The Ugly Side of Public Relations

Erik Bernstein public relations

  [Editor’s note: This guest post comes to us from Australia-based crisis pro Tony Jaques’ Managing Outcomes e-Newsletter. While part of public relations and crisis management work inevitably involves assisting those who have made mistakes, we agree with Mr. Jaques that there is a line to be drawn between helping …

Crisis Management Case Study: Exploding Fireplace Recall

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, public relations, recall, recall crisis management

  [Author’s Note: The general public seldom gets to see what goes on behind the scenes of a significant product recall.  It ain’t always easy!] The Crisis Home Products manufacturing (name disguised), based in the Midwest with operations throughout North America, received reports from distributor showrooms that some of the …

Defining PR Today

Erik Bernstein PR, public relations Leave a Comment

Interesting opinions from PR pros The public, and how it communicates, is always changing. As a result, so is how we do public relations. Collecting responses from professionals in the field, PRNewsWire created an infographic to detail what experts define as PR today: The BCM Blogging Team www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Guest Post: Subway’s Gonna Be Fine

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Response, public relations, reputation management 2 Comments

Why Jared won’t dethrone the sandwich king [Editor’s note: Subway found out first-hand the dangers even a seemingly clean spokesperson can suddenly present, and caught a lot of flak as a result. In this guest post, Andrea Obston explains why, despite the serious hurdle, Subway’s gonna be just fine.] Kudos …

Reputation Risk – Creeping Out Your Customers

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Are companies going too far in trying to provide the ultimate customer experience? Would it creep you out if your flight attendant walked up to you and wished you a happy birthday out of the blue? That’s precisely what a Gawker article claims is happening on United Airlines thanks to …

Crisis Management Quotables…on Outdoing Negativity

Erik Bernstein crisis management, crisis management quotables, crisis management quotes, Crisis Prevention, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Create a cushion of goodwill to protect your reputation Typically we try to avoid using words from unknown sources for our Crisis Management Quotables, but given the ease with which so many reputations are being put into jeopardy either by minor issues or manufactured/baseless outrage these days this gem was …

Checkers Drops the Bun with Weak Crisis Response

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Response, public relations, reputation management, social media, YouTube 2 Comments

Poor response to a predictable crisis compounds damage Burger joint Checkers, also known as Rallys in some areas, is the latest fast food chain to find itself in crisis thanks to a stomach-turning video posted to social media. While the identity of the original poster is unclear, several individuals have used …

IAAF Leaps into Crisis Prevention with Fiery Release

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, international crisis management, public relations, reputation management, sports crisis management Leave a Comment

Sporting regulator fights back against allegations of negligence Early this morning we published a post covering shocking allegations from UK paper The Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD/WDR regarding the prevalence of doping in international sport and the alleged lack of action from the International Association of Athletics Federations. We …

International Athletics Threatened by Doping Scandal

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Response, international crisis management, public relations, reputation management, sports crisis management 1 Comment

Did the regulating body allow suspicious athletes to compete and win over a 10+ year span? A new report from The Sunday Times sent shocks racing through the sporting world thanks to serious allegations of an absolute epidemic of doping by competitors at the world’s biggest events. What sparked it …

Anthony Weiner…PR Firm Advisor??

Erik Bernstein crisis management, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

New hire for NY firm turns heads Former Congressman Anthony Weiner became the namesake of our Weiner Awards thanks to his repeated demonstration of a keen ability to sink his own reputation ship via a multitude of communications platforms. Now, in a turn of events that reads like the start …

Crisis Management Quotables…on Negative Nicknames

Erik Bernstein crisis management, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

If you don’t like the names stakeholders use to describe your organization, do something about it Jennifer Lee Carrell’s career has spanned academia, reporting, theater, and three novels. And, judging by today’s Crisis Management quotable, she’s gained some experience in both dealing with people and telling it like it is …

O Magazine’s Crop Top Crisis

Erik Bernstein Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

A self-inflicted crisis for O, The Oprah Magazine Failing to meet stakeholder expectations is an almost-certain way to create a crisis. O, The Oprah Magazine, found this out firsthand after creative director Adam Classman responded to a reader’s question, “Can I pull off a crop top?”, by writing, “If (and …

Understanding How Audiences Use Social Media

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management, social media, social media crisis management, social media reputation management Leave a Comment

Know the communication tools your stakeholders prefer Knowing how whatever audience you’re trying to communicate with is using social media is an essential part of crisis management today. Let this infographic by DocStoc get you started on some crucial learning that will help you get your message out when the …

Talking FIFA, Sepp, and Crisis Management

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, PR, public relations, reputation management, sports crisis management Leave a Comment

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’s Direct Connection to Your Bottom Line

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Reputation and finances are inextricably connected A stronger reputation means more customers and clients, along with greatly reduced risk of lasting damage when crises do hit. Although it can be hard to specifically translate reputation to dollar amounts, research like that behind this infographic from Reputation Institute is becoming more …