Changes in technology have shifted priorities Public relations and marketing have always served similar functions, but in decidedly different arenas. In their evolutions, though, the two disciplines have grown increasingly closer, resulting in some organizations naming one person to hold both CMO and CCO roles. One example is American Airline’s …
Bad Crisis Management from Pizza Hut
Weak response hurts pizza giant’s reputation Early this month, Ken Wieczerza went to reheat a piece of his Pizza Hut from the night before, only to (allegedly) find a used, bloody bandage. Obviously dismayed, Wieczerza claims to have sought a private resolution, but was forced public by Pizza Hut’s own …
Kudos to KFC’s Crisis Management
Extra crispy crisis management brings success Another food fiasco occurred last month, with YouTube at the center once again. A worker at a KFC Malaysia location was filmed tampering with food and fired, but weeks later KFC officials were shocked to see the video pop up on YouTube and quickly …
Covering All the Bases
Creative thinking makes for stronger crisis planning Some crises, natural disasters for instance, are almost a given. There is no way someone is going to overlook the fact that California is known for earthquakes, or that their company headquarters is located smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley. Others …
Internal Communication
Don’t keep employees out of the loop Many businesses plan for ways to communicate with the public and media during crises, while neglecting internal communication plans. While obviously external communication is important, well-informed employees are a necessity for proper crisis management. In this quote from a New York Examiner article, …
The Big T
Don’t be caught off guard You’ve signed up on Twitter and things are going well. You’re posting links to events, useful information, and company blogs, perhaps even beginning to interact with some active stakeholders when suddenly you notice your company name and #FAIL are appearing in many of the same …
Recovering from Social Media Crises
Mistakes happen – fix them with a plan While Twitter and Facebook are great at attracting potential customers rapidly (potential being the operative word), you can lose them just as rapidly via a silly or careless remark. Just weeks earlier one of the bosses of a PR firm got annoyed …
Twitter Hashtags Evolving
Back in 2008, I suggested that an eyewitness tag on Twitter, such as #EW, would help people identify relevant material from the vast torrent of tweets that were being posted about Mumbai. In 2011, Twitter users have taken things beyond my rather simple idea by organising a number of separate …
Digital Crises
New study shows pervasive lack of preparedness Burson-Marsteller, the global public relations firm, has just released a study surveying corporate perceptions of the state of crisis communications in the age of social and digital media. It amounts to a wake-up call for business leaders who defend reputations and brand equity …
Culture Crisis
Stop the spread of negative corporate culture The spectacular collapse of the News of the World following the exposure of a multitude of criminal actions within the organization holds many lessons, perhaps one of the greatest of which was discussed by Jonathan Hemus in an Insignia Talks blog post: Your …
Reputation Threat: Negative Comments Online
Your reputation is at risk when negative posts start to appear A new study is backing up a precept that crisis management professionals have been talking about for years – negative online comments have a measurable effect on an organization’s reputation. PR Daily recently interviewed the study’s organizer, doctoral student …
Caught on Film
Your most embarrassing moments immortalized Video has made the transition into the Internet age easily, thriving in the culture of fast news, social sharing and smartphones. Of course, this means that when public figures slip up, it’s not only talked about, but also seen by millions of people. “Mr. Media …
Dissent in the Ranks at RIM
Negative communication culture leads to public blowup I have lost confidence. While I hide it at work, my passion has been sapped. I know I am not alone — the sentiment is widespread and it includes people within your own teams. Mike and Jim, please take the time to really …
Vulnerability Audits
Find your Achilles Heel(s) A vulnerability audit is one of the most powerful crisis management tools available. Designed to ferret out unknown dangers or flaws in crisis planning, this test will allow you to shore up your defenses before a crisis actually hits. Susan Tellem, of Tellem Worldwide, was kind …
OSU Scandal
University takes the high road when it comes to crisis management Ohio State’s football program has been in hot water since late May, when it came to light that (now)ex-coach Jim Tressel was aware of players receiving kickbacks and selling OSU equipment for cash on the side. OSU leadership has …