If your reputation’s at risk, you have a crisis on your hands It’s practically a mantra here at Bernstein Crisis Management – “reputation is your most valuable asset,” but out in the world many organizations just don’t get it. The reality is that no matter how successful you are, if …
Coping with Negative Social Media Comments
Master this aspect of social media crisis management It’s becoming increasingly common for frustrated or upset stakeholders to, instead of picking up a phone, take their complaints straight to social media. Often, these posts are made in the heat of the moment, and can be quite vicious. Sometimes it’s warranted, …
Keep Your Ear to the Ground for Crisis Management
Listen up for clues about incoming crises You’ve established crisis management plans and your people are trained. Good to go, right? Well…kind of. Even with excellent preparation, it still takes time to mold messaging specifically to fit the situation, and, especially if you’re a larger organization, to get the green …
The Three P’s of Cyber-Survival
The cyber war is on, protect yourself now South Korea was hit by a major cyber attack Wednesday as the computer systems of two major banks, three broadcasters and others simultaneously crashed, raising suspicions that North Korea was to blame. On some computer screens, images of skulls with glowing red …
A Hot Slice of Crisis Management
Quick thinking turns crisis into opportunity for Delta Turning lemons into lemonade is an ideal goal of any crisis management effort. The folks at Delta airlines’ Knoxville, Tennessee branch proved they understand that concept perfectly when they satiated a plane full of grumpy, travel-weary customers who had been stranded on …
CNN’s Shocking Silence in Steubenville Controversy
News outlet ignores basic crisis management in face of massive protest The Steubenville rape trial made national news due to the heavy involvement of social media as evidence, but looked ready to recede from the headlines following the guilty verdict that was handed down to the two young perpetrators. The …
Chasing the Truth
Check your facts, or it’s bound to be crisis management time One of the most important, and often overlooked, building blocks of credibility is making sure you have the facts straight. It’s pretty simple – if you earn a reputation for dishonesty and/or inaccuracy, then nobody is going to believe …
Customer Service IS Crisis Management
Quality service will do wonders for your reputation. Neglect it, and, well, read on… Providing the type of customer service that you would like to experience yourself is one of the most effective, yet least-utilized forms of crisis management. Instead of correcting a problem and moving on with business, many …
The BBB & Reputation Responsibility
The health of your reputation relies on you The notorious Los Angeles chapter of the Better Business Bureau has been shut down by its national parent organization. The move, which many L.A. business owners could have told you is long overdue, came as a result of the chapter’s, “pay for …
Crisis Averted
Quite often, just doing the right thing is enough for crisis management Last week, Rogers Media found itself at the center of an unexpected crisis. While vacationing in Mexico, cellular customer Matt Buie set his phone to “airplane mode” in order to avoid roaming charges and handed it off to …
Do the Legwork & Boost Your Crisis Management
Proper prep is the #1 way to reduce the impact of crises on your operations There are many parallels that can be drawn between crisis management and sports. In a blog post today on The Buzz Bin, Jeff Wilson, APR, offered up the following great example when he discussed crisis …
Think Before You Promote
Consider carefully, or you could create your own crisis management scenario In Oakland, CA, a city where the burglary rate climbed over 40% last year, Mayor Jean Quan came under fire after members of the public discovered that a lockpicking class was being promoted in her weekly newsletter. An Oakland …
Cracked Buses, Broken Business
Neglecting even basic crisis management, Fung Wah buses are no more When Massachusetts inspectors found cracks in Fung Wah bus frames, we knew the discount carrier line had a crisis on its hands. What we didn’t expect was just how fast things would go from seemingly repairable to completely out …
Did a Robot Write This?
Twitter Crisis Comms Still Lack Ingredient We’ve criticized Twitter in the past for its robotic crisis communications, which regularly lack any semblance of the human touch that is practically demanded these days. Oh, you’ll certainly receive notification if, as in the example below, your information may have been compromised, but …
Cover Ups are so Passé
Stick to Crisis Management 101, admit your mistakes When it was announced that traces of the agricultural chemical DCD had been discovered in milk powder produced by New Zealand dairy company Fonterra, and, even worse, that Fonterra had discovered the problem months before it became public knowledge, it created an …