Preventing marketing-related crises of reputation  without sacrificing effectiveness One of the most common questions for clients to ask us today is, “How far is too far when it comes to edgy marketing?”. Competition for audiences across all forms of media is at an all-time high, and for brands that are struggling to break through theidea of ‘any publicity is good publicity’ starts calling. While I’ll never agree that any publicity can have good aspects (disagree? let’s hear your thoughts – catch me on Twitter @nomorecrisis), if your brand voice doesn’t feel out of place doing something t ..read more

You have to assemble the whole puzzle before you’re truly crisis-ready Business continuity is just one element of strategic crisis management, and failure to recognize this reality can leave you dangerously vulnerable to communication or reputation-related threats. Any company believing that a business continuity plan alone makes it prepared to face a serious crisis situation is in for a sudden (and costly!) surprise. Not to minimize the importance of business continuity planning! To be clear, making sure your organization can continue to actually function during tough situations with as littl ..read more

You have to assemble the whole puzzle before you’re truly crisis-ready Business continuity is just one element of strategic crisis management, and failure to recognize this reality can leave you dangerously vulnerable to communication or reputation-related threats. Any company believing that a business continuity plan alone makes it prepared to face a serious crisis situation is in for a sudden (and costly!) surprise. Not to minimize the importance of business continuity planning! To be clear, making sure your organization can continue to actually function during tough situations with as littl ..read more

Preventing marketing-related crises of reputation  without sacrificing effectiveness One of the most common questions for clients to ask us today is, “How far is too far when it comes to edgy marketing?”. Competition for audiences across all forms of media is at an all-time high, and for brands that are struggling to break through theidea of ‘any publicity is good publicity’ starts calling. While I’ll never agree that any publicity can have good aspects (disagree? let’s hear your thoughts – catch me on Twitter @nomorecrisis), if your brand voice doesn’t feel out of place doing something t ..read more

What does this shift mean for your own crisis management efforts? I don’t think anyone will be surprised when I say that most people get their news online today, with a massive number neglecting traditional reporting in favor of social media. In 2000, about half of all Americans used the internet. Today, with smartphones and home internet connections available in almost every corner of the country, that number is more than 9 in 10. This pervasiveness has touched nearly every aspect of our lives, including the way we stay on top of current events. According to a recently published Pew Research ..read more

[There’s a link to our new survey at the end of this post, but if you’re eager to get your copy of “10 Questions To Ask Yourself About Crisis Management in 2021” now, just click here.] Preparedness is key to surviving the new normal Over the course of 2020, we have seen a number of developments which indisputably change how organizations need to view crisis prevention and crisis management. Communications methods and tools which worked in the past are falling to the wayside, and many formerly functioning plans may not work “as-written”…but what should take their place? Our Bernstein Crisis Man ..read more

And You Thought 2020 was bad already… Never in our almost 40 years of crisis management experience have we seen an America more prone to erupt in new crises than right now.  No one likes to look at hard truths, yet part of our job as crisis management professionals, and that of those in related fields such as risk management, is to look for trouble before it occurs and, if we can, help our employers or clients head it off.  If we can’t, take advance steps to mitigate the damage.  In that spirit, the following may make you wince – and it may save you a whole lot of stress and fin ..read more

These days, protecting your organization from cybercrime is just as, and possibly even more important than securing your physical facility. Cybersecurity is always evolving and you need to keep up with best practices to help prevent data breaches that could compromise your company’s reputation. With that said, it’s not possible to prevent every breach attempt. Regardless of your industry or the size of your organization, breaches can happen to every company (and probably will, at some point). Accepting that fact is the first step. Preparing for it is the second. Having a solid crisis managemen ..read more

Steer clear of this increasingly common marketing fail Before we get into it here, I want you to take a look at the image above, -which features a young girl snacking on a banana and leaning against a car – and consider the fact that it just resulted in Audi needing to tweet a lengthy apology. Always get outside input before your ads go live. This is the lesson. But why? Shortly after the ad came out, tweets like the below started pouring in: Let me be very clear – I do not believe anyone on Audi’s team had anything but the most innocent of intentions. However, that’s not enough today. Percep ..read more

[Editor’s note: Especially as the world looks towards recovery from the impact of coronavirus, we felt readers would find this guest post from UK crisis communications consultant Amanda Coleman particularly useful.] Communicating through crisis to recovery Moving from crisis to recovery is not as simple as it may sound if it is to be done effectively. It requires a lot of careful thought, consideration, and assessment of the current position. Taking the step forward can feel overwhelming particularly when every move is being watched by customers, employees, and the media. So, are you ready to ..read more