Both The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Hearst publications were caught flatfooted after allegations appeared in the media that their brands’ values failed to equate with reality. In her regular Image Patrol feature, Katie Paine analyzes the slow response to each PR crisis and provides tips for how brands should handle such issues.
Crisis Management
Hearst, ‘Ellen Show’ Crises Highlight Need to Align Brand with Reality
August 4th, 2020 by Katie PaineCommunications Mystery: The Mets and the Missing Baseball Player
August 3rd, 2020 by Nicole SchumanLike a Nancy Drew page-turner, Sunday’s mystery of the vanishing baseball player took a shoddy communication road not many PR pros would care to ease on down. Yoenis Céspedes, an outfielder and DH for the New York Mets, chose to opt out of the rest of the 2020 Major League Baseball season. But before that acknowledgement, the Mets issued a statement suggesting the blockbuster player was missing.
Ellen DeGeneres and Her Lawyers’ Vague Apology to Staff
July 31st, 2020 by Seth ArensteinWhen your brand is built on being kind, it’s important to actually be kind. Ellen DeGeneres is learning this lesson the hard way. Staff have come forward to claim the culture at her eponymous talk show is anything but kind. In a letter dangerously close to a non-apology apology, Ellen says she’s committed to fixing what ails her staff, though she offers few details. Time will tell if this PR crisis has caused significant damage to her kind reputation.
Group Forms to Challenge PRSA on Member’s Allegations
July 29th, 2020 by PRNEWSThe long-simmering battle between PRSA and gadfly and former board member Mary Beth West reached a new level this morning. A group of PR pros has formed to support some of West’s latest allegations against the PR association. PRNEWS obtained a copy of the letter the group sent to PRSA.
Google, MLB Show a Necessity for Flexibility in Communications
July 27th, 2020 by Nicole SchumanIf a global business behemoth like Google can pivot quickly to address COVID-19 concerns, many other organizations may be asked follow and keep employees informed. Planning ahead instead of reacting to a crisis seems to be de rigueur for communicators. It’s a smart move.
Unmasking The Truth Behind Retailers’ Face-Covering Rule
July 17th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinA well-known PR adage is, ‘If you don’t tell your story, someone else will.’ A bevy of major retailers has paraphrased that aphorism to fit the moment: ‘If the government doesn’t protect our employees and customers against coronavirus, we will.’ By requiring masks, these iconic brands have become healthcare policy wonks.
Communicators Say ‘We Need to Help a Confused Country’
July 17th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinIt’s July and we’re still stuck in a pandemic. By most measures, things are getting worse, not better. The country seems to be confused. We asked a group of healthcare communicators how PR pros can help at this moment. Most said the industry can and should.
Twitter Hack Reminds PR Pros to Stay Vigilant
July 16th, 2020 by Sophie MaerowitzPR professionals representing the country’s largest public figures are likely having a rough week after a wave of cyberattacks on Twitter. Around 4:00 p.m. Eastern on July 16, tweets from celebrities including Kim Kardashian West, Joe Biden, Bill Gates and others started rolling in, asking Twitter users for Bitcoin donations in service of “giving back to the community.” These celebs would double donations to the unnamed “community” cause, the tweets read. All told, hackers made off with nearly $120,000, The Verge reported.
PR Lessons from a Bizarre Friday in July
July 12th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinIt was a hot Friday in July. The perfect slow news day. But not for the world of PR, where some of the major teachings of the craft seemed to be thrown to the dustbin. See what happens when a brand CEO steps directly into politics, a brand disregards optics and the computer system of a mega-retailer goes whacky.
Storytelling Gold and Your Company’s Pandemic History
July 8th, 2020 by Jason DresselWe’re living in difficult times. Yet, the events of 2020, for good or ill, are shaping up to be storytelling gold. It’s a time for brand storytellers to gather and capture real-time history and to think more broadly about how these stories can be used.