As corporate crisis aficionados know, the reputational collapse of the 3rd largest pizza delivery chain in the world reached its tipping point when founder and CEO John Schnatter, the personification of $1.7 billion Papa John’s – a company whose logo featured...
There are a lot of different ways to handle PR crises, but one thing you definitely do not want to do is let it go—or make it go—from negative incident to catastrophe. Here are two prominent examples of big PR scandals that ended up going from bad to worse:...
While no one ever wants to think about the potential for negative or controversial news, many businesses often encounter challenges that result in an unwanted spotlight. It’s imperative that the company's marketing and public relations professionals take the time to...
The PR crisis that Papa John’s is currently facing due to racially insensitive comments by its founder, former CEO and now former board chair, underscores the potential risk of putting all of your marketing eggs in one basket. For years, John Schnatter has been the...
Brands and businesses are keenly aware of the increasing threat of crises, but display little indication that they are prepared to handle one, according to new research from Deloitte Global. The tax advisory and consulting firm’s new crisis management survey,...
Sooner or later, every organization faces a crisis. Preventing a damaging blow to your reputation requires a strategic crisis plan. While the plan needs to be catered to your business and your specific situation, they all have three things in common: You must be...
Originally published Feb 28, 2018. Updated June 29: KFC’s stroke of genius was a big hit at the Cannes Lions—the brand’s crisis response for the ages was awarded Gold Lions in PR and Print. The ad was a huge hit because of its sincerity and cleverness,. but also...
Although every company tries to avoid it, there are times when bad press happens. It could be as a result of false stories being shared, or it could be due to a mistake or poor judgment on your part. Whatever the reason, knowing how to implement damage control is key....
As online video continues to grab the attention of consumers more than other content types, a large majority of video production and communications pros (78 percent) are seeing brands invest more in online and digital video ads compared to traditional TV spots—but...
In college, I had a journalism professor ask our class how many of us had signed up for Google Alerts as a media monitoring tool to support our coverage areas. Aging myself a bit, Google Alerts was a relatively new idea then. All the same, when no one in the class...
Over the weekend, Starbucks took a giant step forward in increasing its reputation as a community-focused brand—and a sizable step away from its more recent reputation as a racial-profiling establishment—by announcing a new policy that permits anyone to sit in its...
United Airlines has been fighting for its reputational life over the last year. How can we ever forget last April when David Dao was forcibly dragged from a United plane after opting to not give up his paid seat on an oversold flight—and the amateur-hour response from...