Head in the sand

I heard a story on the Today programme this morning about Maclaren buggies and a recall of 1 million of their folding buggies – several makes and models – in the USA following a handful of accidents involving children severing their fingers in the hinges. The recall does not apparently affect the UK – although the buggies are the same models.

Notable by their absence was Maclaren themselves. Where were they to respond to the public fears? Maclaren is a popular brand and has built a reputation for robust and safe products, but this is a potential disaster for the brand and one which needs a no-holds-barred crisis communications programme to manage effectively and limit damage to the brand.

Not only have they not made themselves available for comment; in addition there is nothing on their website to address the concerns. There are thousands of parents in the UK who will have a Maclaren buggy – why isn’t the company looking to reach and reassure these customers of theirs who will be powerful ambassadors for the brand?

Head in the sand as a communications strategy is hardly an effective solution and means the fall out from the recall will be longer lasting and more damaging than it otherwise needs to be.