A Wren Says

“You can probably imagine the text messages we’ve gotten over the last few days,” wrote the founders of Sweetgreen, a brand known for its lettuce-packed bowls and wraps. They were subtly pointing to the massive Cyclosporiasis outbreak that has been linked to contaminated lettuce.  Truthfully, the outbreak causing wildly uncomfortable symptoms has made many people wary fresh vegetables in general. But despite that, Sweetgreen wants you to know you’re safe with them.

The email went out to their loyal customers who might feel weary of making a purchase. The brand tactfully pointed to their attention to food safety and quality as a way to comfort customers. Without badmouthing those brands who have been implicated, they wrote about how they can trace all of their ingredients to U.S. farms, as a nod to the tainted lettuce that came from Mexico.

But truthfully, I might still steer clear of lettuce. And that makes Arby’s move genius.

Their roast beef and cheddar sandwich has no leafy greens in sight. For those who want something fast and not like to give them the illness going around, they are a safe choice. What a way to capitalize on a moment.

The two choices reflect two different approaches to the crisis. Sweetgreen is near the issue and absolutely affected. They had to act with take to ensure customer trust. Arby’s was far from it but saw this as a moment to increase their relevance. With a little bit of humor, their Instagram post drew more eyes to their menu.

How you respond to a crisis depends on where you’re positioned and who you’re communicating to. If you were either brand, how would you have responded?