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Expertise · Crisis management

A crisis management consultancy: anticipate, steer, rebuild.

360° crisis management on call 24/7: social monitoring, press relations, public affairs, unit processes. Risk mapping, simulations, real-time alerts via Connexia, outsourced crisis unit, daily reports and post-crisis audit. A single point of contact for the whole set-up, whatever the nature of the crisis. A crisis does not stop at a border: our methods follow the case across France, Europe and internationally.

2004
first crisis documented in our crisis memory
20 000+
French and EU decision-makers monitored via Follaw.sv
24/7
outsourced unit, mobilised in < 2h
1h
between trigger and operational set-up
What we mobilise

Four areas of expertise in the same unit.

A crisis unit is not a single profession. It is a mixed team combining four complementary skill sets. At Saper Vedere, all four are in-house: one point of contact, one decision-maker, one execution.

#1 · Social media

Pick up signals, read communities.

Multi-platform monitoring, qualification of senders, reading of native communities (X, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, forums). Where the crisis is born, where it accelerates, where it mutates. We do not just monitor: we identify the drivers, trace back to the agencies orchestrating a campaign, and anticipate new narratives before they tip.

  • Identification of orchestrated campaigns - Mediapart articles, creation of X accounts, organised relays.
  • Identification of the agencies driving the campaign - relaying of op-eds, coordinated shares, following.
  • Anticipation of weak signals - new narratives, angles of attack, emerging stakeholders.
  • Extended monitoring of high-impact peripheral news.
  • Recovery of deleted critical tweets and videos.
  • Premium support - detailed analyses, reasoned advice and recommendations.
Connexia · 7 platforms monitored · alert < 1h
Media X LinkedIn TikTok Instagram Reddit Trade press
#2 · Public relations & influence

Handle journalists, understand newsrooms.

Press, corporate and influence know-how: understanding newsrooms and key journalists, managing messages and the questions to ask, dealing with influencers and opinion carriers. This is what turns a hastily posted press release into a controlled media sequence.

Journalists, newsrooms, influencers, spokespeople
#3 · Public affairs

Hold the legal, institutional and political front.

When the crisis takes on a regulatory, legal or political dimension, you need to go and meet the right people. Mapping of elected officials, ministerial cabinets, regulators. Preparation of hearings, written questions, public positions. The public affairs practice is built into the unit from day one.

Follaw.sv · more than 20,000 French and EU decision-makers monitored
#4 · Process & crisis steering

A method built on a multitude of real units.

A crisis management process cannot be improvised: unit rhythm, decisions, report template, decision matrices, express media training. We have co-led dozens of units across very varied typologies (product, corporate, HR, ESG, geopolitical). This methodological capital is what secures day one.

More than 1,000 digital crises documented since 2004 · dozens of co-led units
What we have seen

The main families of crisis we handle.

No two families are equivalent: the rhythm, the actors and the ways out differ. Our method adapts to each typology, whether accidental, economic, health, legal or security-related.

8
crisis families
documented
20+
years of units
co-led
1h
maximum delay between
signal & alert
24/7
outsourced unit
on request
Bankruptcies, restructurings & redundancy plans
Social · Economic
Insolvency proceedings, redundancy plans, asset disposals. Coordination of media, employee representatives, shareholders and territories; sequencing of internal / external communications.
Industrial accidents
Safety · Environment
Fire, explosion, pollution, Seveso incident. Coordination with the prefecture, DREAL, local residents and authorities. Graduated messaging, visible evidence.
Reputational attacks
Disinformation · Activism
Targeted campaign, disinformation, activist, competitor. Qualification of the signal, mapping of senders, proportionate response.
Pandemics & health issues
Health · Regulatory
Epidemic, food contamination, health product recall. Long rhythm, multiple authorities, a balance between transparency and legal caution.
Cybersecurity
Data · IT · CNIL
Ransomware, data leak, supply chain attack. Triangulation of IT department, CNIL and clients, notification sequence, management of official channels.
Shootings & human tragedies
Security · Human
Act of violence, tragedy at the company or at a client site. Priority to victims and relatives, strict framing with authorities, silence and restraint.
Trials & litigation
Legal · Media
Criminal, civil or commercial proceedings exposed publicly. Close coordination with legal counsel, a very constrained window for public statements.
Sensitive acquisitions & mergers
M&A · Stakeholders
Contested tie-up, hostile takeover bid, sale to a controversial player. Stakeholder management, alliance narrative, regulatory timing.
SV typology drawn from more than 20 years of crisis units supported.
Our stack

Two in-house tools to equip the crisis unit.

The human unit remains central, but the quality of steering depends on the quality of the data. Our proprietary tools feed decisions continuously.

Alerting

An alert system calibrated to real criticality.

When a crisis starts, the unit does not need to see everything: it needs to see accurately. We prioritise signals and deliver each alert with its criticality level, its attachments and its recommended reaction.

What we monitor continuously
A new article
On a sensitive reputational asset, a spokesperson, a hot issue.
An abnormal volume, global or community-specific
Automatic detection of a spike in mentions, engagement or media pick-up.
Sensitive semantic fields and specific stakeholders
  • Politics
  • Media & journalists
  • VIPs & influencers
  • Lobbies & NGOs
The alerts you receive

Three levels, no more. The unit knows immediately what to do with them.

