If you own a business, it’s critical that you take reasonable steps to guard against someone (whether they be an employee or customer) being injured as a result of your negligence. This is simply a matter of ethics. While sometimes accidents may occur through no fault...
Social media becoming critical infrastructure for crisis comms: Is social part of your crisis plan?
Crisis situations happen fast, and before PR teams even have a chance to get organized, even minor issues can blow up like balloons—and social media is a big reason why. Complaints and revelations hit this medium at lightning speed, and comments and replies to these...
VW’s former CEO pays dearly for crisis misconduct—PR lessons for brands
After a long settlement procedure, the Volkswagen Group is now set to receive about $14 million from its former chairman Martin Winterkorn. Back in March, the supervisory board for the corporation reviewed all of the findings regarding the “dieselgate” scandal from...
Looking back on crises and responses in the midst of the pandemic
The last fifteen months have been difficult around the globe due to the pandemic. When the World Health Organization first announced that the virus has spread to multiple countries, many of them announced the closing down of locations where people tend to gather in...
Avoid ‘Cancel Culture’ with this crisis PR checklist
The consequences for mismanaging communications during an unfortunate situation can cost companies millions, employees their careers, and even ostracization from social media. Sometimes referred to as “Cancel Culture”, the fact of the matter is that thanks to social...
4 essential PR and crisis comms lessons learned from a year-long pandemic
The global pandemic has had a big impact on every single industry, and the businesses that managed to continue operating likely used PR and marketing strategies. PR professionals have learned plenty of lessons over the past year, including the importance of...
4 industries that particularly need good PR now
Good public relations is vital for every single industry in the business world, especially now that most businesses are partially based online and are looking to attract customers from all around the globe. However, acquiring good PR is more important for some...
3 ways to use email for effective crisis communication
As with any important communication, the medium of the message matters. While public statements and interviews are important because of the reach that accompanies them, sometimes in a crisis another medium may be more effective or appropriate. Emails are a powerful...
COVID’s handling offers lessons on how not to make a PR crisis worse
Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, my first PR job was with a political agency, where I learned on-the-job lessons not taught in communication’s schools about how to deal with the media and approach problems that could change on a daily basis. I have long said that...
Leaders driven by recent crises to reexamine roles and relationships with stakeholders
Newly released research from global comms firm WE Communications (WE) reveals a dramatic shift in executive leadership behavior, prompted by the global pandemic and ongoing moments of social upheaval. Citing a year of profound disruption, 86 percent of brand leaders...
How Burger King flame-broiled its reputation with purposeful miscommunication
During its International Women’s Day campaign, Burger King UK landed in news headlines because of the company’s interesting and controversial marketing campaign choice. It happened in a single tweet that caused the public to react quickly, where the burger chain...
The importance of maintaining social marketing in times of crisis
Before the turn of the year, Group M, the world’s largest advertising media company, produced a report predicting UK advertising sector growth of 6.7 percent in 2020 equating to an industry value of £24bn by the end of the year. Fast forward five months and, as we all...