Ethics count, people Pursuing shady practices may make you some extra bucks, but the cost will far outweigh the gains when you’re eventually outed. Just look at Dream Tours Florida, the high-end travel company that’s been making a mess of crisis management ever since the New York Post exposed its …
How NOT to Deal with the Press
Neglecting an important aspect of crisis management creates unnecessary risk As the leader of an organization, you should expect to be talking to the media on a regular basis. Apparently, John Tortorella, coach of the NHL’s N.Y. Rangers, missed the memo on that one, because he REALLY hates press conferences, …
Mountain Dew Loses Control, Crisis Management Ensues
How did this mess ever get the green light? Late last month, PepsiCo joined the ranks of organizations that went too far with edgy marketing campaigns and were forced into crisis management as a result. The company partnered with controversial rapper and producer Tyler the Creator to produce a new …
Defining the Roles of Traditional vs Social Media
Social media’s role should be to bring information to us quickly. Traditional media’s role should be to bring information to us accurately. That distinction came to mind recently after I witnessed the horrendously inaccurate traditional media reporting about the Boston Marathon bombing, which was often fed by an apparent desire …
Crisis Management for Bystanders
[Editor’s note: This post from Paul Purcell, Bernstein Crisis Management contractor and author of Disaster Prep 101 – The Ultimate Guide to Emergency Readiness, explains how bystander businesses can lend a hand in the midst of crisis.] On April 15th, the nation witnessed the tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombing, …
Hyundai’s Crisis Management for Suicide Video
Always consider the feelings of your audience When it comes to attempts at “edgy” marketing, it’s easy to go too far, creating a self-made crisis. Late last month, Hyundai raced into crisis management mode after an online video featuring its hydrogen fuel cell-powered Hyundai x35 literally brought many viewers to …
Crisis Management Tactics: OOPS! Erroneous Emails
Hit that send button too soon? Here’s some advice… With the average person firing off dozens, or even hundreds, of emails per day, you can safely assume that someone in your organization is going to slip up eventually. Whether sending to the wrong recipients, sending too soon, or one of …
Nike’s Coordinated Crisis Management
Strong links between departments prevents massive reputation damage In order to best protect reputation, an organization’s different operating units need the ability to coordinate responses, and fast. Last week, Nike gave us a great example of how it works when it raced to pull shirts reading “Boston massacre” from store …
Communication Tips for Tragic Events
You can’t continue with messaging “as usual” when things are anything but Throughout the crises past week, we saw examples of both individuals and organizations whose communications made them look uncaring, foolish, or both. That’s why, when we read an excellent article titled, “How to Communicate in the Midst of …
Crisis Management Tactics: Control Your Story
Be the source of information and stop damaging rumor and innuendo in their tracks A huge part of successful crisis management is finding, or creating, the opportunity to tell your own story. Why, you might ask? The main reason is that it’s going to be told either way, and if …
Crisis Management Ostrich Alert for Colleges & Universities
You Might Be An Ostrich If….. If you haven’t already initiated an independent investigation to determine whether or not you could be the next Penn State or Rutgers…you might be an ostrich. If you know that something which has happened or is happening on your sports programs could seriously harm …
LEGO’s Crisis Management v. Racism Allegations
A Turkish group claims Jabba’s Palace playset creates negative cultural stereotypes, how did Lego respond? Star Wars playsets have long been a part of the Lego brand’s lineup, but one featuring the iconic Jabba the Hutt’s palace recently came under fire from the Turkish Cultural Association of Austria because it …
Social Media Crisis Management in Cairo
A single tweet can create serious consequences We’ve examined many cases of organizations landing themselves in need of crisis management as a result of poorly planned tweets, but the latest Twitter dustup may have larger ramifications than rumblings in the court of public opinion. This past Wednesday, the @USEmbassyCairo account …
Crisis Management: Fix it…but don’t Forget
Fix it and forget it is great when it comes to cooking, not so much for crisis management. Many organizations, once clear of a crisis situation, simply move on with business as usual. While we understand the urgent need to do the things that bring in money on a daily …
Reputation: Your Most Valuable Asset
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 …