A Vital Tool

"An organisation's reputation is derived from how stakeholders perceive the organisation, its communication and behaviour within the marketplace. Stakeholders are the people behind an organisation's reputation and the representatives of the image of the organisation. Therefore, the reputation of a company is vitally important for a number of reasons; not least because employees of all levels are ambassadors of the organisation. Employees can easily influence the reputation of the company by communicating positive or negative messages to other people, both inside and outside the organisation."

Reputation management is no longer an option, but a necessity for success. In her latest article, featured in our Crisis Manager newsletter, South African reputation management guru Janine Hills shares her expertise on managing stakeholder relationships to maximize reputation.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

I Ain't Lyin

Businesses are not the only ones that can suffer a reputation crisis, individuals are vulnerable as well. Unfortunately for them, sports figures Alex Rodriguez and Michael Phelps are finding that out the hard way. In the latest issue of Crisis Manager, guest author Rick Kelly explores the reputation management strategies of both these men and grades their efforts.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

The Rules of Engagement

Crisis management is not a science. Although there are certain tenets that most in the field hold true, a situation that merits one reaction today may require a completely different tactic the next time you encounter it due to shifts in public opinion, the ways we communicate, or other outside forces.

In the latest edition of his Monday Morning Media Minute newsletter PR professional Jerry Brown digs deeper into this subject using examples from our nation's history to illustrate how the "rules" of crisis prevention and response can change.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

New Issue of Crisis Manager

The latest issue of Crisis Manager is up, we've got two special guest authors this month so check it out!

If you're not already a subscriber you can find the link here.

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Not So Locked

LifeLock, the company whose commercials feature their CEO's Social Security number splashed across buses and city buildings to demonstrate confidence in their product, is in hot water. Unfortunately for CEO Todd Davis, it appears that the service just doesn't work and, along with his own SSN being stolen over 20 times, he is facing lawsuits in several states.

The Tribble Agency, a satirical ad group, has composed an Open Letter to LifeLock explaining the seemingly obvious fact that continuing to run their ad is backfiring to the extreme. Every time it's shown, several thousand people do a Google search for Davis' social and see masses of court cases and bad press with not a company page in sight. Apparently this is one organization that's never heard of search engine optimization or reputation management. LifeLock needs crisis management, not an advertising campaign.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Free PR Advice

The aptly named "Free PR Advice and Tips" website created by UK firm Ainsworth Maguire is chock-full of checklists for everything PR-related - from brainstorming to creating trademarks.

Of course, I'm in the crisis management field and as such their list of Ten Things You Should Do and Five Things You Should Not Do during a crisis response caught my eye. There is some very solid information here that many people and organizations (as is plain to anyone who watches the nightly news) tend to forget. You don't always have to pay a lot of money for some solid advice!

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Beyond Crisis

The company believed responsible for the recent salmonella outbreaks, Peanut Corp. of America, is going to need a lot more than a crisis management team to salvage their reputation after the latest twist in their already devastating situation. Federal investigators have announced that owner Stewart Parnell knowingly shipped salmonella-tainted foods even after internal tests showed they were contaminated and begged federal officials to let him use peanuts associated with infected batches.

This article from Forbes details several emails from the man who just this January told his employees that "...we have never found any salmonella at all" including one in which he was informed of a batch testing positive and replied nonchalantly "thanks...I go thru this about once a week ... I will hold my breath .......... again ..."

This could be the beginning of one of the most high-profile tainted food cases we've ever seen; keep an eye on it for a study in litigation and crisis response on the national level.

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Powerlines

I have long been an advocate of strategic reputation management as an essential part of any crisis management strategy. Although still overlooked dangerously often, the business world is becoming more and more aware of this aspect of crisis communications thanks in part to the efforts of people like Deon Binneman and his Powerlines newsletter.

Powerlines seeks to discuss the importance of building and protecting your vulnerable reputation through careful thought and planning. In the latest issue Binneman discusses how to responsibly and reputably handle the tender subject of layoffs, balancing the needs of your company with empathy and care for the people laid off.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Bikini Blunder

Awareness of your company's communication history is an integral part of any successful crisis prevention strategy. Unfortunately for Southwest Airlines it seems that they are learning that lesson the hard way. This article from The Consumerist points out the absurdity of Southwest, the airline that not too long ago removed a woman from her flight for wearing a denim miniskirt -- now celebrating their partnership with Sports Illustrated by painting a bikini-clad model across an entire jet.

Having your actions seen as hypocritical can severely damage your hard-earned reputation and credibility. Know your core values and stick to them, or risk a crisis.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Different Approaches, Same Goals

Specialty communications firm CommCore Consulting has provided communications strategy, message development, communications training, and crisis planning to the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors for over 25 years.

This article from the CommCore Observer takes a look at what we as businesspeople should aim to achieve through the use of two essential tools, executive coaching and media training.


Executive Coaching & Media Training:
different approaches to the same goals

Executive Coaching and Media Training share many of the same goals. Both are results-oriented: EC seeks to improve the business results, behavior and leadership skills of executives MT seeks to achieve better articles, better quotes, and through the media demonstrate leadership and improve business results.

One of the other shared aspects is the need to develop key messages, stories and examples that impact either employee behavior and, in the case of media, get a reporter to use a quote or include your information.

Media Training and Executive Coaching are often labeled "soft skills." Yet professionals have developed ways to measure success. The questions to ask are voluminous, but here are a few:

· Did the company or spokesperson get a better quote in an article because of the practice and preparation?

