Social media has become an integral part of the business world, and in its short life we’ve already created many rules for how it should be used. While many of them are debatable, this one, from a Social Media Examiner article, stands true for all: Provide value. That’s it. In …
Reputation Management Is Like…
I’ve heard of reputation management being compared to many things, but this amusing metaphor from a Conversational Marketing article really takes the cake (or maybe cuts the cheese…): Reputation management is like farting in an elevator: The more time you spend on an elevator, the more likely you are to …
Plan? What Plan?
Oil giant BP has been blasted from one corner of the Internet to the other, not to mention the thousands of traditional media reports covering their poor performance following the Gulf oil spill. In a recent BusinessInsurance.com article, several PR professionals were asked what went wrong with BP’s plan (or …
Don’t Touch!
When ABC7’s Dan Noyes headed out to cover a public Laguna Honda Hospital meeting as part of a controversial investigative report he may well have expected to encounter resistance. What he found, though, surprised even the experienced reporter. In just over three minutes, Laguna Honda Chief of Community Relations Marc …
WikiLeaks Makes the Worst-Case Worse
Preparing for the worst while hoping for the best is a core philosophy of crisis preparedness. Unfortunately, because of the Internet, the “worst” keeps getting…worse. The latest example is the site WikiLeaks, which takes the notion of the I-Reporter to a whole new level. A quote from the Washington Post …
Informing Employees
It’s clear that organizations need a crisis management plan for dealing with the media and their stakeholders outside the company. The party that many overlook, though, is their own employees. Why is this so important, and how do you do it? This quote from a Communicate Magazine article explains: The …
BP Ignoring Impostor
You would think that BP would be fretting over the hijacking of its brand on Twitter, because, in less than a week, the handle @bpglobalpr has amassed a following double the size of BP’s real feed. But part of the reason the impostor is still going strong is the company …
Manage the Media
There are many variables in crisis management, but one thing that remains consistent is that when things really heat up, the media gets involved. Why is learning to use all forms of media to your advantage a must? This quote from an HFMweek.com article demonstrates the answer: …how well your …
Hayward’s Haywire Crisis Management
More than any other time, in the midst of major crises CEO’s are seen as the face and voice of their organizations. Because of this, it’s important that they possess excellent crisis management and media relations skills. BP CEO Tony Hayward, unfortunately, has been shown to possess neither of those, …
BP Says No To Grassroots
The crisis management team at BP is working around the clock, but the oil giant is drawing ire from the public by focusing more on redirecting blame and trivializing the amount of oil actually spilled into the Gulf than ways to clean up the mess. Citizens have been reaching out …
Social Media Stops the Flood
With nearly 100 of its roads closed due to storms and flooding last month, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation couldn’t get information out fast enough. To help struggling motorists keep up with the changing conditions, the RIDOT started pumping out updates on Twitter and Facebook on a regular basis. …
J&J is No Longer the Crisis Management "Gold Standard"
Johnson & Johnson’s most recent recall, their third in less than a year, could be a serious blow to the company. Still conducting crisis management to cope with the effects of their last recall, the lackluster effort the company has made to cope with this new case appears to be …
Goldman Sachs in the Hot Seat
Accused of duping investors in a civil lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Goldman Sachs has suddenly found itself in the proverbial hot seat, and this weekend Bloomberg News interviewed Bernstein Crisis Management President Jonathan Bernstein to get an idea of how well Goldman is doing and just …
Tough Questions for Ripoff Report
The Ripoff Report. The very mention of the name is enough to make business owners and crisis management experts cringe. The popular site is often a source of controversy because postings, which can be 100% anonymous, can never be removed for any reason, even if refuted by the parties involved. …
Oil Spill’s Impact Spreads
The impact of crises are never felt only by those directly involved. For proof of this, look no further than the BP oil spill, which is now causing problems for seafood restaurants and vendors in Louisiana and other states surrounding the Gulf. WWLTV.com, has more information: The head of Louisiana’s …