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Just a
Thought
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"Sometimes
people in our
profession get
called 'spin
doctors' but I
consider
'spinning' to be
the use of
communications
to obfuscate the
truth. I prefer
'positioning,'
meaning the use
of
communications
to help
stakeholders
understand you
as you wish to
be understood."
- Jonathan Bernstein
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From
the Editor
This
month's Pokémon GO
Fest drew some
20,000 gamers to
Chicago's Grant
Park, and provided
some crisis
management lessons
that all event
planners should
pay close
attention to.
This
was supposed to be
the first big
event from
Niantic, the
company behind the
popular mobile
game. Instead,
many attendees
never got to
play at all.
According to
reports, lines
to enter
stretched around
the block
outside even
hours after the
event's start.
Worse, within 20
minutes of the
event officially
opening every
cell network in
the area was
down. The game
itself was
having issues as
well,
frustrating
players who had
traveled to the
event
specifically to
find and capture
rare Pokémon
Niantic had
promised to make
available.
Before
you say, "So what,
it's just a
game?", stop and
consider
that Pokémon GO
made nearly a
BILLION dollars
for Niantic in
2016 alone.
In
other words, this
game is big money.
So for Niantic to
drop the ball on
its first major
event is no small
thing (though it's
not unusual -
there are certain
types of problems
endemic to
companies that
grow very quickly
and this is one of
them). A few
lessons from this
hot mess that can
be applied to any
event:
- Plan for
predictable
issues.
Holding a mass
mobile gaming
event? Expect
that the
area's cell
towers, or
your game's
servers, will
probably be
pushed to or
past capacity.
Figuring how
how to get
around that
hurdle should
have been a
priority, not
an
afterthought.
Every event
has
predictable
issues,
identifying
yours and
putting plans
in place before it's
go time is a
step you can't
skip.
- Have
backups in
place for all
essential
people and
systems.
People no
show, and
things fail.
Critical staff
can be ill or
simply not
come to work.
Internet
service or
power can and
do go out.
Heck, we've
seen events
where the
plumbing
stopped
working
partway
through. If
you don't have
a backups
ready to cover
all essential
personnel and
must-have
systems you're
asking for
trouble.
- Spend the
money.
Many of the
most damaging
issues seen at
events are a
result of
organizers
cheaping out.
Data shows
that a single
negative
search result
for your
organization's
name can
result in a
22% drop in
business. Two
or more, 44%,
and it climbs
from there. Is
it worth
saving a bit
on
preparations
if the
problems you
create result
in such a
sensational
story that
half of your
customers are
chased away? I
think not.
Events are
supposed to be
your
organization's
time to shine,
not a chance to
get dragged
through the mud.
Make sure you
have the
necessary
precautions in
place or risk
your own fests
becoming a no-go
zone.
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Interested in
reprinting BCM
articles or blog
posts?
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We're
happy to give
permission for
material to be
reprinted in hard
copy or online!
If you find
something you would
like to reprint,
simply submit a
request to jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.
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Blogs
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Here,
we share a
look at some
of the most
popular posts
from recent
weeks:
Speaking
to the press
is a daunting
task even for
the most
experienced of
communicators.
These 4 Quick Media Training Tips
won't make you
a pro
overnight but
they are a
great place to
start your
journey to
"interview
ready".
Do
you have a
topic you'd
like to see
featured in
our blogs?
Send an email
to erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com and
there's a good
chance you'll
be seeing it
right here in
the next
issue!
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| Business
Announcements
(aka blatant self-promotion)
What
if you could
quickly find
out how your
stakeholders
perceive you
during a
breaking
crisis?
Bernstein Crisis Management now uses online
surveys and
other tools to
get immediate
stakeholder
perception
feedback,
during a
breaking crisis,
with the option
of continuing to
monitor
perception
post-crisis.
Are
There Any Holes
in Your Crisis
Planning?
Your organization may well have crisis prevention
and
response-related
plans in place -
but are you sure
they're going to
cover all the
bases? Bernstein
Crisis
Management's
Crisis Document
Audit is a
low-cost,
flat-rate
service which
will quickly
provide you with
a comprehensive
analysis of your
existing plans
and
recommendations
for improvement.
