The emergence of social media services as places to gather and share ideas has opened new avenues for consumers to find and connect with each other. While this obviously presents many opportunities for positive brand conversations, what may not be immediately apparent is the way in which the various social …
Having a bulky, lumbering communications structure does nothing but obstruct crisis management. In a recent post on his blog, social media consultant Mack Collier used the example of Southwest Airline’s disagreement with director Kevin Smith, who was allegedly asked to disembark from a flight because he was too large to …
Nestle is the latest company to run afoul of social media users, and they’ve managed to do it in a manner that’s captured negative attention all over the world. In reaction to a Greenpeace ad accusing the foodmaker of sourcing palm oil from companies that destroy orangutan habitats, fans stormed …
We’ve discussed the various ways Toyota’s crisis response was lacking, but the company’s poor crisis management practices before the recalls began were also a major contributor to the level of damage done. This quote from a post on the Experience Matters blog explains what went wrong: Toyota spent a lot …
In this week’s issue of Crisis Manager we switched things up a bit, substituting an interview with Jean Palmer, author of “Tough Talks in Tough Times,” for our usual guest article. That Q&A session, conducted by Bernstein Crisis Management President Jonathan Bernstein, investigates the connection between employee relations and crisis …
If your protocol is comprehensive but unmanageable, that’s a crisis in itself What’s worse: having no crisis plan, or an unwieldy one? Consider that the latter is worse for an organization that lets its fate ride on the contents of a clunky plan that isn’t actionable. This quote from an …
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) civil servants in Carlisle have alleged they were ordered to imitate answerphones between 12pm and 2pm on Monday, so that when callers got through, the workers would say: “Due to the high volume of enquiries we are currently experiencing, we are unable to take …
When facing a crisis, it’s important to take an approach fitting to the situation. Every month in Merrie Spaeth’s Bimbo Awards she compiles a list of people who did the opposite, and took a hit to their reputation as a result. An example:The International Luge Federation said Georgian athlete Nodar …
The death of a trainer at the hands of their main attraction, a killer whale, had to be in SeaWorld’s book of worst case scenarios. What kept this a public tragedy and not a PR nightmare was the effective way in which the park used social media to handle crisis …
Crisis prevention is all about being prepared. Being prepared not only for the likely situations, but the unlikely, and even the unthinkable. In a recent blog post inspired by some time spent teaching crisis communications, Bill Salvin explained the “secret skill” that allows experts to be ready for the unthinkable: …
Crisis Commons’ Crisis Camps are once again kicking off, this time with aid for Chile in mind. These gatherings of tech-savvy volunteers have already demonstrated the crisis management capabilities they bring to bear with their mapping and communications aid for the Haiti ‘quake, and here’s a quote from V1 Magazine’s …
Jonathan Bernstein was recently interviewed for a Business Insider story about product recalls, and the website allowed us to embed the whole story for you here. The BCM Blogging Teamhttps://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Last week’s Business Matters podcast, now available as a 20-minute .MP3 file, took a look at the various aspects of Toyota’s landmark crisis by interviewing several professionals, including Bernstein Crisis Management President Jonathan Bernstein, on what it all means to Toyota and their customers. Although the recall is already being …
In a crisis, consumers need honest answers and they need them fast –- and no messaging vehicle is better suited to meet this demand than those fueling the crisis in the first place. Transparent engagements in the online communities, where your customers already live, provide a credible and direct channel …
When Sarah Kohl-Leaf wrote a letter to the owners of the St. Croix Falls Cinema 8 voicing her concerns about a bad experience, the last thing she expected was to receive a furious, expletive-filled rant in reply. Here’s a sample, from an article in the Star Tribune: “Drive to White …
