Reputation

When life gives you lemons, you can cry or make lemonade. So your company is not yet GDPR-compliant and doesn’t seem to be too eager to change its status. That’s a shame because you might be missing a good chance to raise your brand reputation and increase employee advocacy. Most important you might be leaving money on the table.

The ride-share company has announced that it will no longer force victims of harassment and sexual assault into private arbitration. The move by Uber raises two questions: How far does this change in policy go toward repairing Uber’s reputation, and what does this mean for other companies with arbitration clauses?

One of the final parts of the diagnosis on Facebook’s health has arrived and the patient seems nearly fully recovered. Usage in the U.S., Facebook’s home country, has not budged despite the platform’s most difficult period since it went public in 2012. Security remains a concern to users, though, and Facebook’s demographic means it remains the adult in the room of social media channels.

With brands and government finding their reputations on the wane, companies are turning to employee-advocates to augment their public relations. Executives from T-Mobile, Advanced Energy and Bloomberg discuss best practices.

When Delta joined a growing list of companies rescinding discounts for NRA members, it did so by proclaiming its neutrality. And when FedEx decided to keep its NRA discount in place, the brand also attempted to stay neutral. But both quickly found that when it comes to an issue as controversial as gun control, brands can’t have it both ways.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has had a rough week. On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated published a bombshell investigation that detailed a culture of sexual harassment among the Mavericks’ corporate culture for the better part of a decade. The report seemed to catch Cuban—and the Mavericks organization—off guard, highlighting the need for all organizations to engage in crisis planning. And it’s yet another example of how all brands need to be prepared for allegations of this nature in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

KFC ran out of chicken in Britain earlier this week, closing over half of its 900 U.K. locations Monday in a move that will likely keep some stores closed throughout the week. But KFC got out ahead of the issue and practiced the tried and true “acknowledge, align, assure” mantra—a go-to blueprint for brands needing to engage in efficient, actionable conflict resolution.

Marvel’s long-awaited “Black Panther” has already shattered box-office pre-sale records and is shaping up to be the most successful movie with an almost all-black cast ever released. But the source comic book was not always as infused with such resonant ideas about racial identity, class and power. Here’s a look at the influencers who helped reframe Black Panther’s brand and identity as a powerful avatar for black representation on the big screen.

Unilever is threatening to pull ads from the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Google—but the way the consumer goods giant conveyed that message has been as powerful as the message itself. The company’s CMO Keith Weed planned to use his keynote at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting today to call for improved transparency, accountability and consumer trust in digital platforms. But in a masterstroke of messaging, the company managed to humanize itself and score earned media, while also positioning Unilever as a thought leader, by releasing the speech strategically.

The Super Bowl is one of the most highly anticipated annual events in popular culture. But for many people tuning in, the advertising breaks are every bit as compelling and competitive as the game itself. This year, ads from Tide, Amazon and the NFL won the day and gave their brands a lift, while Dodge Ram shot itself in the foot with a tone-deaf spot.