Talking FIFA, Sepp, and Crisis Management

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, PR, public relations, reputation management, sports crisis management Leave a Comment

An ugly situation and a chance to do better Although FIFA’s reputation has slowly been sliding downhill as a result of years of questionable decisions and shady dealings, the corruption charges leveled against officials at the organization by Swiss and U.S. authorities gave it a big shove off the reputation …

Reputation’s Direct Connection to Your Bottom Line

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Reputation and finances are inextricably connected A stronger reputation means more customers and clients, along with greatly reduced risk of lasting damage when crises do hit. Although it can be hard to specifically translate reputation to dollar amounts, research like that behind this infographic from Reputation Institute is becoming more …

Reputation and the Financial Sector

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, information security, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Identifying the biggest threat to financial firms’ reputations Reputation is your most valuable asset, and today there are more threats to reputation than ever before. One of the fastest-growing and most impactful issues is information security, and the results of the 2015 Makovsky Wall Street Reputation Study show why. According …

Austin City Managers Take a Trip Back in Time

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

A situation that begs the question, “what were they thinking?” Austin, Texas has been making a name for itself as a hip and progressive city in recent years. While you would expect city officials to be celebrating their new majority female City Council, the first in Austin’s history, their reaction …

DoT Forces Takata’s Recall Into the Fast Lane

Erik Bernstein crisis communication, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, recall crisis management, reputation management Leave a Comment

Dragging your feet is an easy way to make a bad situation worse Air bag manufacturer Takata has been dragging its feet when it comes to a widespread recall despite agreeing that a defect does exist which causes potentially deadly ruptures in its product. Used in cars from a variety …

Sexual Innuendo Bus Ad Backfires

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

Another easily preventable crisis creates financial loss In a perfect example of the type of crisis that would have been averted had those responsible thought to use the just-launched AvoidTheApology.com, UK-based New Adventure Travel Limited thought it would be brilliant if there were images of half-naked folk holding signs that …

The Price of Losing Your Cool

Jonathan and Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Flipping out is not an option Composure is everything, and whether you’re a public figure or an ordinary Joe, blowing up in front of anyone with a recording device can quickly make you headline material. The Cincinnati Reds have been having a tough time recently, and manager Bryan Price finally lost …

Crisis Management Risk: .sucks Domains

Jonathan and Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, internet crisis management, internet reputation management, Jonathan Bernstein, online crisis management, online reputation management, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Don’t let nasty new domains create trouble for your org We often caution clients to snap up URL’s like yournamesucks.com or yournamescam.com in order to protect themselves, but a newly approved domain is taking that issue to a whole new level. Starting in June, .sucks domains will go on sale …

The State of the Media

Jonathan and Erik Bernstein crisis management, crisis public relations, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, media crisis management, media relations, media training, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Staying on top of changes in media is a must Knowing how to work and optimize contact with the  media is crucial in any type of public relations. This isn’t like riding a bike, however. You need to constantly be educating yourself on the latest changes if you want to …

Infographic: Top 10 Benefits of Online Reputation Management

Jonathan and Erik Bernstein crisis management, Erik Bernstein, internet reputation management, Jonathan Bernstein, online reputation management, public relations, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

Whether you’re doing crisis management or pumping out ads, a solid online reputation is a must If you’re not already putting effort into managing your organization’s online reputation you’re well behind the curve. The Internet, and what people say about you there, is perhaps THE largest single influence in how …

SeaWorld's Hashtag Disaster

Jonathan and Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

Before you launch that “hot” new hashtag, stop and think about what could go wrong What’s it going to take for people to learn that you can’t just slap up a hashtag and assume the outcome will be a positive one? From huge organizations like McDonald’s and British Gas to …

Erroneous College Acceptance Letter Spark Crisis

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, reputation management, school crisis management Leave a Comment

Flawed process devastates 800 eager students About 800 applicants to Carnegie Mellon’s elite master’s program for computer science had a brief moment of excitement before their hopes were dashed after receiving erroneous acceptance emails from the university. The emails were sent on a Monday, and by mid-day Tuesday Carnegie Mellon’s …

Krispy Kreme’s KKK Crisis

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

“We didn’t know” is a weak excuse these days Krispy Kreme was left apologizing after a store in Hull, England started promoting “KKK Wednesday”. Meant to stand for “Krispy Kreme Klub”, the promotion was shared on the popular doughnut shop’s UK Facebook page and quickly drew shocked reactions from stakeholders, …

UCLA Using ‘Net for Superbug Outbreak Crisis Comms

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, internet crisis management, Jonathan Bernstein, online crisis management, online reputation management, PR, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Becoming a go-to the source for information is a proven crisis management tactic The deadly “superbug” outbreak at UCLA Medical Center that left seven sick, two dead, and 179 potentially exposed to bacterial infection has made headlines across the country. Several news stories we reviewed referred to statements from Medical …