Lessons from BrewDog’s Trump-fan promotion backlash

On the face of it, it would seem like a strong contender for worst PR disaster of 2018.

BrewDog found itself the target of online fury after a press announcement went out announcing an offer of free beer to British supporters of Donald Trump as part of a collaboration with US brewer Scofflaw.

The UK craft beer company is no stranger to controversy and has a reputation for ‘edgy’ marketing, but it faced a huge backlash when the press release was leaked on social media.

Many people suggested they would no longer drink its beers or visit its pubs.

However, all was not what it seemed. It subsequently turned out that the press announcement—and the offer it contained—had not been seen or approved by either BrewDog or Scofflaw. It had been issued by an employee at the PR Agency used by the American Brewer, who had either ‘gone rogue’ or made a monumental error.

Here’s what PR pros can learn from BrewDog’s handling of the incident:

Denial

Denying responsibility can be a tricky thing during a media crisis. Audiences often reject it, or at least tend to be highly skeptical.