Cyber Incident Response Plans – Turning Words into Action

Erik Bernstein data breach

  By:  John Cleary, Shareholder, and Kayleigh Shuler, Associate, Polsinelli PC, Tech Transactions and Data Privacy Practice Group Recent years have seen companies large and small continue to grapple with the much-feared cyber incident. Yet surprisingly few have meaningful and up-to-date incident response plans (IRPs) in place to manage and …

Katherine Heigl Puts Grassroots Crisis Management To Work In Hollywood Return

Erik Bernstein celebrity crisis management

Should your organization be considering this powerful tactic for building both influence and audience? Once you’ve been in this business long enough you can’t seem to avoid spotting crisis management lessons everywhere. While perusing the latest entertainment news and celeb gossip (give me a break on that one, it can’t …

5 Tips: How to Select a Crisis Management Consultant

Erik Bernstein crisis management consultant

5 Tips: How to Select a Crisis Management Consultant Choose the right crisis management consultant with this advice from an expert First, what IS a crisis management consultant, at least in the world of PR? Well, the best analogy we’ve ever seen is that of firefighting. If you want to …

And You Thought 2020 Has ALREADY Been Bad?

Erik Bernstein crisis management

And You Thought 2020 Has ALREADY Been Bad? Crisis Preparedness and Response Is About to Get Tougher As I write this on October 12, 2020, never in my almost 40 years of crisis management experience have I ever seen an America more prone to erupt in new crises than right …

Universal Health Services Ransomware Crisis — Communications for an Industry Threat

Erik Bernstein Crisis Response

As more healthcare providers see ransomware attacks crisis preparedness is put to the test Universal Health Services (UHS) is one of the United States’ largest health care providers, with 26 acute care hospitals, 328 behavioral health facilities, and 42 outpatient facilities.  so when media reports of a ransomware attack impacting …

Keep On Talkin’ About Keepin’ On

Erik Bernstein crisis management

Are you ignoring the power of proactive positive crisis communications? “And there’s still a lot of faith, warmth, and trust When we keep on keeping on” — Curtis Mayfield, Musician, “Keep On Keeping On” September 8, 2020 — As we head into the last days of Q3 2020 the year …

Avoiding the Legal Response Syndrome

Erik Bernstein litigation-related crisis management

  [Editor’s note: Australian crisis expert Dr. Tony Jaques has just published a new book which addresses the challenge of how to balance legal and communication advice when a crisis strikes: Crisis Counsel: Navigating legal and communication Conflict (Rothstein 2020). In this extract, he introduces the idea of what he …

Black Lives Matter, Hashtag Activism and Why Walking Your Talk is Critical to Brands Today

Erik Bernstein reputation management

Avoiding reputation management issues while discussing social change In the midst of widespread demands for change across America and around the globe, many brands are shifting tones in their marketing efforts to share with powerful messages of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s a welcome sight, but it’s …

Marketing During A Pandemic (Without Creating Crises)

Erik Bernstein Crisis Prevention

Protecting your reputation is critical when marketing and advertising [Editor’s note: We’ve all seen some seriously tone-deaf marketing messages going out as everyone works to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, so we thought this reminder from PR and marketing expert Megan Licursi was quite timely.] Advertising during today’s pandemic can …

Coronavirus and the Permanently Changed Face of 21st Century Crisis Management

Erik Bernstein crisis preparedness

  The face of 21st Century crisis management has been permanently changed, for worse and for better, by the coronavirus threat. We have always preached the idea of preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. The reality is that most organizations don’t fully prepare for the worst cases, …