Yosemite’s Deadly Hantavirus Crisis

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

Widespread exposure calls for crisis management with reach Camping is a summer mainstay for many, but if you decided to take your family to California’s famed Yosemite this year, you’re probably feeling a bit nervous right now. Hantavirus, a bug few of us even knew existed, has leapt into the …

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 — …

Crisis Management for the Long Haul

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

Think beyond the short term when it’s crisis management time It’s a very common crisis management mistake – you see an issue, think of a quick solution, and POOF, it’s fixed in the fastest way possible. Problem is, a “quick fix” has a strong chance of becoming a damper on …

Progressive’s #Crisisfail

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

Don’t let lawyers control your crisis management Progressive has made a fortune branding itself as the “everyman” of the insurance world with its kitschy commercials, but a major crisis management failure has caused the brand harm it could have avoided. At the heart of the controversy is a Tumblr created …

Rumors Cause Crisis Management Catastrophe

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

Catch trouble early to prevent crisis management nightmares It was a blood-boiler of a story, a menacing tale of government gone too far: The Environmental Protection Agency was spying on Midwestern farmers with the same aerial “drones” used to kill terrorists overseas. This month, the idea has been repeated in …

A Crisis in One Culture May Be Commonplace in Another

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, media training, Olympics, public relations, reputation management, social media, Tony Jaques 1 Comment

It depends on the culture [Editor’s note:  We’re pleased to bring you this article from crisis consultant Tony Jaques.] While the Internet and online technology is rapidly flattening out cultural differences, an incident in Australia provides a reminder that what might be commonplace in one country can trigger a reputational …

Crisis Management Takes Communication

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

Become the source or risk your reputation Today’s public expects immediate answers. They want to hear about a crisis, type a few words into Google, and have the full story pop up. If they don’t get that, they’re headed to Twitter and Facebook to see what information is available, or …

The Crisis Show Episode 2 — All the News that’s Fit to Criticize

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Jonathan Bernstein, media training, online reputation management, public relations, reputation management, social media, The Crisis Show Leave a Comment

Three pros bring crisis management to your computer or tv, live and archived The Crisis Show’s second episode is up for those of you who missed the live broadcast last night. This week, hosts Jonathan Bernstein, Rich Klein, and Melissa Agnes had plenty of fodder. To kick things off our …

Worst. PR Guy. Ever.

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

Creating a crisis with hamfisted media handling When Mike Elk, reporter for In These Times, headed to an event to question Honeywell CEO Dave Cote on labor issues, the last thing he expected was to be caught in an incident worthy of prime-time TV. Let’s give you the lead-in first…here’s …

The Crisis Show

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis litigation, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, litigation-related PR, media training, PR, public relations, reputation management, risk assessment, risk management, social media, strategic reputation management, The Crisis Show Leave a Comment

Talk crisis management with the pros Tonight marks the first episode of The Crisis Show, a broadcast featuring the talents of Bernstein Crisis Management president Jonathan Bernstein, crisis/litigation expert Rich Klein and social media pro Melissa Agnes. Together, they will provide crisis management analysis for high profile and currently breaking …

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, …

JP Morgan’s Crisis Management Flop

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

Denial leads to disaster for J.P. Morgan J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon has been in the hot seat for over a month now, with the media spotlight firmly affixed to his firm’s mounting losses. When interviewed by sources like The Wall Street Journal in early April regarding questionable trading moves, …

Twitter Vengeance Leads to Crisis Management

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

Protect yourself from social media attacks The ease of use and relative anonymity of Twitter has made it into the perfect engine for those with grievances, even unfounded ones, to bring their issues into the public spotlight and give someone’s name a quick run through the mud. This is probably …

Crisis Management for Mad Cow

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

USDA demonstrates solid crisis management United States Government agencies are finally embracing crisis management, with organizations from the military to FEMA and more engaging stakeholders in honest and open communication. Today’s story comes from the USDA, whose deft handling of the most recent incident of BSE (aka Mad Cow Disease) …

The Crisis Management Freeway

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

It takes confidence to achieve crisis management success Crisis management requires not only skill and wits, but also confidence. The following quote, from an Adam Black article, provides a fitting analogy: Do not try to confront the crisis halfheartedly. Once you have made up your mind, move forward confidently. Experts …