Crisis Management

After a massive cybersecurity incident, Equifax realized that many people didn’t actually understand how a consumer credit reporting agency works, or why they matter in the first place. The brand then realized that the best thing it could do was educate people about personal finance, cybersecurity, and Equifax’s role in our economy. This was not just an effort to repair trust, but to make sure that its brand values were understood.

Some communicators believe that a brand should always keep its head down during a crisis, focusing on containing any issues internally and speaking to as few members of the media as possible. This is not always the best course of action, though. A sound media relations strategy can not only mitigate your crisis once it becomes external, but also help educate your audience and retain brand trust.

It’s unclear how accurate the NY Times’ account of how Facebook responded to two PR crises is; Facebook says it contains many inaccuracies. The Times says it stands behind its 5,600-word story that took more than one month to craft. As a case study for students and practitioners of PR, however, it’s loaded with important lessons.

Vaporizer manufacturer JUUL Labs has gotten out in front of looming regulations on the e-cigarette industry by transforming its brand into stewards of legitimate and responsible vape use. Yesterday, the brand announced it would cease sales of its four flavored vape pods in all of the 90,000+ retail stores that currently carry its products, and delete all social media accounts but Twitter.

A sigh of relief emanated from College Park, Maryland, early on All Hallows’ Eve, when University of Maryland (UMD) president Wallace Loh announced his firing of head football coach DJ Durkin. It was one of… Continued

A sigh of relief emanated from College Park, Maryland, early on Halloween, when University of Maryland president Wallace Loh announced his firing of head football coach DJ Durkin. It was one of the few correct notes sounded during a crisis that centered on the death of a student and athlete Jordan McNair.

Google and NBC are both under fire this week for employees’ inappropriate behavior and subsequent backlash in the news cycle and on social media. Here’s a contrasting look at each company’s response, with commentary from PR professionals on how well each brand tackled its crisis communications.

Money can’t buy you love and it can’t buy you passionate employees, but it surely can buy you more resources. When posed with the question of “What would you do with a 15% increase in… Continued

The alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has grown in intensity as a news story during the course of the past 17 days. Incidents involving the deaths of many more people fail to gain such traction. Several elements surrounding the Khashoggi incident may explain why.

Yesterday (Oct. 17) we wrote about the worsening reputation of USA Gymnastics (USAG). That post is updated with more bad news involving USAG. A former USAG president was arrested Oct. 18 for obstructing Texas’ investigation into Dr. Larry Nassar’s alleged crimes at the Karolyi Ranch. Our Oct. 17 post is updated with information about the arrest.