It would be pretty hard to come away from this year’s halftime show from The Big Game without noticing the overwhelming social media response. As it was happening, I saw Twitter flooding with less-than-flattering comments for the headliner, complaints that we didn’t see enough SpongeBob and mixed sentiment around Travis Scott and Big Boi’s contributions to the performance.

I have mixed theories as to why I personally found it less exciting than the shows from other years, but I’m not here to post about that. I’m not a music critic or an expert on the sensitivities surrounding the NFL’s challenges with securing a headliner this year.

As a PR professional who saw the performance and the reaction to it, live last night, I’m here to focus on something I know well: brand communications.

The reaction to last night’s show created a communications need for Adam Levine and Maroon 5 pretty much as soon as they left the stage. And, the Instagram response (shown below) was a smart move in terms of the millions of viewers who were watching last night and the millions more who are still hearing about it today.

Overall, I see six main reasons the response (See it below) was a good move, communications-wise:

It was proactive. The scope of the audience last night means the buzz around the performance was likely the largest, most mainstream visibility the band had ever seen all at once. Whether they were the target of jokes, criticism — even previous petitions not to play — sharing a statement, proactively, showed that they care about the people who watched – both the fans and the critics. And, it gave Levine and the band a voice of their own in an ocean of mixed-to-negative reactions and publicity.

The timing was right. According to USA Today, Levine posted a statement to Instagram after Maroon 5’s performance at the game last night. This means they didn’t wait for negativity to swell before providing POV about performing last night. Because of the “hornets’ nest” of sentiment surrounding any halftime performance this year, negativity was likely no matter how the band performed. So, it was smart to have this prepared in advance, which they likely did.

The tone was appropriate. The tone of what Levine shared was not defensive. It was humble, and it expressed gratitude — both for fans and critics. It was devoid of politics, drama or negativity. It kept the focus on the positives, without being tone deaf to the critical feedback that started long before the event and then began circulating during the show. Thanking critics was also smart because it could help neutralize anticipated snark for Levine’s role as a critic on NBC’s “The Voice.”

It was direct. The statement didn’t dwell on the negativity they faced before the show, the donations they fostered for charity… or other elements that weren’t directly related to performing on stage last night. It didn’t waste time or attention on “distraction tactics” that would only frustrate external audiences. As musical performers, they focused on what is most relevant to who they are and what they do: creating and performing music and what it means to them.

It fit the brand. The statement wasn’t stiff or devoid of the band’s brand personality. It included a creative, humanizing, inspirational nuance at the end: the stream-of-consciousness list of words Levine said he wrote after being invited to perform. This doesn’t work for every brand; but, because they are creatives, it works for them. And, while some may find the list of words long or even indulgent, I argue that they make Levine, the band — and their brand — human. Why? It shares something real and personal, something that can help them connect with others via social.

It was personal. In addition to the humanizing elements of the statement, note that it wasn’t issued to the press via the band’s publicist. While that likely also happened (or may still happen), Levine used his personal Instagram account to address halftime viewers and social media audiences. It shows they care about communicating directly with the public about their opportunity to perform for nearly half of the households in the U.S. and the millions more who caught it online or through social. It also gave the press something they could use for their audiences. Just google it, and you’ll find numerous outlets who have used it today.

Last night’s statement may be initial communications on the issue, or it may be all they share about it for a while… Either way, it was a good move to issue it when and how they did. Why? Today, it’s clear that Levine and the band heard the responses to their performance last night — loud and clear. And, today, we know they care about the massive reaction because they made an effort to express humility, gratitude and to confirm their ongoing commitment to improving themselves and their work.

It’s smart because it gives them a voice, and it gives them time to “pause” and build strategy for what they will do and say, communications-wise, moving into the future. In my book, this response is a good example of how to leverage a piece of external communications and social media to help generate potential trust and likability for a brand. And, it shows one way to “get it right,” initially, when you face negativity on a broad, national scale.

Communications can be easy when everyone loves and praises what you do. But, when they don’t, the way you handle it can make or break you with the people who matter most to you. So, while this year’s halftime show wasn’t my favorite, musically, I applaud these guys for their initial response to a massively-visible and potentially-toxic situation.