A Call for Revival: From Discourse of Renewal to Crisis Revival, a Crisis Management Approach for Brand Communities

Abstract

This dissertation project sought to explore and better explicate the ways in which discourse of renewal functions as a crisis communication strategy. While previous research conducted on discourse of renewal has focused on the ways in which an organization in crisis attempts to serve as the framers of the crisis, this dissertation specifically sought to understand the ways in which the corporate framing aligned (or were inconsistent) with the media framing (newspapers) of the crisis, and if media framing reflected key tenants of discourse of renewal. Particularly, how power and brand communities, when linked together, can further current crisis literature in creating a more nuanced approach to organizational renewal. A framing analysis was conducted of two case studies: Odwalla’s e. coli crisis and Blue Bell’s listeria crisis. Ultimately, I argue, discourse of renewal is not a viable crisis management strategy and largely problematic when situated within the field of crisis communication. Through the utilization of brand community literature, I propose a new crisis management strategy, which I call crisis revival. Ultimately, crisis revival, seeks to serve as a tool in which crises emerging from within brand communities can be best managed for all parties involved, with consideration given to both the ethical implications and unique complexities that crises bring with them.