Summary
Traditional written public statements are no longer effective as primary crisis management tools on TikTok. Although they are quick to draft and distribute, their reach in digital media is limited. P&B Communication’s 2026 TikTok Crisis Report found that while 40% of Kenyan brands still rely on static press releases, these posts achieve less than 1% of the reach of the crisis content they address. In contrast, Explainer Videos have shown the ability to reach 3x the cumulative reach of negative publicity, making “Video-First” responses the new gold standard for reputation management in Kenya.
Why PDF Public Statements Don’t Work Anymore
For decades, the standard response to a corporate crisis in Kenya was a signed PDF posted on social media and distributed to media outlets. However, our 2025 analysis reveals a brutal reality: On moder video-first platforms like TikTok, the static public statement is functionally invisible.
While public statements still work perfectly fine for platforms like LinkedIn and Mainstream Media, emerging and fast growing platforms like Tik Tok hold a lot of power in shaping public discourse and the written public statement will not cut it here.
Definition: Public Statement: In PR a public statement is an announcement made by an individual or a company to clarify a situation in response to a crisis/controversy or to declare there stand on an issue. A public statement can be written or presented orally in a speech or through other media.
What did the P&B Communication Report Uncover
Our latest report, the 2026 Tik Tok crisis report titled; The Anatomy of a Tik Tok Crisis, analyzed over 300 posts affecting top 10 corporate crisis in 2025. Data was collected through several months with the latest data collected in December 2025. These crises affected 16 brands, including Multinationals. The 300 plus posts we analyzed generated a cumulative reach of 46.362 million views (this includes views garnered by brand responses).
The catastrophic reach alone shows the powerful nature of Tik Tok in shaping public opinion and fueling conversations that affect brands.
Today, Tik Tok is like a “public court” where ordinary Kenyans vent about brands and the eager public is not only ready to listen but also execute “judgements” without a “trial”.
We found that brand crises attracted between 1.5 million to 6 million views per crisis. These kinds of views were generated in a number of days with the average sudden, acute crisis lasting between 3 to 5 days.
1.5M to 6 M
Corporate crises on Tik Tok attracted between 1.5 milllion and 6 million views in 2025. This signals the power of Tik Tok is shaping a brand’s image and exposing it to millions of people.
What Does the P&B Communication Tik Tok Crisis Report Mean for Crisis Management?
The TikTok algorithm is built for motion and storytelling. Moreover, content published on Tik Tok is highly shareable on platforms like Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook and X.
When a brand posts a still photo of a Public statement in response to a crisis that attacted millions of views, the algorithm identifies it as “low-engagement content” and stops pushing it to the “For You” page (FYP).
The Data Proof: In one case study from our report, a major Kenyan brand shared a public statement as a still photo. It garnered only a few thousand views. Meanwhile, the crisis content (published by multiple people) it was responding to had already surpassed 6 million views. In total, the Public Statement gained 0.083% (less than 1 per cent) of the reach achieved by the crisis. This creates a “Silence Gap” where the accusation reaches millions, but the defense reaches almost no one.
The Evolved “Public Statement
If the public statement isn’t dead, its old format certainly is. Our report found that a small elite group of brands (12%) have evolved their strategy by using Explainer Videos.
Definition: Explainer Video A short, vertically-formatted video (typically 60–90 seconds) designed specifically for social media. It features a brand representative or a clear narrative structure that addresses misinformation, provides facts, and outlines solutions in a human, relatable tone.
Why Video-First Crisis Responses are Winning
Our daa reveals an interesting trend. While public statements are not entirely dead, brands that took a step further and generated video responses had way more reach that those sticking to the traditional written statement only.
One brand we analyzed was not even active on TikTok when a crisis broke out. Instead of a written public statement, they produced a 90-second explainer video. Even though they didn’t post it themselves, the video was picked up by digital media pages and achieved over 300,000 views.
The video was also picked by mainstream media as it was designed to suit both digital and mainstream media.
In another instance, a brand’s video response (approximately over 90 seconds) accounted for 76.1% of all views attributed to that specific crisis. This means the brand didn’t just respond; they owned the narrative, reaching almost everyone who had seen the initial accusation.
These numbers show that crisis playbooks are changing, and responses need to be repacked to suit modern media trends.
Is Your Business Facing a Crisis or Prone to One
If you are currently facing a crisis, reach out to us for consultations. We can also conduct a crisis-preparedness audit and update your feedback collection systems and response playbooks to prevent future crises.
Actions over Words
The traditional public statement thrives on defensive statements. Although it can provide some clarity in the face of damaging accusations, modern audiences want more than empty words. Our report reveals that making amends or rectifying a situation is the most effective crisis response strategy.
If producing a response video, the content must reflect genuine commitment to change. Our report found that 18% of brands chose to make amends, by directly rectifying the complaint that started the crisis. Making ammends could take many forms including; acknowledging wrong-doing, taking steps to rectify a situation or even apologising through gift hampers or replacing products (if that was the issue).
Related
How Poor Feedback Systems are Fueling Brand Crises in Kenya
This was the most effective crisis tool observed in 2025. Today’s Kenyan audience, values visible change over verbal assurances. This finding aligns with our 2024 data from the #100KenyanBrands report which revealed that making amends, although only utilized by 2% of the brands we analyzed was highly successful.
Effectiveness of Crisis Response Tools in Kenya Ranked
The “Commitment” Hierarchy:
| Crisis Response Tool | Effectiveness | What it means |
| Rectification | Highest Success | Acknowledging mistakes, correcting the mistake, sending “peace offerings” to the complainer. And doing capturing it all on camera as proof. |
| Explainer Videos | High Success | 60-90 second videos explaining your side of the story addressing misinformation or clarifying an issue. The content depends on the accusations. |
| Infiltrating Comments | Moderate success | Responding to complainers in comments under their posts or mobilising people to dilute public sentiment in comments in your favour. |
| Static Written Public Statements | Low Success if ignored by algorithms | Drafting a PDF responding to negative publicity and sharing it only (on the company website, social media or sending to others. |
Beyond Public Statements: Influencers, Legal, and “Sanitization”
The P&B Communication’s Tik Tok Crisis Report also tracked secondary tactics used by Kenyan brands to manage their reputation during crises:
- 20% of brands tried to downplay allegations or post retaliatory content. (Note: This often backfires on TikTok).
- Influencer “Sanitizing”: Some brands used influencers to create positive “CSR” content to drown out the negative news.
- Comment Section Management: Brands that actively responded to comments were a bit successful at shifting public sentiment than those that stayed silent.
FAQ: Transitioning to a Video-First Crisis Strategy
Q: Should we stop issuing written statements entirely?
A: No. Written public statements are still necessary for legal records and for sharing with mainstream media, which has the capacity to reproduce the statement content that suits their platforms. Public statements are also great for text-friendly platforms like Linked-In and X. They can work as fast-response tools that buy you time to respond properly. However, they should only be used as a “holding move” while your team produces the Explainer Video, which will be your primary tool for social media.
Q: Does the CEO have to be in the video?
A: Not necessarily. The nature of the explainer video should be guided by the nature of the crisis. For instance, an attack on your product can be effectively solved with an explainer showing your production process and quality control checks. A human face, however makes plays a big role in calming an angry online mob; whether it is a PR spokesperson or a technical expert.
Q: What is the ideal length for a crisis response video?
A: Our data suggests 60 to 90 seconds. This is long enough to provide context but short enough to maintain high completion rates on social media algorithms.
