Eating Mr. Ed

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

Vendors in crisis management mode after horse meat found in “beef” burgers Last week many shoppers in the UK and Ireland were dismayed to hear that they very well may have eaten horse meat when consuming what they believed to be pre-made beef burgers sold in several popular supermarket chains. …

An Alpine Road to Redemption

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, PR, public relations, reputation management, Rick Kelly Leave a Comment

Editor’s note: In this post, which originally appeared on the Triad Strategies blog, Rick Kelly perfectly describes the situation Lance Armstrong finds himself in following his doping confession, as well as the opportunities that lie ahead of him should he be up to the challenge. An Alpine Road to Redemption …

Watch What You Say…

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

Guard what you say around reporters, it’s just good crisis management There hasn’t been much news from the Mars rover in a while, so when the chief scientist for the project proclaimed that the latest discovery picked up through Curiosity’s Sample Analysis at Mars instrument, essentially an on-board chemistry lab, …

Cybersecurity & Crisis Management in 2013

Erik Bernstein crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, Cyberheist, cybersecurity, Erik Bernstein, IT, Jonathan Bernstein, online crisis management, online reputation management, reputation management Leave a Comment

New threats hold potential to create crisis management woes As computers and mobile devices continue to become deeper entwined with all aspects of our daily lives, the potential dangers presented by cybersecurity breaches become exponentially more worrisome. Cyberheist News recently published its “13 Predictions for 2013,” and below we have …

Sexism and Crisis Management

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

Avoid sexism in messaging, or find yourself knee-deep in crisis management With the U.S. women’s rights movement approaching 165 years in action, one would expect organizations to assiduously avoid sexist comments in their communications.  Of course, if every organization did the right thing, then what fun would we have writing …

Get Real with Crisis Communications

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

Don’t make promises you can’t keep, or you’ll find yourself in need of more crisis management Make sure that you are realistic with your planning, and with the promises that you make to your customers and suppliers. It is better to keep customers informed with regular updates explaining exactly what …

The NRA’s Measured Silence

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, online reputation management, public relations, reputation management 12 Comments

Will an atypical crisis management plan help preserve the organization’s reputation? In the wake of the tragic killings in Connecticut, there has been a remarkable silence from the National Rifle Association. The typically vocal organization has shut its Facebook page down, ceased updating its Twitter feed and definitely isn’t returning …

Walmart’s iPad Abuse Crisis

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

Ugly employee actions create reputation management crisis for retailer We’ve seen a growing number of YouTube-based crises created not by the actions organizations themselves, but those of employees. Domino’s was one of the first high profile cases, and this month Walmart joined the list. Four employees of a Pikeville, Ky. …

Twitter’s Own Crisis Management

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

What crisis communications “must-do” did Twitter miss? If you have a Twitter account (and who doesn’t at this point?) you may have witnessed a bit of crisis management first-hand earlier this month. When a widespread security issue within the service put a large number of accounts at risk of being …

Calvin and Hobbes on…Crisis Communication

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

Editor’s note: This guest post from PR pro Brian Adams is fantastic, relating some sage childlike wisdom from the human half of one of the greatest comic strip duos ever to our world of crisis management. Two weeks ago I spent the morning sifting through quotes from a favorite character …

CDC Shows Crisis Management Expertise in Meningitis Scare

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Response, disaster management, Erik Bernstein, FDA, Jonathan Bernstein, online crisis management Leave a Comment

Takes over for FDA to ensure info is right where the public is looking The recent rash of meningitis infections, now known to be linked to contaminated steroid injections, should have fallen under the realm of the FDA – after all, the infections are not the result of an outbreak, …

Would You Like Some Arsenic With That? Rice Crisis Management.

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

Crisis management time for many rice-related industries How would you feel if I told you that you’re probably consuming several doses of a potent carcinogen and neurotoxin each week? Even worse, you’re feeding your kids the same dose in some of their favorite meals and snacks. That’s exactly what a …

Colleges Use Social Media to Defuse Bomb Threats

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, school crisis management, social media Leave a Comment

Crisis management that reaches its intended audience This past Friday, the University of Texas at Austin and North Dakota State both received bomb threats from unidentified individuals. The obvious first step after receiving such a threat is to clear the area, but how do you notify the tens of thousands …

Skip the Spin

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Jerry Brown, media training, PR, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Editor’s Note: The following post is from Jerry Brown’s Monday Morning Media Minute newsletter. For a case study on the dangers of spin, check out the guest submission from Tony Jaques on our Free Management Library blog. Have you ever listened to someone flawlessly deliver a perfectly honed message — …

CDC Combats West Nile with Web Content

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein 1 Comment

Using web education for crisis management With the Centers for Disease Control reporting 1,590 cases of West Nile so far this year, 2012 officially holds the record for highest number of West Nile infections since the virus was first detected in the U.S. some 13 years ago. To help combat …