Advice for Church Officials in Drinking and Driving Case

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

We share the crisis management steps they should be taking Details are emerging in the case of the Maryland bishop who struck and killed a bicyclist while drunk driving this past December, and although church leadership has taken a step in the right direction by sharing some details, it’s not …

Hacking Wi-Fi Networks is Literally Child’s Play

Jonathan Bernstein computer security, crisis avoidance, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

It doesn’t take a hardened criminal to steal your data Public wi-fi networks are everywhere, from coffee shops to entire metro areas. They’re also astoundingly easy to hack. In an eye-opening experiment out of the UK, one security researcher turned a 7-year-old loose on a hotspot with nothing but a …

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 …

Guest Post: Cybersecurity Takes Centre Stage as a Crisis Risk

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, hackers, hacking, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

[Editor’s note: The below article, originally published in the Managing Outcomes newsletter, is an excellent look at the hot topic of cybersecurity from our colleague and frequent contributor Tony Jaques.] 2014 was a landmark year for cybersecurity, which saw a real change in reputational risk for corporations and other organisations.  …

Crisis Management for a Major Nor’Easter

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

A scramble to prepare for this historic storm A massive blizzard is set to hit the Northeast today, and everyone from local governments and businesses to just about every major airline are putting crisis management plans into action. With three feet of snow expected to bury major metropolitan areas including …

Crisis Management Risk: Your Apps Have Been Hacked

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cyber security, cyber threats, Cyberheist, cybersecurity, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein 1 Comment

With convenience comes danger Smartphones have gone far past being a fancy means of communication. They are our bank tellers, our maps, our offices-away-from-the office, and so much more, and all of this increased functionality is made possible by the use of apps. Pretty awesome, right? Not so fast…our colleague …

Crisis Management Quotables…on Intent and Reality

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

It’s important to test your communications to see how they sound coming out of your mouth before sharing in public We return to our Crisis Management Quotables with a line from a great thinker. Herman Hesse authored, among other works, Steppenwolf, Siddartha, and The Glass Bead Game, and left a …

Software As a Cybersecurity Risk

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

Are the programs you use to work leaving you vulnerable to attack? Publicly held companies are being ranked, both by stakeholders and the SEC, on their ability to prevent and withstand cyber attacks. Although most have put some form of security measures in place, the experts at Veracode say software …

Potential UK Laws Could Create Crisis for Messaging Apps

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, crisis preparedness, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, privacy breaches, public relations, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

Evidence of the need to watch the horizon for emerging risks to your organization British prime minister David Cameron has proposed new legislation aimed at combating terrorism that would allow British intelligence agencies to intercept and decode messages between suspects. We aren’t here to speak about the politics of this …

A-Rod’s Crisis Management To-Do List

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

Doing the right thing could sway fence-sitters and restore the faith of fans, but it will take a hefty dose of honesty and humility The saga of Alex Rodriguez has been one full of ups and downs, with repeated mea culpas and seeming returns to normality, followed by yet more …

JetBlue’s Awkward Ad Campaign – More Harm than Good?

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

New ads of questionable value to airline’s reputation JetBlue has used clever PR tactics to make a name for itself in the crowded airline industry, but its latest efforts may be causing more harm than good. Take a look at these two videos, shared via Twitter by @JetBlue, and we’ll …

Social Media in 2015

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

Knowing how media will change and grow is key to being positioned to use it effectively Keeping tabs on the changes to the tools we use every day is part of staying prepared to deliver the best crisis management possible. Of course, what tool has made more of an impact …

Inflight Internet Provider Gogo Caught in Major No-No

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

Caught in a potentially shady situation, Gogo’s crisis management doesn’t hold up In-flight Internet provider Gogo was caught in a major no-no this week when a traveling Google engineer disovered it was issuing faked SSL certificates for YouTube. SSL certificates are part of the technology that is supposed to ensure …

Hotels, Reviews, and Reputation

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

Proof that reviews and the reputation they create have an impact on your bottom line Although it’s widely accepted today that positive reviews are important, for many businesses spending time and money on managing those reviews is an afterthought. To illustrate just how important managing your online reputation really is, …

Chik-Fil-A’s Data Breach Response Just OK

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

A decent response that lacked one critical ingredient It appears we can belatedly add Chik-Fil-A to the list of organizations hacked in 2014, as reports have emerged stating the fast food chain was bleeding data from Dec.2, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014. To its credit, Chick-fil-A did release a statement …