‘BrewDog’s next challenge is not making matters worse’, says crisis PR expert

BrewDog has suffered something of a PR disaster today after tens of former employees posted an open letter online that alleged unfavourable and damaging things about the company.  

More than 60 ex-BrewDog employees signed the open letter, which was posted to Twitter and alleged the brewery had created a culture of fear at its workplace.

The letter said staff became mentally ill because of the company, and that they were asked to do things for the business they were not comfortable with, including bypassing customs when sending beer to the US.

BrewDog was quick to offer a full apology, promising to “listen, learn and act” as a result of the letter, adding: “It’s hard to hear those comments, but it must have been harder to say them.”

It appeared BrewDog, a brewery widely seen as one with a good reputation, had suffered one of the biggest PR disasters of 2021, second only to the cataclysmic European Super League project.

Bogdon Marinescu, co-founder and managing director of online reputation management company Digital Trails, said BrewDog had worked hard to build up its reputation, in part by pitching the brand as a champion for justice.

However, today’s letter could have a damaging effect on revenue, talent recruitment and retention, community relations and even the evaluation of the business ahead of a planned IPO.

“This issue has very quickly turned into a crisis and the…

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