Crisis Management

Professional communicators have debated the evolving role of the press release with increasing frequency over the past few years, but DNA Brands Inc., makers of a line of energy drinks, proved this week that the press release is still a very important tool.

Detroit’s financial emergency and trip through Chapter 9 bankruptcy have been more than 60 years in the making, so it is no surprise that the crisis management lifespan for this event is longer and more protracted than others.

The PR field has perhaps undergone more transformation in the past five years than in the previous two or three decades. Changes in the way content is produced, distributed and consumed have had a dramatic affect on marketing communications, from mobile to social media. But there may be an even more profound change afoot.

The events that transpired early on Saturday morning involving a Wal-Mart truck and comedian Tracey Morgan certainly won’t help the retailer’s embattled image.

If you weren’t at the PR News Social Media Summit last week, I forgive you. But really, you should try to attend an upcoming conference of ours because you are going to pick up a… Continued

When celebrities apologize for bad behavior or hateful language, sometimes it seems like they’re more sorry for getting caught. Not so Jonah Hill. Last weekend, Hill was caught video using a gay slur
directed at a paparazzo, and on Tuesday the actor went on “The Tonight Show” to face the music head-on.

Winner: Southern California Edison – Visalia Outage: SCE Social “Comes to the Rescue” When the power is out, Southern California Edison’s (SCE) customers can’t turn on the TV. They may not be able to access… Continued

The goal of any good crisis-communications plan is to find the balance between being authentic and taking responsibility if appropriate, and not being seen as the perpetrator of the crisis.

The Washington Redskins might have thought twice before launching its #RedskinsPride campaign yesterday if it had paid close attention to the New York Police Department’s #myNYPD campaign.

Chipotle is asking its customers not to bring firearms into its restaurants after gun rights advocates brought assault rifles into one of its locations in Texas.