Does anyone remember when iconic ‘80s actress and now Stranger Things star, Winona Ryder, was famously arrested for shoplifting in the early 2000s? It was a major scandal at the time that was paired with accusations of being difficult on set. Now, don’t get me wrong, a quick Google search will bring up some unfortunate tabloid photos, but beyond that, the story has largely faded, allowing her to enjoy a full-blown comeback without viral footage of the event reappearing every time her name trends.
Now fast forward to the digital age and I’d like to pose another question. Have you heard about the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni saga? Or seen TikToks framing Blake as “rude” with barely any real context? Regardless of truth, the algorithm and the comment section have already done the damage on a once-squeaky-clean public image and golden career, without any actual major transgression having taken place.
This isn’t just a problem celebrities are facing. Reputation and crisis management – and the way public perception can now shift on a dime – is everyone’s problem in a digital PR world. Brands and public figures alike are operating in an environment where crisis can break in seconds and reputations can erode in real time.
As an agency that specialises in online PR strategy, we know the game has fundamentally changed. Here are five key shifts in how reputation and crisis are handled today vs. pre-digital days.
1. Speed of Crisis Escalation
Then:
Crisis management came with a grace period. News broke via 6pm bulletins or next-day headlines, giving brands time to align on messaging, develop a strategy and deploy responses.
Now:
Crisis hits instantly. A single tweet, Reddit post or TikTok can go viral in under an hour. If your team isn’t already monitoring online channels and armed with a real-time response plan, you’re at risk of losing the narrative before you even log on.
At Agent99, we develop crisis communications frameworks as part of every comprehensive online PR strategy in Sydney. This includes appointing a trained spokesperson, crafting pre-approved holding statements, and even simulating crisis scenarios so your brand isn’t caught in a storm without an umbrella. In the world of digital PR, speed isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.
2. Who Shapes the Narrative
Then:
Media outlets and PR teams controlled the way a story was presented. A statement from the CEO, a cover-up via a media contact, or a simple “no comment” could buy you time or even make the issue disappear.
Now:
Everyone is a publisher, and your audience is your biggest stakeholder. Influencers, employees, and everyday customers can shape or derail your message, and they’re not obligated to give you the benefit of the doubt. Even a single viral comment can trigger widespread backlash or cancel culture consequences.
When working with our clients, we encourage them to take stock of the public sentiment around their brand. If that isn’t handled first, the rest of our work around reputation management – including media relations, influencer marketing, and strategic campaign building – will fall on deaf ears. In 2025, we know that trust is built way more in the comment section than with a press release – so with any online PR strategy, that’s where we begin.
3. Transparency Expectations
Then:
Brands could spin, delay, or deflect. Public apologies were often vague or rife with legal jargon, and most people accepted it and moved on.
Now:
Audiences want raw honesty. They hold brands accountable and want a roadmap for change. If your words aren’t matched by your actions or if your internal culture tells a different story, you’ll be called out swiftly and brutally.
This is where having an integrated digital PR and comms approach is vital. It’s not enough to be seen saying the right things; you have to actually be doing them before a crisis hits to build that trust. Then, when a crisis occurs you already have a solid foundation to work off.
At Agent99, honesty is one of our core values and we try to instil this value with our clients as well. If a crisis hits, we believe honesty and ownership is the best policy and build this into your plan.
4. The Shelf Life of a Crisis
Then:
A scandal had a beginning, middle and end. Once the press cycle moved on, public memory often faded. Case and point: the Winona Rider shoplifting incident.
Now:
The internet remembers everything. Small mistakes can live on in perpetuity with the evolution of screenshots, TikTok’s and Reddit receipts. Even years later, an internet sleuth can unearth an error from the past and cause instant damage.
At Agent99, when we start working with a new client, we often conduct a discovery session where we encourage them to share with us any potential skeletons in the closet. From there we can develop short- and long-term reputation strategies to make sure we’re all armed with an iron-clad action plan should any ghosts from the past arise.
A solid online PR strategy that involves thorough research is your best friend in the digital era, and something you must invest in because good will is fleeting and reputations are archived.
5. The Role of Internal Voices
Then:
Employees were silent players in crisis response, unless a major whistleblower emerged, which was few and far between.
Now:
Internal culture is external brand equity. Staff now have the power to amplify workplace concerns through Glassdoor reviews, anonymous LinkedIn posts, or social media exposés. A mishandled internal issue can quickly become a PR nightmare.
For this reason, especially for our corporate B2B clients, the online PR strategy we develop can only work insofar as the internal company ecosystem is operating well. Your people are part of your reputation and internal communications must be treated as seriously as media relations and influencer marketing. Similar to how trust is built in the comment section, brand durability grows with your internal team.
Final Thoughts:
In a digital-first world, crisis and reputation management isn’t just about putting out fires, it’s about making sure your brand is fire-proof. At Agent99, we develop effective online PR strategies that builds this into the DNA of every plan.
The digital PR world moves fast but it has the memory of an elephant rather than a goldfish – it’s our job to make sure we build bulletproof reputation strategies that are long-lasting and crisis plans that are ready in real time.
By Agent Meriha
