Navigating Crisis Communication: Lessons from Target's DEI Rollback
The recent announcement of Target's decision to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives has created a masterclass in what not to do during a corporate crisis. But perhaps more telling than the initial announcement has been the response from Black-owned brands carried by the retail giant – and their approach offers valuable lessons about crisis communication.
Let's be clear: timing, tone, and technique matter. And in this case, they matter a lot.
When Target announced the end of its $2 billion commitment to Black-owned businesses and its DEI initiatives, something interesting happened. Instead of seeing a unified front of affected business owners addressing the core issue, we saw a scattered response focused primarily on protecting profit margins. Some prominent brand owners took to social media, asking customers not to boycott because it would hurt their bottom line.
This is where the first lesson in crisis communication emerges: authenticity matters more than self-preservation.
When your audience is hurting, they don't want to hear about your profit margins. They want to know you understand their pain. They want to know you're willing to have the hard conversations. But what we saw instead was a defensive posture that missed the mark entirely.
Here's what effective crisis communication should look like:
Address the elephant in the room. Acknowledge the valid concerns of your community first, before pivoting to any business impact.
Show solidarity without self-interest. There's a way to support both your business interests and your community's concerns without making it all about your bottom line.
Open dialogue, don't shut it down. Several brand owners could have used their platforms to facilitate meaningful conversations with Target, rather than simply asking customers not to boycott.
The response to Target's decision reveals a broader issue in crisis communication: the tendency to prioritize immediate business interests over long-term community trust. Target's own history as a corporate advocate for Black and LGBTQ+ rights makes this moment even more significant – and the response from affected brands even more crucial.
For small business owners watching this unfold, here's the takeaway: In times of crisis, your response needs to reflect more than your profit and loss statement. It needs to reflect your values, your understanding of your community's concerns, and your willingness to engage in difficult conversations.
Remember, crisis communication isn't just about managing damage – it's about maintaining trust. When you focus solely on protecting revenue while ignoring the larger context, you risk appearing tone-deaf at best and opportunistic at worst.
The next time your business faces a crisis, ask yourself: Are you responding in a way that builds trust, or are you just trying to protect your bottom line? Your answer to that question might make the difference between strengthening your community relationships and permanently damaging them.
