Crisis Management

Imagine a crisis resulting in a death is part of your first day on the job as a communicator. That was the case for David Gaier, a former chief of communications at NRG Energy. He offers lessons learned and crisis preparation tips after years on the job.

No one needs to tell a communications team twice that if “you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Creating a strategy which not only allows for a defensive response when something hits, but an anticipatory plan of possible situations, provides an offense your organization can depend on. Join PRNEWS on Dec. 10 for a crisis webinar: “Why a Strong Defense is the Best Offense.”

We can’t wait for our 2020 Crisis and Measurement Summit, taking place February 25-26 at Miami’s Downtown Hilton. Sure, maybe part of that has to do with the idea of flying down south for the winter. But moreover, we were thrilled to see such a turnout at this past February’s inaugural crisis summit—a sellout crowd that flocked to Miami Beach for two days of real talk about every stage in crisis prep and recovery. Ahead of this year’s summit, let’s look back on a few takeaways that changed the way we, and our audience, think about measuring, communicating, and staffing around a crisis. 

We’re guessing the sudden and untimely death of Deadspin (no pun intended) as a purveyor of no-holds-barred sports and social commentary will provide a case study for business students in what not to do with a successful endeavor. This post, from PR pro Dave Dykes and PRNEWS staffer Nicole Schuman, argues that the incident also offers a bevy of PR lessons.

Airbnb gives users a lot of freedom. It allows people to become entrepreneurs and host strangers in their homes. In addition, travelers can forgo expensive and occasionally bland hotels for the comforts of home, or the adventures of living as a local. But with freedom comes responsibility. After a tragic event occurred at one of its host properties, the company worked quickly to limit the PR damage.

Data is critical to measurement. But what about data privacy? And why do communicators need to know about data privacy? In short, privacy laws are everywhere, argues Stephen Payne, the veteran communicator at Feld Entertainment who now also has responsibility for privacy. PR pros can benefit from at least a basic understanding of how data privacy laws work, he writes.

PRNEWS joined with CS&A, an international crisis and risk firm, to survey the attitudes of PR pros about crisis pain points, levels of preparation and post-crisis education. While firms are doing better with their crisis preparation, there is still a long road ahead, the survey of some 200 executives found. In addition, post-crisis lessons seem way down the list, as does preparation for cybersecurity crises.

JUUL Labs, the ubiquitous e-cigarette manufacturer, find itself in a free fall more than one year after our blogger praised the company for its PR acumen. The lesson that’s emerged from JUUL, Boeing and Facebook is that self-regulation is rarely a good idea and could lead to deaths. And death is bad PR.

We at PRNEWS are advocates of following the news for evidence of good and bad PR practices. Today a news vehicle, The Washington Post, is at the center of a news story. The paper’s handling of headlines for its obituary of former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi demonstrates good and bad PR practices.

PR crises seem inevitable and the damage they can do to reputation, trust and shareholder value is well known. Yet PR crises often catch companies and organizations unprepared. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you begin crafting your PR crisis plan.