Crisis Management

From a news and information delivery perspective, President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people are conducting a master class in the utilization of modern communications tools to inform the public about crisis.

PR advice is clear for artists who work globally and are openly political: know the consequences. Several Putin allies are learning this the hard way.

Two recent crises hit close to home for the PR profession. On February 16, Keith Kelly broke the news in Crain’s New York Business and AdAge that Ronn Torossian, CEO of the 5WPR Agency, secretly purchased an industry newsletter, Everything-PR, and used it to hype his firm and bash rivals. At the same time as Kelly’s article appeared, the war rooms over at CNN were busy. The issue was dealing with revelations of misconduct, ethical lapses and a widely-known-if-never-acknowledged affair.

Mickelson acknowledges his faux pas, but turns the conversation to the PGA and the need for the sport of golf to change. He seems to shun responsibility. 

Quit pretending that a sincere apology is an effective PR tactic, the author argues. Hang tough. Apologizing during a crisis could ruin you.

We praise PR for the good it does. So, we must report when members of the profession act badly. This week was one of those times.

Does the Joe Rogan-Spotify incident signify a turning point for crisis communication since both Rogan and Neil Young emerged victorious?

Erstwhile Levi’s brand president Jennifer Sey published an essay announcing her resignation from the company, reviving unanswered questions about employee activism.

While it may look like just a bug in a simple game, the NYT Wordle transition can provide some good PR lessons for mergers and acquisitions. 

PR executives, collaborating with risk management, HR and other key functions, can play a critical role in identifying and recommending action to address external and internal threats (including toxic people). Unfortunately, organizations routinely underfund communication and related positions that can deliver intel that helps executives make better-informed decisions before they create a reputation crisis.