Fonterra Crisis Report Exposes Failure to Prepare

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

[From the editor: This article, originally printed in Tony Jaques’ Managing Outcomes newsletter, breaks down the incredible series of crisis management failures from New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra during its botulism-in-milk-powder crisis.] The independent report into the ‘botulism-in-milk-powder’ crisis at New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra is a searing assessment of …

Adobe Needs Crisis Management as Massive Data Theft Revealed

Erik Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Add this one to the list of major hacks in 2013 In early October software maker Adobe was hit by hackers, who reportedly stole some 3 million encrypted customer credit card records, along with login data. Now, the real story is coming out, and the damage is FAR higher than …

The Weiner Awards – Recognizing Social Media Darwinism at Work

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Facebook, internet crisis management, internet reputation management, Jonathan Bernstein, online crisis management, online reputation management, reputation management, social media, social media crisis management, social media reputation management, Twitter, Weiner Awards Leave a Comment

[Editor’s note: We’re happy to announce the first-ever Weiner Awards, a fun way to remind everyone out there that the way you use social media can bring some seriously nasty consequences!] LOS ANGELES, December 10, 2013 — Have you ever horrendously embarrassed yourself using social media?  You send a Tweet, …

Crisis Management Resources for Business from the CDC

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations Leave a Comment

Great example being set by the government org The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has really taken the lead when it comes to government organizations getting on board with online crisis communications and crisis management. For years now, the CDC has been exemplary in its use of web-based education …

Tesla Nails Crisis Management for Viral Car Fire Video

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

A demonstration of effective crisis communications Electric vehicle pioneer Tesla Motors has hit a couple of speed bumps this year. First was a dustup with the NY Times, and then one of its vehicles caught fire after a collision and video of the event quickly went viral. What do you …

Booze, Women and another Secret Service Scandal

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Does the Service have crisis management policies in place to cope with misbehavior? Another incident that appears to involve women, sex and booze is further damaging the reputation of the Secret Service, already threatened by revelations related to the scandal in Cartagena. The most recent trouble didn’t start on foreign …

Japanese Airlines Flying in the Face of Reason

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JAL and ANA put unwitting civilian passengers through contested airspace China’s newly declared air defense zone over a disputed area of the East China Sea has drawn the ire of quite a few countries, including the U.S. and neighboring Japan. While it’s not surprising to see the U.S. continuing to …

Crisis Management Quotables…on Setting Goals

Erik Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, crisis management quotables, crisis management tactics, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations Leave a Comment

Your efforts are far more effective if you know what you’re working towards It really is incredible how much wisdom from nearly 2,000 years ago can still apply so perfectly to business today. Take this quote from Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the famed Roman philosopher celebrated in the writings of Dante, …

Texas Fertilizer Plant Neglected Crisis Management

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Lack of proper prevention practices led to loss of life Incidents like the devastating explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant are exactly why we push the idea of planning for crisis management so hard, and so often. As was suspected when the federal investigation began months ago, the plant has …

Crisis Management Fail for ND Oil Spill

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Terrible handling of a huge disaster When you choose to ignore a crisis and bury your head in the sand, you need to remember what part of you is sticking up for the world to see. Obviously nobody at the North Dakota Health Department got the memo on that one, …

Hey Thai Airways, it’s not 1950 Anymore!

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Crisis management mistake exposes antiquated thinking at the international airline The recent Thai Airways mishap, in which a jet skidded off of a Bangkok runway, isn’t terribly unusual for an airline. Don’t get us wrong, any incident involving even a minor plane crash is going to attract coverage, but it …

Crisis Management Quotables…on the Secret Power of Listening

Erik Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, crisis management quotables, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, PR, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Taking time to listen has a major benefit Welcome to another Crisis Management Quotable! This time, our lesson is brought to us by a legendary judge, one who served as Chief Justice of the United States for 30+ years, The Honorable John Marshall. If you’re looking for someone qualified to …

Crisis Management Lessons from Royal Caribbean

Erik Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, internet reputation management, Jonathan Bernstein, online crisis management, online reputation management, PR, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Rough seas lead to valuable lessons Learning vicariously through others who have endured crises is one of the very best (and least painful) ways you can better your own crisis management ability. Early this year we wrote, repeatedly, on Carnival Cruise Lines’ failures to do proper crisis management, but they …

United Gets it Right with $0 Ticket Crisis Management

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Perhaps the airline has learned from painful experience Could it be that United Airlines has learned something from the series of crisis management mistakes it’s made over the past couple years? The company accidentally priced some fares at $0 on its website recently, which meant an unspecified number of customers …

Crisis Management Case Study: Miami Dolphins Bullying

Erik Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, PR, public relations, reputation management, sports crisis management 1 Comment

Ugly voicemail sparks full-fledged investigation of bullying complaints The NFL’s Miami Dolphins are in full-on crisis management mode following revelations of excessive bullying of rookie players by veterans on the team. The situation came to light after rookie lineman Jonathan Martin left the team, citing mental issues caused by veteran …