Crisis Management

Four years ago, Volkswagen received extensive punishment for lying about noxious levels of their diesel vehicles’ emissions. The company is back in the news as German prosecutors charged Rupert Stadler, former chief executive of Audi, the luxury arm of VW, with fraud for his role in another emissions cheating scandal.

Data breaches are happening at an alarming rate. They’re almost a fact of corporate life. As such, it’s critical that communicators be ready to communicate around a cyber crime incident. Capital One is the latest large brand to experience a mammoth data breach. Fortunately, the bank moved quickly to communicate and the hacker advertised her dubious accomplishment, which led to her arrest.

[Editor’s Note: This post describes two crises, both of which resulted in fatalities. In only one case, were jobs lost as a result.] At Flowery Branch, GA, about one hour’s drive from Atlanta, DJ Durkin… Continued

There’s an adage in aviation that safety begins at the top. If so, how does the chief executive of Boeing still have a job? For months Dennis Muilenberg insisted that the 737 Max 8 aircraft was not to blame for a pair of crashes that killed hundreds of people? There are many questions here. Did the company put profits above safety? Did Muilenberg refuse to accept the possibility that Boeing was at fault? Where was Boeing’s board during the past few months? Or was it a cover-up?

The massive growth in businesses shifting functions, products and processes online means cyber risk is growing too. Hopefully you and your clients already have top-notch crisis plans in place—but do you have a specific plan to address a cyber attack? If not, the time to tackle that is now. Don’t wait to strategize until you face a hacking or breach scenario that could potentially destroy you or your client’s brand.

Today is Amazon Prime Day. It’s a day (or two) of deep discounts on everything from electronics to apparel and household items. But the highly publicized event has grabbed headlines instead for timed global protests and a work stoppage in Minnesota. Some Amazon staff are upset with working conditions and employment policies. Amazon has not publicly responded—and what happens next is an important case study in handling an internal comms crisis.

Crisis management may be the topic du jour in the communications industry, but it still seems like with every new day, another big brand or Fortune 500 company with massive PR resources is enmeshed in some kind of crisis. Why do they keep screwing up? And how can you make sure your brand is ready to do better when crisis strikes?

Companies may expend tremendous energy and time to find the right influencer for their brand. Unfortunately, they often fail to look deeply into an influencer’s past for clues of potential future behavior. Although many details surrounding a recent incident in Denmark remain unclear, it reminds us of the need for companies to research the reputation of influencers before going into business with them.

Companies frequently look for images to help convey ideas internally. For KFC, the image of a basketball team is applied to crisis management. Ahead of the PRNEWS webinar, “Crisis Management Tips to Keep You Cool in the Hot Seat,” July 25, KFC’s global public affairs manager Tori Carter explains basketball’s application to crisis. She also discusses the element of surprise in crisis simulation.

This month Katie Paine looks at two crises in organizations that couldn’t be more different. First she analyzes the so-called mysterious deaths of Americans in The Dominican Republic; then she looks at scandal-plagued Deutsche Bank. The two took different crisis management approaches, though both ended up with similar results.