Volkswagen Still Paying for Emissions Scandal

Erik Bernstein crisis management Leave a Comment

A federal judge in Detroit Friday signed off on what could be one of the last big developments in the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, ordering the German maker to pay a $2.8 billion criminal penalty negotiated as part of a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department last January. The ruling …

Samsung’s Crisis Management Makeover – Part 2

Erik Bernstein crisis management Leave a Comment

Next steps and hurdles to recovery “A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was.” — Joseph Hall Samsung did well painting a picture of an issue that’s been thoroughly researched and resolved, but the proof is …

Volkswagen “Working to Make Things Right”

Erik Bernstein crisis management Leave a Comment

Will the PR effort be enough to push VW out of its rut? Although the facts behind its scandal are still murky at best, Volkswagen is moving ahead with its crisis management plan. The embattled automaker ran a full-page ad in major newspapers this past Sunday which not only boldly …

Volkswagen – Death By 1000 Cuts

Erik Bernstein crisis management Leave a Comment

A slow and painful way to destroy a reputation When the Volkswagen scandal first broke we specifically told several publications that the automaker needs to avoid a “death by 1000 cuts” scenario wherein bad news comes out bit by bit, re-igniting the public’s attention each time. Well, if you’ve been following …

Guest Post: A Horribly Long Trek to Redemption

Erik Bernstein crisis management Leave a Comment

[Editor’s note: The following is another take on Volkswagen’s situation from our friend and colleague Rick Kelly.] The Volkswagen Case Study Two weeks after the Volkswagen emission test cheating scandal erupted, the company has taken several important steps toward redemption. Here we present our second installment in this real-time case …

NHTSA Probes Uconnect Hack

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, recall crisis management 2 Comments

Investigation widens, bringing more systems under review Fiat Chrysler’s recall of 1.4 million vehicles due to a flaw in its Uconnect “infotainment” system that could allow hackers to remotely control braking and acceleration was big news thanks to the scare factor and widespread nature of the problem, but it may …

Takata’s Crisis Management – as Faulty as its Airbags?

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, PR, public relations, recall, reputation management 1 Comment

Poor communication in the wake of crisis can quickly lead to catastrophe Takata, the company behind the faulty airbags that have led to widespread vehicle recalls, was already taking serious heat from its clients. Now, allegations from former employees that executives ordered technicians to destroy the results of tests conducted …

Emerging Info Weakens GM’s Crisis Management Effort

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

How should the embattled automaker react? What do you think is one of the most damaging pieces of information that could emerge when you’re in the midst of crisis management for a massive mistake? If you said evidence that you’ve made that same mistake more than once, you must be …