How Your Daily Decisions Could Spawn a Crisis

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Everyday choices can create serious issues I can’t count the number of crises I’ve seen during my career that started with an operational decision that seemed like a good idea at the time — but which was fatally flawed from the start because decision makers didn’t ask a critical question. …

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 …

GoDaddy’s Super Bowl Ad Draws a Penalty

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

Failing to anticipate public reaction is a costly oversight Domain registrar and Web host GoDaddy has a history of questionable taste for its ad campaigns, and its latest addition, axed after uproar from stakeholders, looks to have been a costly mistake. The ad, which features a lovable puppy making his …

Crisis Management Quotables…on the Danger of Neglect

Erik Bernstein crisis avoidance, crisis avoidance strategy, crisis management, crisis management quotables, crisis preparedness, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

Don’t let a lax attitude put you out of business Any time you see the name Kennedy, you know you’re dealing with a power player. Although Rose Kennedy made her reputation largely as a philanthropist and socialite, there’s no doubt she had her hand in some serious business dealings. With …

The Demise of Secrecy

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

A Lesson in Crisis Avoidance [Editor’s note:This is a particularly timely post from Rick Kelly, as Chris Christie joins the ever-swelling ranks of public figures who have fallen from grace (or at least risked it big time) by letting their personal feelings triumph over common sense.] This Sept. 12, 2013 …

Wake Up Walmart!

Jonathan Bernstein crisis avoidance, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, PR, public relations, reputation management 2 Comments

The products you choose to carry can create serious crisis management issues Walmart may want to put its buyers through some crisis management training after a couple of Halloween-related fails made headlines recently, starting with the retail giant being blasted for carrying a rubber  “Dead Dog Prop” made to look …

Yosemite Rim Fire Demonstrates Indirect Impact of a Disaster

Jonathan Bernstein crisis avoidance, crisis management, crisis planning, crisis preparedness, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, disaster crisis management, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

A harsh reminder of the need to be prepared as individuals and organizations The Yosemite Rim Fire, more than 15,000 acres and barely 15% contained, is demonstrating the crisis management adage that you don’t have to be in the direct path of a natural disaster to be negatively impacted by …

Crisis Management Quotables…on Leadership and Crisis Prevention

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Strong leaders are always watching for crisis warning signs If there were a competition for most quoted, yet least-known, individual, Arnold Glasow would certainly be in the running. A humorist born in 1905, Glasow not only established his own humor magazine, but also frequently contributed to publications like The Wall …

Do Your Crisis Management Plans Include Loss of GPS?

Erik Bernstein crisis avoidance strategy, crisis communications, crisis management, crisis planning, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, PR, workplace crisis 1 Comment

Heavily-used technology is frighteningly easy to disrupt EVERY day for up to ten minutes near the London Stock Exchange, someone blocks signals from the global positioning system (GPS) network of satellites. Navigation systems in cars stop working and timestamps on trades made in financial institutions can be affected. The incidents …

District Embraces Crisis Management Training

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, disaster preparedness Leave a Comment

Planning for crises saves lives Despite the horrific incidents of school violence that have taken place in recent years, many institutions remain unprepared for crisis management when it comes to assaults on campus. Some, however, are investing in the safety of their students and staff. Check out this account of …

Crisis Management for Cruise Lines

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Ignoring a growing need for crisis management is bad for business The cruise line industry is notorious for its pricing.  Every cruise is promoted as being a deal. 2-for-1 offers. 60 percent off. An 82 percent savings. But a savings of what and two for what? Everybody loves a bargain, …

Forward Thinking Means Better Crisis Management

Erik Bernstein crisis avoidance strategy, crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, public relations, reputation management, risk assessment, risk management Leave a Comment

Plan ahead to protect yourself When we sit down to discuss crisis management with clients, one of the first steps we take is to have them list what they see as their vulnerabilities. From internal problems like disgruntled employees and mechanical breakdowns, to external issues like supply line disruptions or …