Designers thought they were respecting Pacific Island culture, but critics disagreed Okay, we get it. If you’re Disney, and putting out a fall movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, then you’d like to cash in on that fact with a Halloween costume. But…maybe someone should put the brakes on when …
Crisis Management Quotables…on Getting Your Pants On
Don’t get caught with your pants down when it comes to harmful misinformation The Right Honorable Sir Winston Churchill knows a thing or two about crisis management, having been a driving force in UK politics through the first and second World Wars. His career requires little recap, so let’s move directly …
Snapchat and the Story of Predictable Questions
There’s no excuse to not come prepared for easily anticipated issues Snapchat certainly holds a spot as a darling of the social media world, but that doesn’t mean it’s immune to controversy. One of the most popular features of Snapchat are the various “lens” filters users can apply, which put …
Infographic: Preparing for Crisis Communications
Plan ahead and reduce the impact of negative situations We’ve had the pleasure of guest lecturing classes at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, and we can tell you first-hand there are some brilliant minds at work there. With a focus on educating the next generation of communications pros …
Preparing for Social Media Crisis Management
Being ready in advance is key to mitigating damage Social media mishaps can turn into crises in the blink of an eye. The best way to prevent a single incident from turning into a costly crisis is to leap into action the minute you spot the warning signs. You can’t …
SEVEN MILLION Minecraft Community Accounts Exposed, 0 Informed
[Editor’s note: A big THANK YOU to colleague Phil Cogan for bringing this story to our attention! If you have a topic that might be a good fit for this blog we’d love to see it, drop an email to erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com any time.] Having less-than-ideal security in place to protect user …
[Infographic] Preparing for Crisis Communications
Are you ready to get messaging moving in the midst of crisis? Today’s stakeholders expect crisis communications to be in full swing just minutes after an incident occurs. To work effectively in the slim window of time you have before criticism begins to build you simply must be prepared. Prepared …
Chipotle and the Cost of Crisis
A hard look at what happens when the market loses faith in your brand There’s a lot out there discussing the importance of reputation and the harm crises can do to a brand or organization. When it comes to making the call to spend a serious chunk of budget on …
Crisis Management Quotables…on a Dialogue with Millions
Communication is now a two-way street whether you like it or not You don’t wind up leading teams at organizations like Fast Company and Inc. magazine unless you have your finger on the pulse of the modern world, and our featured quote for this first Crisis Management Quotable of 2016 …
ABC News’ Journalism #Fail
Did we see the understatement of the year just as 2016 got moving? The first weekend of the new year saw militia members occupying the headquarters of an Oregon wildlife preserve. In a reaction to federal prison sentences handed down to two Oregon ranchers convicted of committing arson against federal land, …
Water Pollution Denials Trash Credibility of Rio Olympic Organizers
Complete lack of crisis management doesn’t bode well for anyone involved We’ve been critical of the organizers of the Rio Olympic Games, discussing their communications and actions (or lack thereof) in a series of posts and editorials. While we’d like to say things are turning around, new tests showing Rio’s …
[Infographic] CEO Engagement and Reputation
Investigating the impact of CEO action on your most valuable resource While the actions of all members of your organization hold the power to impact your reputation, the actions of those at the top typically hold more potential to create lasting damage. Weber Shandwick dug deeper into the relationship between …
Constructing a Communicator
The stats behind this critical member of your team Anyone tasked with speaking for their organization is under serious pressure. While practice and experience can result in the appearance of effortless communication, the reality is that it’s a tough job with responsibilities that extend beyond saying a few words for …
VTech Breach – Lax Security and Weak Crisis Communication
Missing compassion leaves response lacking The sheer number of data breaches we see these days has desensitized people to a certain extent, but what happens when children are suddenly thrown into the mix? Earlier this month, hackers snatched the personal information of nearly 5 million parents who had registered with …
Dell Leaves the Door Open for Dirty Work
A partial response leaves plenty of room for problems What happens when a supposedly trusted piece of software creates a major vulnerability in the systems on which it’s installed? Is the software’s publisher responsible? And, if so, what actions should they take? Over the weekend details emerged about the dangers …