Another weak response to big trouble You’d expect every cruise company to be well-prepared to spring into crisis management for just about any incident after the myriad troubles that plagued the industry over the past year. But the more than 600 passengers who got way too familiar with their tiny …
The Gap’s MLK Advertising Gap Hurts Reputation
Another social media #fail from a big brand It seems every holiday brings new mistakes from retailers who seem hell-bent on using them to promote product, hurling common sense to the wayside in the process, and then acting shocked when they’re forced to do crisis management in response to a …
Categorizing Crisis Management
Setting plans for broad categories of events can help you cover all the bases It’s undeniable that planning and preparation are critical to maximizing your crisis management ability. At the same time, if you try to create a specific plan for every possible event you’ll soon find yourself with a …
Crisis Management Quotables…on Learning from Angry Stakeholders
Look past the heated tone and understand the issue at hand We don’t think anybody’s going to dispute the brilliance or business savvy of Bill “Microsoft” Gates, so let’s get right into this week’s Crisis Management Quotable: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” — Bill Gates …
The Demise of Secrecy
A Lesson in Crisis Avoidance [Editor’s note:This is a particularly timely post from Rick Kelly, as Chris Christie joins the ever-swelling ranks of public figures who have fallen from grace (or at least risked it big time) by letting their personal feelings triumph over common sense.] This Sept. 12, 2013 …
Worst Weiners Honored for Acts of Social Media Darwinism
Winners of the 2013 Weiner Awards Announced [Editor’s note: The Weiner Awards winners have finally been decided by our panel of expert judges, so without further ado, here is the official announcement!] LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Social media has made it easier than any time in history …
JPMorgan CEO’s Holiday Card a Crisis Management Mistake
Communicating with humility is key in times of crisis You would expect big CEOs to have learned from Tony Hayward’s mid-spill yacht race debacle, but many still don’t seem to understand that how they conduct their personal lives is equated directly to how much they care about the crisis their …
Crisis Management Quotables…on How You Say It
The way it’s delivered can make or break any communication What was it about the ancient world that led to so many great insights into human nature? We’d venture that it had a great deal to do with the fact that there were no glossy ads, TV broadcasts, Twitter campaigns …
Nokia’s Quick Social Media Crisis Management for F-Bomb Tweet
What would you do in this situation? It seems not a day goes by where some organization or another isn’t doing crisis management for a social media mishap. Nokia New Zealand’s Twitter account was the victim of a strange incident recently where a single post with the words, “Fuck you” …
Crisis Management Musts: The Doubting Thomas
A healthy dose of doubt will stop many crises before they start It feels great to have everybody agreeing with you constantly…until those yes men nod their heads to a decision that lands your organization in ruins. When you’re talking crisis management musts, the doubting Thomas is one man you …
“No More Free Shots” – Walmart’s Social Media Crisis Management Policy
The retail behemoth is taking on negative social media sentiment Even organizations that have embraced social media are still unsure as to how to best cope with negative comments online. While it’s commonly accepted that you can ignore those who are simply out bash you, or troll, what happens when …
Handling Workplace Emotions Following a Disaster
[Editor’s note: The following guest post from Dr. Vali Hawkins Mitchell and Kristen Noakes-Fry takes a look at an aspect of crisis management for which many managers are extremely unprepared.] When I arrived in New York City in September of 2001, I knew what my job was, even though my mind …
Crisis Management Quotables…on Body Language
Your voice isn’t the only thing that speaks when it comes to crisis communications While the words you choose certainly do matter when it comes to crisis communication, the way you hold yourself, your facial expressions, appearance, even what color tie you choose, all make a drastic difference in how …
Personal Social Media Crisis Management
Still convinced a single post can’t cost you your job? Everyone gripes about their job from time to time, but now, instead of meeting up with a friend or picking up the phone, many choose to vent on social media for the world to see. While we can understand the …
Social Media Crisis Management #Fail: The Secret Plumber
Twitter is not a private discussion, your statements are there for all to see! The UK Twitter crowd got their own show of spectacularly bad social media crisis management earlier this month, and it all started with this tweet: MASSIVE thanks to the @secret_plumber van reg no SL62FKG for almost …