· If you poll employees, do they recall key messages delivered by the executive, or just the ones that impacted their lives?

· Were the internal messages and behavior consistent with the external?

· Internally did you help create a culture that embraces preparation and practice?

And of course: Did the presentation, change in behavior, article or blog have an impact on the business or organization's bottom line results or objectives?

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

The Largest Media Outlet in the Universe

The Internet is the largest media outlet in our known universe. It has already pushed the once mighty newspaper to the brink of extinction and television can hardly compete with the barrage of information the 'net provides. This medium has spawned a new breed of reporter that blurs the line between amateur and professional, what I call "The I-Reporter."

In my latest Media Bullseye column I discuss this new breed of reporter as well as some strategies to assist your organization should you find it in the midst of an online crisis.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

A Finger Lickin' Secret

A little food for thought today (har, har) - KFC recently relocated the Colonel's secret recipe to a new, high-tech safe in their corporate office. In order to prevent any foul (did you really think I could resist one more?) play the original handwritten recipe was kept in hiding for five months while KFC installed several security devices in and around the concrete-encapsulated vault!

These days the vast majority of people carry a camera in one form or another. Savvy businesses look at security as an integral part of their crisis prevention plans. Are the keys to your business protected, or are they sitting in a file cabinet asking to be splayed across the Internet?


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Will the Real Todd Black Please Stand Up?

This Orlando Sentinel article provides an outside look at an organization doing just about everything wrong that could be done while managing (well, attempting to manage) a crisis.

In the business world, choosing to employ a tainted individual is equivalent to placing a ticking time bomb in the office. If, in addition, your bread and butter is the business of crisis response and reputation management, then you will not only damage your own credibility but that of every client you have.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

An Insider's View

This past edition of Crisis Manager featured a guest article by a source who is extremely familiar with crises. A 30-year veteran of the Oregon State Police, including his current nine-year stint as Public Information Officer, Gregg Hastings handled the media during the intense search for the missing James Kim family from San Francisco. Gregg Hastings' story details the experience and several insights gleaned from it that anyone in the crisis management field would do well to note.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Did You Really Say That?

The Bimbo Awards take a tongue in cheek look at prominent figures placing their feet firmly in their own mouths. Created by Merrie Spaeth of Spaeth Communications, the criterion for nomination is that the quote causes the listener to believe exactly the opposite of what is being said.

"The winning Bimbo this month goes to who else but Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. His oft repeated line, “I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing,” was voiced endlessly.
(He must be bucking for a book. That’s the only explanation for skipping his own impeachment trial to visit virtually every national TV outlet, including The View, where he refused Joy Behar’s request to say “I’m not a crook.” This was a surreal chapter in American politics.)
MSNBC, “Blagojevich: Corruption arrest ‘surreal,’” January 26, 2009"

Beyond being an excellent source of humor, the Awards serve as a reminder of the trouble poor media training and lack of a polished crisis response plan can bring. Don't end up a Bimbo, be prepared!


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Nine Years Young!

Hopefully my readers will forgive me a bit of horn-tooting here as I celebrate another successful year for Crisis Manager! This newsletter has been a major part of my life - publishing two issues a month, every month, with very few exceptions during its entire nine-year run. I'd like to give thanks to all of the talented guest writers we've had as well as you, the readers, for lending me an ear (or rather, an eye) and a valuable spot in your Inbox!


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Another Professional Opinion

"Perhaps not surprisingly I have recently had discussions with a number of CEOs concerning what politely we call Contingency Planning, or more brutally, Crisis Management. These discussions have ranged from a charity wanting advice in order to be prepared for difficult questions concerning donations, to companies investigating business-threatening product and organizational scenarios. Luckily, none of these discussions has yet turned into a real-life crisis, and taking our discussions further we hope to prevent or reduce any negative outcomes at such time when that happens. What it reiterated to me was that, even in sophisticated organizations crisis management is often swept under the carpet, until it is too late."

If the quality of insight from emerging UK PR blog So Blog keeps up it will be more than worth keeping an eye on. The Crisis Management field could always use more professional voices out there sharing ideas and methods, what do you have to say?


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

"I Screwed Up" -- Crisis Management Obama Style

"I think I screwed up," Obama said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And, I take responsibility for it and we're going to make sure we fix it so it doesn't happen again."

In an astounding demonstration of JUST how different a communicator he's going to be as President, not merely as a candidate, Barack Obama offered the above mea culpa today, speaking of his mistake in handling the nomination of Tom Daschle as Health and Human Services Secretary.

Of course others subordinate to the president made a lot of the errors, but he went right to "the buck stops here" mode and, in so doing, took a giant step towards placing this issue behind him, as it should be.

Regardless of where you stand politically, you'd be hard-pressed not to admit that this confession is a bluntly eloquent introduction to a new era of American leaders.

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
President
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

How Many Arnies is That?

The Courage Campaign, an online organizing network that pushes for progressive change in California, has launched a very unique campaign in an attempt to make Californians take notice of the current budget crisis. In an excellent example of a grassroots issues management campaign, they put a comedic spin on the suggested IOU's Californians may be receiving next month -- instead of financial aid checks or tax refunds -- by asking members of their site to print and use "Arnoldbucks" as real money and film the results.

The California government is just like any other business in that it needs a plan to manage its reputation before a crisis strikes. These types of campaigns can spread a message like wildfire and if you are not prepared to respond you will get burned.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com