Crisis Communications in 2025: Expect the Unexpected
Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash
Regardless of how you feel about the new occupant of the White House, one thing is certain: the corporate communications landscape just got exponentially more complicated.
With a returning Trump administration comes an entirely new set of risks, especially for businesses that find themselves in the political crossfire. Social media scrutiny is about to ramp up. Regulatory unpredictability is back on the table. And employees—who have spent the last several years demanding more corporate action on social issues—aren’t going to quietly accept rolling back corporate social responsibility efforts.
For communications leaders, this means one thing: if your crisis management strategy hasn’t received a serious update, now is the time.
We’ve seen this before. During the first Trump administration, brands were repeatedly caught in the political crosshairs. CEOs were pressured to take public stances on immigration, climate change, and racial justice. Companies faced backlash from both sides of the aisle, sometimes within the same news cycle.
But 2025 is different—in ways that have yet to be fully realized. The last four years have heightened expectations for corporate accountability, and Gen Z employees and consumers are more politically engaged than ever—whiile corporate leaders have become much more muted on social issues, even rolling back goals around DEI and sustainability. Meanwhile, the media landscape has become more complicated, and more focused on individual influencers (often without any formal journalism training) to tell us the truth. A sophisticated reputation management approach has never been more critical.
If there’s one lesson from the last decade of digital communications, it’s that silence itself is a statement. In this new environment, corporate crisis management must be:
Proactive, Not Reactive – The best crisis management starts before a crisis begins. What are your known vulnerabilities? Have you mapped potential risks based on today’s political climate? If your company or brand is likely to be targeted, have you prepped a response playbook?
Empathetic and Human-Sounding – Boardroom written official statements during a crisis only heighten conspiracy theories, because people feel like they’re being managed—or even lied to. Learning how to move quickly while sounding relatable is a skill that is hard to develop in real time.
Employee-Centric – Employees are no longer just passive stakeholders; they are activists, whistleblowers, and brand ambassadors. If your internal communications strategy isn’t aligned with your external messaging, expect leaks, public dissent, or worse—an employee-driven campaign against your own leadership.
Digitally Adept and Agile – Crises unfold in real-time, and effective social media crisis management can often dictate the arc of the story. Companies that take days to respond leave the narrative building to everyone else. Is your rapid response team prepared? Are your executives media trained for today’s fast-moving environment?
Principled, But Strategic – Consumers and employees expect companies to take a stand—but not every battle is yours to fight. Having a clear set of corporate values that guide decision-making allows for strategic flexibility.
The next four years will be a stress test for corporate communications leaders. The companies that thrive won’t be the ones that avoid controversy—they’ll be the ones that manage it with clarity, agility, and purpose.
At 18 Coffees, we have the experience of helping navigate some of the most complex digital crisis management scenarios of the last two decades. Our approach isn’t just about managing risk—it’s about building resilience.
If your crisis communications strategy isn’t ready for 2025, now is the time to adapt. Let’s future-proof your strategy together—before you need it. Contact us today.
