There’s no excuse to not come prepared for easily anticipated issues Snapchat certainly holds a spot as a darling of the social media world, but that doesn’t mean it’s immune to controversy. One of the most popular features of Snapchat are the various “lens” filters users can apply, which put …
Delta’s Slow Communications Takeoff Means Reputation Troubles
There’s no room for a sluggish response to a predictable situation Sometimes, $%@! happens. What really matters is how you handle it. When an outage in Delta’s systems left passengers around the world stranded, the airline failed to step up to the challenge in a timely fashion, and is taking serious reputation …
Ruckus in Rio as Olympic Games Draw Near
Reputation issues could plague the city long after the Games are gone The opening ceremonies for the Rio Olympic Games are less than a week away, and yet the very same issues we discussed in December 2015 (and then some!) continue to plague the event. Teams from several countries arriving …
Crisis Management Analysis: Security Robot Topples Toddler
Would the tech company behind this creation show a human side, or deliver a response that raises questions about compassion? For the many companies pushing automation and robotics as the wave of the future, the scenario is a nightmare — a 300 lb security robot knocks down and runs over …
Mobile Security Threat to 85 Million Android Phones
Could the HummingBad hack create problems for your organization? There is currently an epidemic of Android device hacks, with the largest number coming from a highly organized Chinese cybercrime group that effectively controls some 85 million mobile devices around the world. This organization, which operates as a division of Chinese …
Are You Dropping the Ball When it Comes to Crisis Management?
Shocking number of orgs have PR departments but are utterly unprepared to face a crisis Awareness of the need for crisis management is on the rise, but once in a while we see a stat that makes us realize just how far we have to go. In a recent Nasdaq/PR …
Data Breach Crisis Management: The Costs Are Rising
Average breach now costs $4 million Data breaches are more than just a reputation threat, they’re expensive. And that expense is rising. According to new research from IBM’s security division, the cost of a data breach has risen 29% since 2013, and now comes in at a staggering $4 million …
Mitsubishi’s False Fuel Economy Crisis
Dominoes continue to topple in the auto industry emissions mess When large crises break in one organization within an industry, it often follows that similar issues will be found within some number of their peers. Looking at recent events, the auto industry certainly seems to be following that pattern. First …
NSFW Browser Tabs Create Crisis for Congressional Hopeful
WARNING: While this post does not contain NSFW images there is NSFW text displayed in the screencaps below. Mike Webb is an independent candidate running for Congress in Virginia, and earlier this month he caused quite a stir when he posted a screenshot to Facebook that clearly displayed two tabs …
Cox Business Sincerely Apologizes
Saying “we’re sorry” and doing it well A quality apology is a beautiful thing. That’s why when we caught sight of this exquisitely executed, “We’re sorry” email from Cox’s Business branch to customers we had to share. Check it out, and maybe file it away as an example for the …
SEVEN MILLION Minecraft Community Accounts Exposed, 0 Informed
[Editor’s note: A big THANK YOU to colleague Phil Cogan for bringing this story to our attention! If you have a topic that might be a good fit for this blog we’d love to see it, drop an email to [email protected] any time.] Having less-than-ideal security in place to protect user …
New Study Reveals Crisis Management Problems for UK Orgs
Telling stats on crisis preparedness A new study from Ignyte points toward worrisome trends among UK organizations. The survey polled 500 managers working across eight different sectors throughout the UK. Among the findings were that… 39% of managers say their higher management team were most likely to cause a crisis …
Breaking Crisis: AppSumo’s Bad Joke
Will a tasteless statement lead to reputation damage? [4/25/2016 – 9:26 am] We’re often writing about situations in the past, but today we have the opportunity to look at a still-evolving crisis. Yesterday, product promotion site AppSumo posted a listing for a phone stand which included an inexplicable crack at Parkinson’s …
Crisis Management Quotables…on Learning from Others
Take notes from others before it’s your turn to go on stage The playwright Terence, also known as Publius Terentius Afer, was brought to Rome as a slave, educated, and later freed because of his writing ability. So impressive were his abilities with the written word that, although many of …
VW Scandal Accelerates Geek Squad’s Car Swap Plans
Reputation by association is a real part of doing business today Volkswagen’s emissions scandal has resulted in widespread damage to the company, whether it’s displayed by lost sales, direct payouts or, in this case, former customers scattering in order to protect their own reputations. According to reports, Best Buy’s “Geek …