When it comes to hacks think “when,” not “if” Our smartphones are veritable treasure troves of valuable information, yet they’re also one of the least-protected devices we use on a regular basis. Hacking phones is becoming more profitable by the minute, and the number of threats appearing is directly related. …
Cyberbullying – a Crisis Management Issue
A growing concern among business owners Cyberbullying has grown from a niche subject into a hot topic over the past few years. While initial discussion of cyberbullying focused on interactions between young people, today businesses can be, and are being, cyberbullied on an increasingly regular basis. What does cyberbullying look …
Sometimes People Die
Losses are best handled with a plan made in advance People die. It’s an uncomfortable reality, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore it. When you’re putting together crisis management plans you have to face a number of unhappy thoughts, and one is that you’ll need to carry on if …
Learning from the OPM Data Breach
Doing nothing is not a crisis management strategy that produces results The Office of Personnel Management breach is attracting a lot of attention thanks to the staggering number of federal employees possibly affected – nearly 18 million the last time a total tall was announced – and the clear lack …
PayPal’s User Agreement Faux Pas
Unclear wording created a PR crisis for the payment service PayPal found out firsthand the troubles incautious wording can cause after not only customers, but also industry regulators, voiced their concerns about its new user agreement. In it, PayPal appeared to give itself the right to fire up the robocallers, …
Talking FIFA, Sepp, and Crisis Management
An ugly situation and a chance to do better Although FIFA’s reputation has slowly been sliding downhill as a result of years of questionable decisions and shady dealings, the corruption charges leveled against officials at the organization by Swiss and U.S. authorities gave it a big shove off the reputation …
Reputation and the Financial Sector
Identifying the biggest threat to financial firms’ reputations Reputation is your most valuable asset, and today there are more threats to reputation than ever before. One of the fastest-growing and most impactful issues is information security, and the results of the 2015 Makovsky Wall Street Reputation Study show why. According …
DoT Forces Takata’s Recall Into the Fast Lane
Dragging your feet is an easy way to make a bad situation worse Air bag manufacturer Takata has been dragging its feet when it comes to a widespread recall despite agreeing that a defect does exist which causes potentially deadly ruptures in its product. Used in cars from a variety …
Public Opinion in PR Crises
Your reaction to crises can help shift public opinion Public opinion often shifts rapidly when it comes to crises, and how you react in the immediate aftermath can have a major impact on which direction it goes. The team at Alterian put together an awesome infographic demonstrating how this happened …
Send in the Reinforcements!
Don’t let a sudden spike in workload worsen an ongoing crisis When you’re running an organization you staff for day-to-day operations because keeping extra bodies on the clock is a waste of resources. What happens, however, when a crisis suddenly ups the volume of work far beyond what you’re able …
SeaWorld's Hashtag Disaster
Before you launch that “hot” new hashtag, stop and think about what could go wrong What’s it going to take for people to learn that you can’t just slap up a hashtag and assume the outcome will be a positive one? From huge organizations like McDonald’s and British Gas to …
Krispy Kreme’s KKK Crisis
“We didn’t know” is a weak excuse these days Krispy Kreme was left apologizing after a store in Hull, England started promoting “KKK Wednesday”. Meant to stand for “Krispy Kreme Klub”, the promotion was shared on the popular doughnut shop’s UK Facebook page and quickly drew shocked reactions from stakeholders, …
UCLA Using ‘Net for Superbug Outbreak Crisis Comms
Becoming a go-to the source for information is a proven crisis management tactic The deadly “superbug” outbreak at UCLA Medical Center that left seven sick, two dead, and 179 potentially exposed to bacterial infection has made headlines across the country. Several news stories we reviewed referred to statements from Medical …
Guest Post: Too Much Joy About Brian Williams
[Editor’s note: This guest post comes to us courtesy of Andrea Obston, president of Andrea Obston Marketing Communications, LLC., and touches upon a topic we felt relevant to today’s social climate.] There’s been entirely too much joy floating around about Brian Williams’ fall from grace. Folks are either wagging their …
Investment Firms Requiring Cyber Crisis Planning
The rising trend of insisting on crisis preparedness reaches the investment industry Last year we saw widespread insistence by insurance providers that the insured have crisis management plans in place, and now it looks like other industries are hopping on board in force. Here’s a look at new requirements being …