Crisis Management

Ken Fields, SVP and senior partner, Americas crisis lead, at FleishmanHillard, and Ben LaBolt, partner, Bully Pulpit Interactive, often ‘parachute’ into a crisis. We asked them what they like to see when they get there. In short, the answer was preparation. Companies with a crisis infrastructure, a set of plans and procedures and a well-practiced team will be several steps ahead when outside crisis pros arrive.

After a beloved staple of New York City wildlife was killed, online responses ranged from grief to outright ire at the Central Park Conservancy for not taking responsibility. Emotional tone and accountability are key in moments like these, as PR pros know.

Disney attacked popular actress Scarlett Johansson as money-hungry during a pandemic. Instead, Disney ended up hurting its reputation.

During these tense times, employee communication remains a top priority for communicators. Whether it’s discussing changes to ever-evolving COVID protocols or delivering clear, consistent communication regarding procedures for employee safety, public relations professionals need to be prepared with a lot more words than “thoughts and prayers.” 

PRNEWS Live welcomed Lindsay Swanson, Communications Director at Visit Anaheim. Swanson will discuss PR efforts surrounding tourism and reopening and how the industry has endured in light of the pandemic.

In this month’s Buzz Box, we explain the Tinkerbell Effect and Green Hydrogen and their impact for crisis communicators.

A tweet, statement or leaked email from the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and former CEOs John Schnatter (Papa John’s) John Schnatter and Travis Kalanick (Uber) could make or break a company’s reputation. Regardless of your organization’s size, preparing for leadership gaffes is an essential part of any PR pro’s job.

If you don’t have a crisis communication plan with designated strategies, roles, actions and follow-up, you will be hopelessly behind before the trouble starts. What follows are tips to serve as guides to best practices, and, depending on your level of acquaintance with crisis management, I hope they are helpful as new ideas, refreshers, jumping-off points, a checklist or a combination.

Months ago, it seemed clear much of the COVID-19 story, at least in the United States, revolved around communication. It still does. The word ‘communication’ wasn’t used often when discussing battling COVID-19, but it remains… Continued

This month’s Crisis Insider dialogue considers why two entities can react similarly to PR crises and obtain vastly different results: One company exits the crisis promptly, the other continues to experience issues. Our dialoguers are Maureen Cahill, partner, Bellmont Partners, and Dan Jasper, VP, communications, Mall of America. Interestingly, Cahill was Jasper’s predecessor at Mall of America.