Urgent
The client must read the alert without delay. Crisis-prone signal confirmed, escalation under way.
Problematic
The client must react within the hour. A risk item, with a short window to act.
For information
Useful context, weak signal. No action required, archived for the record.
What each alert contains
  • Bold headline, concise and actionable
  • Link to the source article or post
  • Quote from the key passage
  • Alert type: new article, abnormal volume, crisis-prone item
  • Additional markers: a country flag for international subjects, a green dot for positive items
What we deliver

Deliverables that hold up in a crisis unit.

Six operational tools, calibrated for a crisis unit that has no time to read an 80-page report. A usable format, a guaranteed lead time, the level of evidence an executive committee expects.

01

Reputational risk audits

Mapping of likely scenarios, active actors and internal vulnerabilities. A document the executive committee and the communications department can use.

6 to 8 weeksExecutive-committee-ready
02

Scenarios and Q&A matrices

Documented responses to likely crises. Key messages ready, decision trees, designated spokespeople. Ready to use on day one.

Day-one readyDecision trees
03

Real-time alerting

Connexia, WhatsApp, Slack. A critical signal escalated in under an hour, with a first diagnosis and a recommended decision.

< 1hMulti-channel
04

Daily crisis reports

24h volume, crisis cycles, narratives, top articles and posts, stakeholders mobilised, recommended actions. Delivered every morning until the end.

Every morningUntil the crisis is over
05

Outsourced unit 24/7

Available on request, framed by contract. An on-call consultant, a back-up pair, a dedicated point of contact.

Mobilisation < 2h24/7
06

Simulations and training

Unit exercises, media training, spokesperson tests. We train, we debrief, we correct the set-up before day one.

Role-playMedia training
Our four indicators

Four impacts to measure, not just volume.

Noise means nothing. 210,000 posts may have no effect at all, while 500 can bring down a business leader. Each SV unit reads the event along four dimensions, reassessed as the crisis unfolds. At the centre: the impact score, recalculated at every cycle.

Reputational impact

Media coverage, opinions, consumer convictions. Is the brand’s image changing among its core audience? Measured through media corpora and qualified social listening.

MediaOpinionSocial listening

Social impact

Internal teams, trade unions, employee engagement. A crisis can play out internally without ever going public. Employees are now a major trigger of crises.

InternalTrade unionsEmployees

Business impact

Revenue, suppliers, production, share-price impact, financial analysts. The concrete barometer. Noise with no business impact does not always justify a public statement.

RevenueStock marketSuppliers

Regulatory or systemic impact

Legislation, political statements, positions taken by elected officials, the whole sector. This is where our public affairs practice and Follaw step in alongside crisis steering.

Elected officialsLegislationSector
Our observatory

What the crises of 2025 teach us.

Since 2004, Saper Vedere has documented major digital crises through its ReputatioLab laboratory. A unique raw material that feeds our method, our scenarios and our day-one recommendations.

ReputatioLab study: the main lessons from the digital crises of 2025
Annual study · ReputatioLab by Saper Vedere

The main lessons from the digital crises of 2025.

42 crises documented in 2025, +35% vs 2024. Reddit becomes a critical monitoring platform (+10.9 pts), and AI-related crises dominate (ethics 43%, marketing authenticity 36%, algorithmic malfunctions 21%). A full analysis run on a comparable corpus since 2004.

42
crises in 2025
+35 %
vs 2024
71 %
rated level 1
822 580
tweets in the Kick crisis (peak)
See our study → All ReputatioLab studies
FAQ

Your questions about crisis management.

Do you cover all social networks?

Yes. Connexia monitors seven sources in real time: media, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and forums, trade press, with an alert in under an hour. We read native communities where the crisis is born, where it accelerates, where it mutates, and we qualify the senders.

Do you cover the press?

Yes. The trade press is one of the seven sources monitored continuously, and press relations are part of the crisis unit set-up: understanding newsrooms and key journalists, managing messages and the questions to ask, dealing with influencers and opinion carriers.

Do you handle the institutional and political side?

Yes. When the crisis takes on a regulatory, legal or political dimension, our public affairs practice is built into the unit from day one: mapping of elected officials, ministerial cabinets and regulators, preparation of hearings, written questions and public positions. Follaw.sv gives us more than 20,000 French and EU decision-makers under monitoring.

Can you be mobilised at night and at weekends?

Yes, as an outsourced 24/7 unit on request. The terms are framed by contract, with an on-call consultant and a back-up pair. Mobilisation within two hours via the contact form, issue type Crisis management.

What does a Saper Vedere crisis report contain?

A structured daily report: volume of mentions over 24h, crisis cycles, main stakeholders mobilised (for, against, neutral), competing narratives, top articles and posts, recommended actions for the next 24h. A format usable in a crisis committee.

Do you train teams before the crisis?

Yes. A reputational risk audit in six to eight weeks, scenarios and Q&A matrices ready on day one, then unit exercises, media training and spokesperson tests. We train, we debrief, we correct the set-up before day one.

Do you work in Europe and internationally?

Yes. A crisis does not stop at a border: our methods follow the case across France, Europe and internationally, with a single point of contact for the whole set-up.

What do you do after the crisis?

We run the post-crisis audit. The set-up covers all three phases: anticipate, steer, rebuild.

Let's meet!

Let's discuss your strategic challenge. No-commitment first conversation.

Write to us → Discover Saper Vedere