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 …

Kentucky Fried Crisis

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, KFC, online reputation management, PR, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Poorly chosen spokesmen create crisis management scenario Every time an organization chooses a celebrity spokesperson it runs a risk of reputation damage due to that person’s words or actions. A formerly-golden celeb can become a detriment to your reputation overnight (think Lance Armstrong), but typically thorough research will eliminate candidates …

Good Crisis Management Means Getting Your Hands Dirty

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

[Jonathan Bernstein here to say that I’m proud to introduce an original thought piece by my son, “chip off the old crisis manager” Erik Bernstein.] Keep leadership involved for crisis management success Organizations frequently bring in outside crisis management professionals in time of trouble, but just because you’ve hired someone …

Generic Lipitor Recall Crisis

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

Evidence of a lack of crisis management concern? Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. is recalling more than 40 lots of atorvastatin pills — the generic version of the popular statin Lipitor — over possible glass contamination. Statins, or lipid-lowering drugs, are among the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. The …

The Cascading Decline at the BBC

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

Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from crisis management expert Michael Nayor. It originally appeared on his blog, Crisis Management for Business. Covering for an organization rarely works. Neither does the belief that an organization is so strong and respected that it exits on a level all its …

When to Talk, When to Walk

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

Help with crisis management for tricky media situations Most of the time when organizations are dealing with crisis management, their leadership is very concerned, often even intimidated by, the media. This often drives people to speak when they really shouldn’t, simply because they’ve had a microphone shoved in front of …

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. …

Yes Men Are a Crisis Management No-No

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

Don’t fall into this common crisis management trap Every crisis presents an opportunity to learn, even if those involved choose not to take the lessons to heart. Fortunately, through case studies we can discover how to best conduct ourselves and our organizations in order to mitigate crisis management risks. In …

Dow’s Premature Release Crisis

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 Leave a Comment

Chemical company does some quick crisis management after announcement drops early Double checking your work is always important, and it’s even better to get a couple of other people to look it over for errors. The core reason behind this, at least from a crisis management perspective, is not simply …

When Apologizing isn’t the Best Crisis Management

Erik Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management 1 Comment

It’s a rare and unenviable situation The pages of this blog are full of crisis management case studies where we recommend that organizations or individuals apologize for their actions, so much so that it might lead one to assume that there are no cases where it’s better to do the …

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 …

Busted! Constant Recording as a Crisis Management Reality

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

Recording catches joyriding mechanics, highlights possibility of constant surveillance In our tech-heavy world, recording devices are everywhere. From the cell phones we all carry to the plethora of James Bond-esque gadgets available online, the chance of your actions being recorded at any given time is such that a prudent crisis …

Yes, MORE Recall Crisis Management for Toyota

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

Automaker’s lackadaisical crisis management creates continued catastrophe If it feels like the folks at Toyota been recalling cars for the past three years, well, that’s because they have. In yet another addition to the lengthy series of recalls, some 7.4 million+ Toyotas have been recalled because of a faulty power window …

High-Flying Crisis Management

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

Natural solution for a nature crisis When flora and fauna present us with crises, we’re quick to look toward technology for a quick fix. Often, however, there’s a more natural solution. This quote, from an OC Register article by David Bro, explains how the city of San Clemente is putting …

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 — …