Crisis Management

This month Katie Paine looks at two crises in organizations that couldn’t be more different. First she analyzes the so-called mysterious deaths of Americans in The Dominican Republic; then she looks at scandal-plagued Deutsche Bank. The two took different crisis management approaches, though both ended up with similar results.

We rarely cover live events in this publication. PRNEWS senior content manager Sophie Maerowitz gave us a reason to make an exception. She attended a PRSA session featuring former Hearst executive Joanna Coles, who offered so many interesting tips and tactics that we had to share them with you. Here are some gems from the sharp yet blunt mind of Coles.

What are your choices for the top PR crises of 2019’s first six months? As is her custom, Solomon McCown & Company president Ashley McCown goes out on a limb, picking her top five and presenting them in this short video. Can you guess what her quintet of PR crises will be? One hint: her top picks involves a global brand that was a leader in its sector, at least it was prior to its crisis.

If “purpose” is to last as one of PR’s top buzzwords, brands need to step up their game. Already in the past few weeks we’ve seen Nike forced to adjust its purpose concerning treatment of pregnant spokespeople. Now Google, which espouses free speech, among other lofty values, is warning staff there will be repercussions should they protest as Google employees during this weekend’s Pride festivities in San Francisco. Apparently for Google, free speech has its limits.

Big corporations can often find themselves in the middle of a crisis, whether intentional or unintentional. Google’s success contributed to the dominant wealth of Silicon Valley, and the corresponding real estate increases. Other companies have also been caught in the crosshairs of natural, ethical and cultural disasters. Their response or silence can determine future success. What are the key tactics for companies to emerge graciously from a fall from favor?

Nur Ashour, founder of cooking blog Catastrophic Cook, took to Twitter over the weekend to report that she was harassed “for wearing a hijab.” The incident occurred at a Dallas Starbucks. At first glance, it might seem to be a case of a brand being dragged into a potential crisis. Going deeper, that’s not quite it. Ashour’s complaint is against the woman who harassed her, but also includes Starbucks employees who, she alleges, did not come to her aid.

It’s not really news that more and more data issues are popping up at Facebook. The company’s business model is predicated on a deeply conflicted data scheme. Still, the company has hurt itself by failing to accept some of the basics of crisis management. Here are a few lessons from the latest Facebook scandal.

Your client, the CEO of a major company, is volatile, impulsive, and possibly even abusive. She’s tough to talk to. He won’t listen to smart advice. Sound familiar? Even outside today’s West Wing, you’ll likely have to manage a CEO-caused crisis. The first rule: stay calm.

This past January, baby boomers and John Mayer-following millennial Deadheads alike rejoiced at the announcement that the 50th anniversary of the legendary Woodstock Music and Arts Festival would be celebrated with a concert in upstate… Continued

If you are following the crisis communications playbook, you know that taking swift, deliberate and public action to right a wrong is enough to not only mitigate a brand’s crisis—it can even flip the narrative and earn that brand new followers. So after singer/songwriter SZA was racially profiled in a store and blasted the brand on social media, Sephora’s declaration that it would shut down operations for an inclusiveness and diversity training today seemed a smart crisis response. So why is the brand declaring its training has nothing to do with the incident?