Category Archives: PR

Dream Tours Florida Wrecks Reputation, Fails Crisis Management

Published on 22nd May 2013 by . Leave a Comment

Ethics count, people

Pursuing shady practices may make you some extra bucks, but the cost will far outweigh the gains when you’re eventually outed. Just look at Dream Tours Florida, the high-end travel company that’s been making a mess of crisis management ever since the New York Post exposed its scheme to rent disabled (or apparently disabled) tour guides out for days at Disney World, allowing their wealthy customers to skip to the front of ride lines.

Check out this screenshot of a since-deleted segment of Dream Tours Florida’s website, which vaguely describes these “VIP Tours”:

FL disabled travelscam disney 2

Just hours after the Post article went up, users began to share it on Dream Tours Florida’s Facebook page and Twitter feed, along with commentary like this:

FL disabled travelscam disney 1

At first, Dream Tours made hamfisted attempts to defend itself, saying that the entire situation was a misunderstanding, and finally making the following post, which was quickly blasted by visitors:

FL disabled travelscam disney 3

We can’t link you to Dream Tours’ Facebook or Twitter pages, because the company yanked both from the web in the midst of a deluge of negative comments.

So, the next time you’re tempted to cross that moral line and all you see is dollar signs, remember this crisis management nightmare, and think again.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

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How NOT to Deal with the Press

Published on 20th May 2013 by . Leave a Comment

Neglecting an important aspect of crisis management creates unnecessary risk

As the leader of an organization, you should expect to be talking to the media on a regular basis. Apparently, John Tortorella, coach of the NHL’s N.Y. Rangers, missed the memo on that one, because he REALLY hates press conferences, and isn’t afraid to let it show.

As you watch this clip, from the YouTube channel of ESPN’s Around the Horn, remember that Tortorella’s team had actually WON just minutes before to go up 1-0 in the playoffs:

Now, the Rangers aren’t a publicly held team, so Tortorella doesn’t have the same obligations he would if he were up there explaining things to investors. Thing is, blowing off press conferences like this isn’t seeding any goodwill with the media, something that’s invaluable should the organization you’re representing, or you personally, come under scrutiny or become embroiled in scandal.

As crisis management professionals, we’re big proponents of building a cushion of goodwill among stakeholders, be they customers, fans, the media, or any other number of groups. Simply put, refusing this shield because of ego or impatience is an unnecessary risk. If the Rangers ever find themselves in crisis, I certainly hope they have a stronger spokesman waiting in the wings.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

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Mountain Dew Loses Control, Crisis Management Ensues

Published on 17th May 2013 by . Leave a Comment

How did this mess ever get the green light?

Late last month, PepsiCo joined the ranks of organizations that went too far with edgy marketing campaigns and were forced into crisis management as a result.

The company partnered with controversial rapper and producer Tyler the Creator to produce a new series of web videos, giving him full creative control. The result, which we can’t bring to you because it’s been removed from both Mountain Dew and Tyler’s online channels, depicts a beaten woman being pushed to pick her assailant from a police lineup of young black men and a goat, which threatens the woman until she flees in fear.

The video was instantly perceived as racist and misogynist, and after a rapid backlash that included slams from national media outlets and a deluge of negativity across social media, PepsiCo issued the following statement:

We apologize for this video and take full responsibility. We have removed it from all Mountain Dew channels and Tyler is removing it from his channels as well.

In addition, the company ran a paid Twitter ad, probably a smart move considering the level of negative sentiment that arose on social media following the video’s release:

 

Just as when a recent Hyundai ad depicted a man attempting suicide, it should have been obvious from the start that these commercials weren’t fit to be broadcast.

Before making any decision on whether or not to share something with the public, stop….and THINK! Ask yourself, will this piss people off? If you’re hazy on the answer, go ahead and run it by friends, family, or an actual test audience, and gather honest feedback before taking it into the public arena.

In this case, the obvious answer was an overwhelming yes, which leaves us wondering what Mountain Dew execs were thinking. Or, perhaps more fittingly, if they were thinking at all.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

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Crisis Management Tactics: OOPS! Erroneous Emails

Published on 1st May 2013 by . Leave a Comment

Hit that send button too soon? Here’s some advice…

With the average person firing off dozens, or even hundreds, of emails per day, you can safely assume that someone in your organization is going to slip up eventually.

Whether sending to the wrong recipients, sending too soon, or one of any number of possible mistakes that could be made, an erroneous email can easily create a need for serious crisis management.

Here are some steps you can take to minimize the impact:

1. Be honest

Don’t try to blame the system, the lint in your mouse, or anything else other than yourself. People are quite willing to accept that someone made a mistake; what they aren’t OK with is a flimsy excuse.

2. Evaluate the initial impact

Accidentally send out tomorrow’s newsletter early? First ask yourself, is it a huge deal? Did it contain some lighthearted tips on using Twitter, or did it contain as-of-yet unannounced news of impending layoffs? Many email errors can be corrected with a simple, “we’re sorry, we screwed up” type followup, while others call for a full-blown crisis management team to be assembled ASAP.

3. Monitor the response

Did your apology go over well? Is the story staying among those originally involved, or is it sprouting legs? Just as in most other crisis management scenarios, close monitoring will tell you whether you need to take further action or let things lie.

4. Learn

After everything has calmed down, conduct a lessons-learned session. Are there procedures that could be put in place to prevent the same mistake from happening again? Did a piece of software actually malfunction, and if so is there a fix? Every single crisis holds valuable opportunities for improvement, provided you take the time to study them.

This is another situation where the question isn’t “if,” but “when.” Take these steps to heart, and be prepared to take action when you have an erroneous email crisis of your own.

Erik Bernstein
Social Media Manager
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

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Crisis Management Tactics: Control Your Story

Published on 20th April 2013 by . Leave a Comment

Be the source of information and stop damaging rumor and innuendo in their tracks

A huge part of successful crisis management is finding, or creating, the opportunity to tell your own story. Why, you might ask? The main reason is that it’s going to be told either way, and if you clam up, it won’t be people with your best interests in mind who do the telling.

One of our favorite sayings is, “in the absence of communication, rumor and innuendo fill the gap.” Would you rather get out there and talk, or have your detractors, competition, or random speculators on social media fill in the gaps with whatever fancies them?

How can you be in position to take control of the story? Here are a few tips:

Preparation: There’s what word again, “preparation.” It’s not by chance that this step appears in just about every crisis management how-to we publish. Preparing crisis plans, messaging, etc. is THE premiere way to ensure that you’re ready to react to a crisis while others are still standing in the gates.

Communication: Want to be the source of the story? Make it easy. Have an online newsroom, not tucked away behind some teeny-tiny link at the bottom of your site, but in a highly visible location somewhere up top. Fill it with the latest information on your organization and the current crisis, so that media or stakeholders looking for the latest info “straight from the horse’s mouth” are actually able to find it at any time of day, from anywhere in the world. In addition, make yourself readily available to stakeholders and the media alike, so that when they hear negative chatter it’ll be run by you before being repeated.

Relationships: Despite what some would have you believe, media relations have not gone the way of the Dodo. In fact, the rise of e-reporting via social media has made it even more important to build strong relationships with the people who cover your industry, whether accredited reporter or mommy blogger. For instance, if you scratch a few backs by sharing any juicy scoops you can offer, chances are you’ll get a chance to speak your piece when reporting negative news about your organization.

If you don’t leave gaps in the story, then rumor and innuendo have nowhere to gain a foothold. Take these lessons to heart, and become the go-to source for information in your next crisis.

Erik Bernstein
Social Media Manager
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

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