Knowledge that will help keep your communications on point Knowing what communication platforms stakeholders prefer, along with how they’re actually using them, is key to delivering your crisis messaging on target. We discovered this HubSpot infographic that nicely displays how people make use of one of the premier social media …
Revamping Comms from the Top Down
A look at the latest trends and most effective ways for you to communicate internally Communications isn’t a, “we talk and you listen” business anymore. It’s a two-way street. If your audience – whether they’re customers, investors, or your own employees – can’t take part in the communication then they …
The Climbing Cost of Data Breaches
Coping with a now-common crisis is more pricey than ever Whether you’re prepared or not, you will spend money and lose reputation when your data is exposed. The question is, will it be the minimum you could have paid, or will you join the ranks of those helping to push …
Is Volkswagen Engineering a Crisis Management Plan?
Things are cranking over slowly, but the automaker is showing it’s ready to face the problem it created Volkswagon’s reputation (and stock price) took massive damage as a result of the revelation it had cheated U.S. emissions testing by programming its diesel-powered vehicles to perform differently when attached to diagnostic …
The View’s Nurse Bashing Backfires
Another failure to live up to expectations creates a reputation threat The hosts of The View created a code red situation after dropping disparaging comments about Miss America contestant and nurse Kelley Johnson. The backlash was immediate, and came from not only nurses and their families but the general public, …
More Politicians Run Afoul of the Hot Mic
Busted by a boom Hot on the heels of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s mic slip comes another politician stepping in it. Quipping back and forth with his fellow Australian, PM Tony Abbot, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton cracked wise about the very real fear mounting among Pacific Islanders of rising …
We’re Giving Away “Keeping the Wolves at Bay”
KEEPING THE WOLVES AT BAY MEDIA TRAINING MANUAL NOW FREE TO ALL September 16, 2015 – Monrovia, CA — Keeping the Wolves at Bay, the widely used media-training manual published by Jonathan Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., is now being given away in its PDF format. Formerly …
7-Eleven Taking a Dive Down Under
Worker exploitation, wage fixing, and a lax crisis response create massive backlash against 7-Eleven Australia While 7-Eleven remains a ubiquitous part of American culture, the buzz surrounding the brand has taken a serious dive down under. A joint investigation by Four Corners and Fairmax Media found evidence of systemic wage …
Social Media Demographics
Know who’s using what to maximize messaging Every communications plan has (or should have) a social media component. And, as with other forms of media, you’ll want to select the social media platforms best suited to your intended audience. The precise demographics on the most popular platforms are constantly shifting, but …
Rio Olympics – Bold Words, but Where’s the Action?
Making broad statements with no backup isn’t the way to restore lost reputation Following weeks of international pressure, organizers of the 2016 Rio Olympics are backing away from statements declaring they would not be testing admittedly polluted bodies of water that are to be used in several events. An AP …
Are You Prepared to Face Conflict?
Put your conflict readiness to the test When we talk conflict resolution we’re referring to something far beyond basic people skills or managerial ability. Here at Bernstein Crisis Management, we call it Human Factors in Crisis Management. Higher-ups at most organizations will tell you they’re good at handling conflict, but …
[Infographic] Top Facts about Online Reviews
Essential info to help you manage reputation As much as many would like to believe they can ignore them, fake them, or land five-star ratings without going the extra mile, online reviews play a role in nearly every business today. Learning about the experiences of peers and other influences is …
Guest Post: Subway’s Gonna Be Fine
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 …
Welcome to the Age of Karma
by Jonathan Bernstein The Digital Age has become the Age of Karma. The Internet has given virtually everyone the power to expose information that, in the past, would have remained hidden. The popularity of such disclosures with the media and general public has furthered the trend of looking under personal …
Ashley Madison Hack: Many in Sensitive Positions Open to Extortion
Fallout from this case is evidence of dangers from others As predicted, outed Ashley Madison users are being targeted for extortion. Although the reported cases thus far have been of a widespread spam-based attack, it would take very little digging for someone interested in a more personal attack to find …