Dolce & Gabbana crisis with China: the classic tale of lovers' quarrel

Forget everything you know about crisis management; the recent Dolce & Gabbana crisis has redefined PR as we know it. The relationship D&G has with its consumers in China can be seen as one of lovers – it starts by establishing a common interest, slowly but surely building trust, and finally putting effort into maintaining that ‘spark’. And just as lovers quarrel, the same rules apply to a PR crisis as when one tries to salvage a relationship.

Refrain yourself from saying things you “don’t mean” in the heat of the moment

Pouring out your frustrations to your partner and making the problem about them is never a solution. Unfortunately, this was what happened when co-founder Stefano Gabbana shared racist comments via his personal Instagram account, who has since claimed that such comments were made as a result of a hack. This is a double hit – not only did Gabbana say things he “didn’t mean,” he then refused to take ownership of his hurtful words.

And if you do, don’t play the “I didn’t mean it” card

What happened, happened. It makes no difference if you did or didn’t mean it. What matters more now is understanding how you made your partner feel. Listen to them, put yourself in their shoes and ask, “Would I have felt the same way if the roles were reversed?” If the answer is yes, good. If the answer is no, reflect harder. Error in judgment happens, so choose to be the bigger person. For this, D&G deserves an award for how they phrased their apology video. Instead of saying, “I didn’t mean it,” they phrased it, “We apologise if we made mistakes in the ways we expressed ourselves.” Not only did this show full sincerity in their remorse, they also laid subtle hints that they did not, in fact, mean it.

Don’t focus on what caused the fight

All too often, we’re constantly trying to find the root of the problem because we think this would prevent future mishaps from happening. Your energy is better spent on moving on. In their apology video, they mentioned, “We will treasure this experience and certainly it will never happen again. We will try to do better, and we will respect the Chinese culture in all respects.” Notice how the brand tried to encourage their Chinese consumers to move on, but do so together with D&G, hand in hand.

Know when and how to give space

Finally, giving space to your partner is beneficial for both parties to move on. It gives you the necessary time to reflect upon your promises, words and actions. After all, you need a clear head to start rebranding. PR is about open communication and transparency. Thus, it is equally important to tell your partner of the intentionof giving them space. Don’t just disappear. Tell them, “We’ll talk more”. An abandoned social media page is just as bad as a cluttered one. Your consumers won’t know what’s going on, and speculations might arise. What D&G could’ve done is release a ‘last statement’ explaining their departure from the spotlight to reflect and rebrand themselves.