Improving your ability to deliver the often-intimidating media interview or public statement According to Psychology Today, people are more afraid of public speaking than death. I see you nodding your heads out there, and to be honest when I first started practicing the skill I felt the same. While it’s …
What Do You Do When The Media Goes Too Far?
This article, written by Bernstein Crisis Management president Jonathan Bernstein, has only grown in relevance since it was written. More often than not when we’re assisting clients with breaking crisis response there are reporters involved, and a worrying percentage of those reporters are willing to go beyond what we’d consider …
Wells Fargo And The Dangers Of A Tarnished Reputation
Explaining why a slow trickle of “small” bad news keeps companies facing major crises in the headlines Why do seemingly minor issues result in damaging headlines for organizations facing crises? In this interview for NPR’s Marketplace, Bernstein Crisis Management VP Erik Bernstein explains why a combination of refreshing the news …
How to Spot a Crisis 101: What is a Crisis?
Spot a crisis early to minimize damage How do you spot a crisis? Clients are frequently surprised when they bring us in because of what they’ve deemed a “potential problem” and we inform them they’re heading straight for a full-blown crisis. While it’s usually obvious once the crisis hits you smack …
So You Don’t Think You Need Crisis Training, Huh?
I haven’t learned to do anything really well without training and lots of practice. I suspect this is true for you in your personal and professional lives. We all have areas in which we’re naturally more skilled, of course, but without mentors, teachers who have gone down the trail before …
Are Logical Fallacies Hurting Your Crisis Communications?
Stay away from bad logic if you want to avoid inviting criticism Logical fallacy is a term you hear thrown about a lot, especially if you keep track of politics. Put simply, logical fallacies are errors in reasoning. Though they come in many forms, all logical fallacies are constructed to …
When April Fools Marketing Goes Wrong
It’s practically become a spectator sport to watch for marketing mistakes after any calendar event, and April Fools 2018 did not disappoint. There were numerous examples to choose from, like the French mayor who thought it would be a great laugh to get the town excited about new jobs that …
The #MeToo Backlash — The Crisis is Just Beginning
Why every organization is vulnerable to #MeToo allegations When humans are oppressed and repressed long enough and finally find a channel for venting their feelings, for finding justice, we sometimes overreact. Riots occur, with innocent individual and businesses damaged (or worse). Sometimes entire governments are brought down by such action …
When Legal Meets PR — The Court of Public Opinion pt. 2
Mounting an offense In part one of this series we talked a bit about being on the defendant’s side, but what about when you’re the one on the offensive in a battle of litigation and PR? There are two scenarios where we see a need to take things into the …
When Legal Meets PR — The Court of Public Opinion pt. 1
Playing defense While it’s been happening for many years, the internet – and more specifically social media and review sites – have made the process of trying a case in the court of public opinion long before it hits a court of law more common than ever. We work on both sides …
Guest Post: Lessons from H&M’s “Coolest Monkey” Fiasco
[Editor’s note: This guest post on the situation H&M faced after releasing a controversial ad comes to us from friend and colleague Andrea Obston, of Andrea Obston Marketing Communications.] On Monday, I learned that H&M actually stands for Hugely insensitive and Massively out of touch. They ignited a social media …
Bad Apology/Good Apology ft. YouTuber Logan Paul
Mistakes happen. You’ll be judged on what you do next. YouTubers are a controversial topic. If you’re a teen or young adult it’s likely you have your own favorites that you’ve spent hours watching, and you may even feel deeply connected to a streamer you’ve followed through their daily lives. …
How your customer service can create (or prevent!) crises
Failures in day-to-day communications can create serious threats to reputation Customer service is a critical part of crisis management. The way each individual in your company treats stakeholders is a direct reflection of how your company feels about said stakeholders, whether it’s intended to be or not. Provide poor customer …
Tools You Can Use When the Media Goes Too Far
We’ve been speaking out about what’s now been coined “fake news”, an overall lack of fact-checking, and unethical behavior from the media for many years. While many journalists strive to honestly bring news to the people, there are just as many today who have nothing in mind beyond getting as …
Why your official spokesperson isn’t the only one who needs media training
Is a lack of preparedness for media interest leaving you vulnerable to crisis? So you have an official spokesperson and they’re media trained to the point that they’d get your message across no matter what the situation. That’s a valuable asset to be sure. But, are they the only one …