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Just a Thought
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"In the
real world, you
either hold
yourself
accountable or
someone else
will."
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From
the Editor
The
holiday season
is always
guaranteed to
bring reputation
issues for a few
organizations,
and this year
it's kicking off
early with a bit
of controversy
for the
ever-polarizing
Starbucks. Early
this month,
former pastor
Joshua Feurstein
accused the
coffee chain of
removing
"Christmas from
their cups
because they
hate Jesus" in a
Facebook post that quickly went viral, amassing
nearly 10
million views in
just four days.
For
those who aren't
regular visitors
to Starbucks,
its new holiday
cups are shades
of red with none
of their usual
decoration, a
design the
Seattle
sensation was
quick to defend
with a beautiful
bit of
communication.
In a response
shared with
members of the
media and to Starbucks' online newsroom, the Seattle sensation
firmly dismissed
the accusations
of being
anti-Christmas,
explaining that
the new design
was created in
the spirit of
the cup doodling
the company
endorses,
"encouraging
customers to
create their own
stories with a
red cup that
mimics a blank
canvas", and
that "Creating
a culture of
belonging,
inclusion and
diversity is one
of the core
values of
Starbucks."
A
clear, thorough
explanation that
clearly
explained the
thinking behind
the design,
along with
expressions of
compassion and
acceptance for
all made for an
excellent piece
of PR writing.
The media
coverage of the
situation
reflected as
much, as
Starbucks'
statement was
quoted
repeatedly and
extensively in
every story I
came across.
It's
easy these days
for people to
read controversy
into nearly
anything one
does, and for
outrage to
spring up from
the slightest of
issues. By
responding
quickly, in the
right tone, and
with just the
exact right
degree of
reaction to
boot, Starbucks
came out of this
one unscathed.
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Interested in
reprinting BCM
articles or blog
posts?
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We're
happy to give
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reprinted in hard copy
or online!
If you find something
you would like to
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Blogs
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The Bernstein
Crisis Management
blog, along with
our blog at the Free
Management Library
are frequently updated
and filled with case
studies, advice, and
the latest news on
techniques, threats,
and more.
Here, we share a look
at some of the most
popular posts from
recent weeks:
As part of our ongoing
effort to give back to
the community, we're
proud to announce More
Giveaways from
Bernstein Crisis
Management!
Click through for info
on how to get your
free download of four
valuable crisis
resources.
One of the best ways
to learn about and
prepare yourself to
cope with difficult
situations is to study
case studies like
those featured in 5
Crisis PR Right-Way
Examples.
The
Changing Pace of
Crisis Management
makes it
ever-important to stay
on top of the latest
developments in the
field.
Not sure whether it's
worth your while to
pay for help with your
online reputation? In
this post we help you
answer the question, Is
it Time to Invest in
Online Reputation
Management?
Sometimes difficult
decisions must be
made, but what do you
do When
Operational
Decisions Seriously
Affect Your People?
For all the buzz
around social media,
most still don't have
a clear idea of how to
best mitigate the
damage from ugly
situations. If you're
among that crowd, let
Social
Media Crisis
Management Advice
and Examples
show you the way.
Having crisis
documents in place is
excellent, but whether
they'll really work
for your organization
when disaster strikes
is another question
altogether. In this
post we discuss the
importance of not only
having the documents,
but conducting Crisis
Document Audits to
Determine Flaws in
Crisis Planning.
Do you have a
topic you'd like to
see featured in our
blogs? Send an email
to erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com
and there's a good
chance you'll be
seeing it right here
in the next issue!
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Business
Announcements
(aka
blatant
self-promotion)
Are
There Any Holes in
Your Crisis
Planning?
Your
organization may
well have crisis
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response-related
plans in place -
but are you sure
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Crisis
Management's
Crisis Document
Audit is a
low-cost,
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existing plans and
recommendations
for improvement.
We're
Giving Away
Keeping the Wolves
at Bay
Keeping
the Wolves at
Bay, the
widely used
media-training
manual published
by Jonathan
Bernstein, is now
being given away
in its PDF format.
Formerly $10,
there will be no
charge for the
publication as
long as demand
exists.
Exciting
New Services from
Bernstein Crisis
Management
We are
are proud to
introduce two new
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First,
from entering new
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hearts and minds of
audiences from City
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Our
second addition is
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Social
Media Crisis
Training
A solid social media
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The
problem is, the vast
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That's where we come
in.
Bernstein
Crisis Management is
now offering crisis
management training
for social media
managers, both
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in-house, as well as
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About Us
 
Jonathan
Bernstein is both
publisher of
Crisis Manager and
president of
Bernstein Crisis
Management, Inc.,
a national crisis
management public
relations agency
providing 24/7
access to crisis
response
professionals. The
agency engages in
the full spectrum
of crisis
management
services: crisis
prevention,
response, planning
& training. He
has been in the
public relations
field since 1982,
following
five-year stints
in both military
intelligence and
investigative
reporting.
Write
to Jonathan at:
Erik
Bernstein is vice
president of
Bernstein Crisis
Management. Erik
started with BCM
in 2009 as a
writer and
subsequently
became social
media manager for
the consultancy
itself as well as
for a number of
BCM clients before
moving to the VP
position.
Write
to Erik at:
Bernstein
Crisis
Management,
Inc. is
located at 700
S. Myrtle
Ave., #404,
Monrovia, CA
91016.
Telephone: (626) 825-3838.
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Legal
Disclaimer (aka
the small print)
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herein is obtained
by Jonathan
Bernstein from
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Bernstein to be
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Because of the possibility
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Jonathan Bernstein
nor Bernstein
Crisis Management
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Jonathan Bernstein
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