Generally when a product is featured on television or in a movie, whether paid or unpaid, it is a boon to the brand. In the now infamous case of Crock-Pot and This Is Us, a slow cooker malfunctioned on the fictional television program, in a scene set decades in the past, and some fans on social media reacted by reporting that they were going to get rid of their Crock-Pots.

The owner of the CROCK-POT trademark, Newell Brands, released a statement, countless articles were written and the issue was even discussed on late-night television.

The day after the episode aired, the stock price of Newell Brands (NWL-N) plunged and there was widespread negative news coverage of the Crock-Pot product. The brand had to spring into action quickly, and try to mitigate the damage. Complicating their response is that the term Crock-Pot is often used generically by consumers to refer to a slow cooker, so the response needed to avoid contributing to genericization of the brand. The slow cooker featured in This Is Us did not actually feature the Crock-Pot brand name on the appliance.

The response was swift and included the creation of a Twitter page to respond to social media reactions. The creator and one of the lead actors of This Is Us also responded on Twitter, and the show released what appears to be a joint advertisement between Crock-Pot and This Is Us on Superbowl Sunday.

It is impossible to predict or even be prepared for your brand to respond to negative press, which can come from the most unexpected places. Having a team designated to come together should such a response become necessary, properly trained on how to use the brands trademarks properly, can go a long way.