When Marc Cucurella found himself at the center of online conversation after his boots failed mid-match, the moment spread instantly. Clips circulated, jokes followed, and attention quickly turned to Adidas. It was unplanned, negative, and highly visible, the kind of PR moment every brand dreads.
But what happened next is where the real lesson lies.
In today’s media landscape, bad PR is inevitable. What separates strong brands from struggling ones is not the mistake, it’s the response. Adidas didn’t have the luxury of silence. Instead, the brand leaned into a core crisis principle: stay present and take control of the narrative. Rather than allowing speculation to dominate, the conversation was gradually reframed. The focus shifted from embarrassment to curiosity, what went wrong, and how would the brand respond? This is a critical first move in crisis management: redirect attention from ridicule to resolution.
More importantly, Adidas had an advantage, brand equity. Years of positioning around performance and quality meant that one viral moment didn’t completely shatter trust. This highlights an often-overlooked truth: your reputation before a crisis determines how well you survive it. But reputation alone isn’t enough. What brands must do in moments like this is act decisively:
- Acknowledge quickly: Don’t leave room for assumptions to grow unchecked.
- Control the narrative: Provide clarity and guide the conversation.
- Align communication: Ensure messaging across PR, social, and media is consistent.
- Take visible action: Show how the issue is being addressed, not just discussed.
What Adidas did intentionally or strategically—was allow the moment to evolve beyond just failure. The virality created awareness, but the absence of panic helped prevent escalation. In some cases, brands can even go further—turning such moments into opportunities for product reinforcement, storytelling, or even subtle humor to humanize the brand. This is where many brands miss it. They either overreact or disappear. The sweet spot is in measured, confident response, one that shows accountability without amplifying the crisis unnecessarily.
For marketers and PR professionals, the takeaway is clear: you can’t always prevent bad PR, but you can design how you respond to it. Build systems before you need them. Stress-test your messaging. And most importantly, understand that every public moment—good or bad—is an extension of your brand story.
Because while not all PR is good PR, every PR moment is an opportunity. Handled poorly, it damages trust. Handled strategically, it can reinforce credibility, resilience, and even deepen audience connection. In the end, it’s not the slip that defines the brand, it’s the recovery.