Our crisis management consultants share their takeaways from this outrage outbreak You’ve undoubtedly already seen coverage related to Peloton, maker of high end exercise bikes and treadmills, becoming the first brand to draw the internet’s ire in the 2019 holiday season. While pundits have been furiously drawing lines in the …
Avoiding the Somebody Else’s Problem Field Don’t make this common, and often damaging, crisis management mistake! In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, author Douglas Adams famously described the “Somebody Else’s Problem” (SEP) cloaking device as the perfect way to hide even the most noticeable of items, writing, “An SEP …
[We came across this post on internet technology expert David Strom’s ‘Web Informant’ blog and thought our readership of “crisis managers, whether it’s in your job description or not” would find this in-depth explanation of several extremely manipulative strategies being employed to create fake news online to both misinform …
[Editor’s note: This guest post from Sheri Singer, president at Singer Communications, explores three phases found in every crisis, teaching a bit about each and highlighting the most important phase…which is probably not the one you’d expect!] As one of the wealthiest people in the world, Warren Buffet says …
Ever since the early days of Bernstein Crisis Management we’ve referred to much of what we share with readers as, “for all crisis managers, whether it’s in their job description or not”. While we know most of the folks who wind up on our site are wearing other hats in …
It is the year 2019. Anything we say or do can end up being captured live and/or as a recording by virtually anyone around us, and then shared globally. Apparently Fisher Investments’ CEO Ken Fisher didn’t get the word. At the Tiburon summit conference this past week, according to …
[Editor’s note: This post is quite interesting as it examines a topic that’s not often approached in the public eye. If a company in crisis knows it’s going out of business regardless of how things play out, how should crisis communications be approached? What are your obligations, and what’s …
[Editor’s note: Much like the hashtag fails we saw lead to crisis management disasters so commonly a few years back, the trend of “woke-washing” — trying to champion popular causes to demonstrate what a good company you are while sweeping some not-so-positive things under the rug — has already …
[Editor’s note: Today we’re pleased to share a guest post from Australia-based crisis pro Tony Jaques and his Managing Outcomes newsletter. While what exactly constitutes a “bad” reputation certainly varies depending on factors including industry, past behavior, success level, and many more, to not care at all is rarely …
In today’s business world, off-the-cuff comments or behaviors by key players can expose your organization to millions of dollars in lost reputation, sales, legal fees, and other recovery costs. How, then, do you determine if you have a loose cannon on your hands and what are the steps required …
[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 …
Reporters and media of all kinds are inevitable sources of stress for many crisis management situations, but that doesn’t mean it’s healthier to shut them out. With the modern 24/7 news cycle and literally millions of places for information to be shared even small issues often mean contacts from …
A hot mic captured Mayor Lori Lightfoot calling a Fraternal Order of Police vice president an “FOP clown” during Wednesday’s City Council meeting, but she later apologized and acknowledged it was inappropriate for her “to say that out loud.” As Fraternal Order of Police Vice President Patrick Murray approached the microphone …
As the wave of #MeToo allegations rolls on and major bad guys like Epstein grab headlines, Bernstein Crisis Management president Jonathan Bernstein shared thoughts with MarketWatch on how some of these folks have managed to continue operating in public after being busted for egregious offenses, why the same tactics …
With very few exceptions, people will tell you that speaking in public terrifies them. Even when it’s to deliver good news! Make it your job to communicate about a negative issue, and suddenly the anxiety cranks up to an 11. While there is no magic formula to remove every …