We're
Giving Away Keeping
the Wolves at
Bay and
other crisis
publications!
Keeping
the Wolves at
Bay, the
widely used
media-training
manual published
by Jonathan
Bernstein, is
available for
free, as well as
other useful
publications.
Social
Media Crisis
Training
A solid social
media manager has
quickly become a
must-have for
organizations of
any size, and can
make an immense
difference by
driving in
customers and
building your
positive
reputation online.
The
problem is, the
vast majority are
simply not
equipped to even
identify building
crises, much less
take the steps
necessary to cope
with and mitigate
the damage that
can result.
That's where we
come in.
Bernstein
Crisis Management
is now offering
crisis management
training for
social media
managers, both
independent and
in-house, as well
as social media
firms.
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About
Us
Jonathan
Bernstein is
both publisher
of Crisis
Manager and
president of
Bernstein Crisis
Management,
Inc., a national
crisis
management
public relations
agency providing
24/7 access to
crisis response
professionals.
The agency
engages in the
full spectrum of
crisis
management
services: crisis
prevention,
response,
planning &
training. He has
been in the
public relations
field since
1982, following
five-year stints
in both military
intelligence and
investigative
reporting.
Write
to Jonathan at:
Erik
Bernstein is
vice president
of Bernstein
Crisis
Management, and
editor of this
newsletter.
Working in
crisis
management since
2009, Erik has
watched the
internet and
social media
change the
field. Today, he
brings that
experience to
bear assisting
clients to
protect and grow
their
reputations
using tactics
based on
real-world
knowledge and
experience.
Write
to Erik at:
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Legal Disclaimer (aka the small print)
All
information
contained herein
is obtained by
Jonathan
Bernstein from
sources believed
by Jonathan
Bernstein to be
accurate and
reliable.
Because
of the
possibility of
human and
mechanical error
as well as other
factors, neither
Jonathan
Bernstein nor
Bernstein Crisis
Management is
responsible for
any errors or
omissions. All
information is
provided "as is"
without warranty
of any kind.
Bernstein Crisis
Management and
Jonathan
Bernstein make
no
representations
and disclaim all
express,
implied, and
statutory
warranties of
any kind to the
user and/or any
third party
including,
without
limitation,
warranties as to
accuracy,
timeliness,
completeness,
merchantability,
or fitness for
any particular
purpose.
Unless
due to willful
tortuous
misconduct or
gross
negligence,
Jonathan
Bernstein and
Bernstein Crisis
Management shall
have no
liability in
tort, contract,
or otherwise
(and as
permitted by
law, product
liability), to
the user and/or
any third party.
Under
no circumstance
shall Bernstein
Crisis
Management or
Jonathan
Bernstein be
liable to the
user and/or any
third party for
any lost profits
or lost
opportunity,
indirect,
special,
consequential,
incidental, or
punitive damages
whatsoever, even
if Bernstein
Crisis
Management or
Jonathan
Bernstein has
been advised of
the possibility
of such damages.
A
service of this
newsletter is to
provide news
summaries and/or
snippets to
readers. In such
instances
articles and/or
snippets will be
reprinted as
they are
received from
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party or as they
are displayed on
the originating
website or in
the original
article. As we
do not write the
news, we merely
point readers to
it, under no
circumstance
shall Bernstein
Crisis
Management or
Jonathan
Bernstein be
liable to the
user and/or any
third party for
any lost profits
or lost
opportunity,
indirect,
special,
consequential,
incidental, or
punitive damages
whatsoever due
to the
distribution of
said news
articles or
snippets that
lead readers to
a full article
on a news
service's
website, even if
Bernstein Crisis
Management or
Jonathan
Bernstein has
been advised of
the possibility
of such damages.
Authors of the
original news
story and their
publications
shall be
exclusively held
liable. Any
corrections to
news stories are
not mandatory
and shall be
printed at the
discretion of
the list
moderator after
evaluation on a
case-by-case
basis.
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