Crisis Management

PRNEWS welcomed Gil Bashe, Managing Partner, Global Health, at Finn Partners, to LinkedIn Live to discuss various messaging campaigns surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.

Most communicators understood that the online presence of what others regarded as fringe groups needed serious consideration. It was this lack of concern that, in part, led to last week’s violence on Capitol Hill. Going forward, PR pros will need to redouble their obligation to act ethically and responsibly.

There are many lessons from the violence on Capitol Hill January 6. For PR pros, one of the biggest takeaways is the need for prompt and transparent communication during a crisis. DC Police, Capitol Police and federal law enforcement remained relatively silent initially, allowing others to create narratives.

For many Americans, the arrival of a second government stimulus check can’t come soon enough. The payments began arriving in eligible citizens’ bank accounts this week, but not all are available for immediate access, and that has some people very upset. On Jan. 4, many H&R Block customers took to social media to complain about delays in getting their stimulus check.

If you are a crisis consultant, 2020 was your banner year. When we look back at the year, clearly there were societal changes that contributed to a proliferation of attacks on brand reputation.

Those who thought PR crises were finished for the year probably hadn’t counted on Hilaria Baldwin’s identity issues popping into the news just days before 2020 ended. OK, so Ms. B. isn’t who she’s claimed. Instead of coming clean, she and her husband have made things worse. Fast, someone, get them a PR pro!

Given the breadth of the recent SolarWinds hack, PR pros’ 2021 crisis plans would do well to include a cybersecurity response. To file away for your reference when (not if) that day comes, here are some communications takeaways from organizations responding to the hack to date, including Microsoft and CISA.

Vaccines for COVID-19 have arrived and logistics for distribution seem to be in place. Now another hurdle exists: convincing enough of the public that the vaccines work as advertised and that they’re safe and necessary. Reciting data and statistics to bolster trust will work only to a point. The communication piece of the vaccine effort must proceed carefully, speaking to people in language they can understand.

This week on LinkedIn Live the PRNEWS staff gave its 2020 wrap-up. They talked about notable campaigns, missed opportunities and changes for 2021.

In a sense, the public has become inured to data breaches. Everyone seems to have one. Yet when one of the world’s top cybersecurity companies gets hacked, it’s a very serious situation. Fortunately, cybersecurity leader FireEye was transparent in communicating its breach, which it said occurred “recently.”