Crisis Management

It’s Friday afternoon, August 25, and you’re at work in Houston. You’re expecting Hurricane Harvey, but you’ve heard on radio and television that an evacuation of your city, America’s fourth largest, is not recommended. Local officials,… Continued

The experts we talk to routinely stress the importance of having a crisis plan. Of course, as we all learned when writing papers in school, it’s not enough simply to do the initial work—we must revise mindfully and make important adjustments. Attempting to appraise every aspect of your plan is intimidating and overwhelming, so start the evaluation process in stages.

Katie Paine grades the crisis response of Merck, whose CEO took a stand against the President that eventually led to the downfall of two White House advisory groups, and Kapersky Lab, which whiffed when its integrity was questioned.

In a crisis, a solid framework can make sure you’ve touched on all the major areas you need to communicate and that you haven’t overlooked something major. When the goal is to demonstrate responsibility and leadership, these “5 C’s” can cover all your bases for a reassuring and competent response.

The upside of technology is obvious. But when things go wrong on the tech side it can create havoc for a technology dependent brand. That was the case for Southwest Airlines last summer, when a computer malfunction grounded a slew of its flights and left thousands stranded. See how the brand used Facebook Live and other social media to keep its passengers and employees informed.

As you know, speed is of the essence when dealing with a social media crises. Fortunately, tools exist that can help brands large and small monitor social media conversations, which can buy a bit of time for brands when a social media crisis occurs.

All that glitters is not gold. That seems to be true with MixBin. The brand recalled nearly 300,000 of its glittery mobile phone cases after an unnamed liquid started dripping from them, burning customers’ skin. While MixBin responded quickly to the situation, offering a full refund, its written statement seems tone deaf and unapologetic.

Mistakes of all sizes happen. We know that. PR pros often are called in after those mistakes occur. They usually attempt to mollify things. Sometimes they goof and fan the flames. At times, communicators can do very… Continued

Reality checked in with me recently when a few parents on my son’s rowing team, knowing my affiliation with PR News, asked me to write the press releases for the club. Sure, it’ll be easy,… Continued

Delta Air Lines jettisoned the bland, cheery persona employed typically by social customer care representatives in favor of stoic sarcasm in two now-notorious Twitter replies to author and political commentator Ann Coulter on Sunday, July… Continued