasion, police brutality, a politician’s stupidity, a priest’s disgraceful behavior end? You may not have been the target of these types of incidents, so when will your “trauma tags” disappear? In this chapter, we explore the ways we think about our treatment plans as long-term events while, at the same time, understanding that some people will never forget.