Sometimes People Die

Erik Bernstein Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

Losses are best handled with a plan made in advance People die. It’s an uncomfortable reality, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore it. When you’re putting together crisis management plans you have to face a number of unhappy thoughts, and one is that you’ll need to carry on if …

Negative Customer Experiences Lead to Crises

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, reputation management 2 Comments

Don’t let negative encounters become crises Negative customer experiences are often passed off as someone “having a bad day” or excused with statements like, “nothing would make them happy”, but the reality is that dismissing these incidents is setting yourself on the road to crisis. Yes, sometimes there is nothing …

Army.mil Hack – a Reminder of the Need to Prepare

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

Chances of being the victim of a cyber attack continue to rise While the military has had its share of web issues, it’s still safe to say that its official websites are more secure than your average page. Although there’s no way to keep 100% of hackers out of any …

Reputation and the Financial Sector

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, information security, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Identifying the biggest threat to financial firms’ reputations Reputation is your most valuable asset, and today there are more threats to reputation than ever before. One of the fastest-growing and most impactful issues is information security, and the results of the 2015 Makovsky Wall Street Reputation Study show why. According …

Cyber Threats 101

Erik Bernstein computer security, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cyber security, cyber threats, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

The time to prepare for a cyber attack is before it happens, not while you’re picking up the pieces A recent poll from the cybersecurity experts at CyberEdge returned some startling stats. A full 71% of respondents’ networks were breached in 2014, 59% saw a rise in mobile device threats, …

Austin City Managers Take a Trip Back in Time

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

A situation that begs the question, “what were they thinking?” Austin, Texas has been making a name for itself as a hip and progressive city in recent years. While you would expect city officials to be celebrating their new majority female City Council, the first in Austin’s history, their reaction …

Customer Service Matters for Crisis Management

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, customer service, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations Leave a Comment

Customer service is often the first line of defense when it comes to reputation We’ve all had an awful customer service experience. Whether it was in person, over the phone, or now through email and social media, it never leaves you feeling eager to do business with the entity responsible. …

Sexual Innuendo Bus Ad Backfires

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

Another easily preventable crisis creates financial loss In a perfect example of the type of crisis that would have been averted had those responsible thought to use the just-launched AvoidTheApology.com, UK-based New Adventure Travel Limited thought it would be brilliant if there were images of half-naked folk holding signs that …

Information Security (or Lack Thereof)

Jonathan and Erik Bernstein crisis management, data breach, information security Leave a Comment

A look at an all-too-common cause of crisis Whether it’s exposing client data or losing corporate secrets to unknown competitors, failing to secure sensitive information can quickly create a crisis. But, despite the high profile examples we’ve seen over the past couple years, an “it won’t happen to me” attitude …

The Price of Losing Your Cool

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

Flipping out is not an option Composure is everything, and whether you’re a public figure or an ordinary Joe, blowing up in front of anyone with a recording device can quickly make you headline material. The Cincinnati Reds have been having a tough time recently, and manager Bryan Price finally lost …

Infographic: Lessons in Nonprofit Communications

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

Stats and info that will improve your communication capabilities Nonprofits typically have a mission of doing good, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean they don’t have their fair share of sticky communication situations. We think you’ll find this infographic, from the 2015 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report, useful for any organization’s communication …

Guest Post: Great Idea, Horrible Execution

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

[Editor’s note: This post, originally published in Jeff Chatterton’s Winning Reputations newsletter, provides a perfect example of how using the wrong language can completely disrupt the message you’re trying to get across.] Brussels Airlines has launched an international ‘image makeover’ campaign in an effort to disassociate Africa from the horrible …

SeaWorld's Hashtag Disaster

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

Before you launch that “hot” new hashtag, stop and think about what could go wrong What’s it going to take for people to learn that you can’t just slap up a hashtag and assume the outcome will be a positive one? From huge organizations like McDonald’s and British Gas to …

The Dangers of Oversharing

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, social media Leave a Comment

Watching what you post is a must for both personal and business crisis management Sharing on social media seems innocent enough to most, but it can create all sorts of issues. One of the most common, and most damaging, is oversharing of personal info. As you can see in this …

Erroneous College Acceptance Letter Spark Crisis

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, reputation management, school crisis management Leave a Comment

Flawed process devastates 800 eager students About 800 applicants to Carnegie Mellon’s elite master’s program for computer science had a brief moment of excitement before their hopes were dashed after receiving erroneous acceptance emails from the university. The emails were sent on a Monday, and by mid-day Tuesday Carnegie Mellon’s …