Bernstein Crisis Management Blog

The Bernstein Crisis Management Blog is Moving

2012-01-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

Our new blog is up and running!

We've switched a few things up and would love to have our readers share their opinions on the new look and format!

This Blogger page will soon be obsolete, so please change your bookmarks to the new address, http://bernsteincrisismanagementblog.com/.

You will be automatically redirected shortly.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

AAA's Wrong-Way Reputation Management

2011-12-31T08:16:00.000-08:00

Dishonest promotion causes reputation damage

We're always fans of businesses using charitable-type events or offers to promote their reputations. Run things the wrong way though, and you'll find yourself in crisis management mode instead of reaping in the praise.

When AAA announced its "Tipsy Tow" service for New Years Eve, a free tow service for those who celebrated a bit too much to drive themselves, it was heralded by members and non-members alike, but details quickly emerged that changed the picture, and people's perceptions, dramatically.

A quote, from the V3 Integrated Marketing blog:

Here’s the rub. And the part where the crisis looms — the information being reported is wrong.

AAA is NOT offering the Tipsy Tow service in every location across the United States (props to my other smart friend Allen Mirales, and numerous others afterwards, for messaging me on Facebook about this – you guys are awesome).

Unable to resist, I slipped on my trusty Sherlock Holmes hat (sorry, I’ve been dreaming of RDJ ever since the first movie came out) and got busy.

When I called 800-22-4357 (AAA-HELP) the number prominently featured in every article I read online about this promotion, I was advised by a harried operator that this Tipsy Tow business is not a nationwide offering.

She advised that the phones were ringing like crazy about this (no surprise there), and the AAA Tipsy Tow New Year’s Eve Service is only being offered California, Hawaii, Texas, New Mexico and Alabama. Really?

“Not in Florida where I see it reported in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel? “ I said. “No, not in Florida,” she replied.

“Hmmm, and not in Rhode Island, where I see it reported in the Providence Headlines Examiner?” I asked. “No, not in Rhode Island” says she, understandably annoyed by my questions. Scratching head, I thanked her for her help and hung up. I’m sure she was glad.

Lying by omission is still very much lying. By playing up a limited promotion to bolster its reputation in areas that were not in fact part of the offer, AAA drew the ire of customers (and potential customers), resulting in a significant amount of reputation damage.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Take Shelter!

2011-12-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

Social media scare in Jersey

The unfamiliar noise from Jaclyn Boruch's cell phone startled her. She reflexively grabbed it. What she saw next scared her.

In bold red letters were the words "CMAS Alert" followed by "Civil Emergency in this area until 1:24 PM EST Take Shelter Now U.S. Govern."

The emergency alert message took up her entire screen. It locked her Android phone for several minutes.

"I didn’t know if it was something happening in the ocean, some happening on land or coming out of the sky. I had no idea so that’s why it was so frightening," said Boruch, 22, marketing director at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County in Asbury Park.

This quote, from an NJ.com article by Eunice Lee, describes an incident that sent residents of several New Jersey counties into a panic early last week. It was only hours before police had confirmed with Verizon that the message had been a test of their crisis management system, but not before local law enforcement had been inundated with calls from concerned residents.

One county, Monmouth, actually halted the crisis in its tracks with a message from its own text-based crisis management system, "THERE IS NO EMERGENCY. The 'take shelter' message that Verizon sent IS NOT a VALID message. DO NOT CALL THE POLICE."

The reaction from residents speaks well to the wide reach of these new crisis management systems and, as more and more are integrated into emergency services every day, we're sure it's not the last slip-up we'll see.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

You Might Be a Crisis Manager If...

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Jeff Foxworthy, eat your heart out. It’s easy to make jokes about rednecks. Try making jokes about crisis management! The Foxworthy influence MIGHT just be recognized in the one-liners that follow. I invite readers to add their own via blog comments. Please note that when you do so, you’re giving me permission to reprint them in my newsletter or other online communications as well.

You might be a crisis manager if...

…you realize your hair is on fire but know that it’s more important to dodge the truck about to hit you first.

…you can imagine yourself possessing the mind of someone from a completely different background or even a different sex.

…chickens running around with their heads off don’t bother you.

…you can translate legalese to plain English in seconds.

…you can train old corporate dogs to do new tricks

…you can persuade stoned protestors chained to your front gates that you’re their friend.

…you can launch a blog, post multiple social media messages, and eat lunch…all in a half hour.

…you can make lemonade with ANYTHING you have on hand.

Have fun with this!

Jonathan Bernstein

Did Someone Break the Delete Button?

2011-12-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes there's no option but to delete

Retailer Lowe's is in the midst of a social media breakdown, as thousands of racist comments flood a post on their Facebook page explaining why it's pulled advertising from the TLC show, "All American Muslim."

Media across the country caught wind of the situation, resulting in even more reputation management troubles for the company, as you can see in this quote, from an AdWeek article by Ben Popken:

"If Lowe's was concerned about spreading hate speech, you would think that they would filter and delete the worst [comments]," says Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). "It's hard to tell if leaving them up is intentional or not." CAIR sent Lowe's CEO Robert Niblock a letter on Monday requesting a meeting to discuss the pulling of ads from the TLC show but has received no response so far. Late Tuesday, CAIR plans to release a statement condemning Lowe's for allowing the bigoted speech to remain on its Facebook wall.

Edit: Lowe's finally wiped the post on Wednesday, after it had stood for five days and gathered 22,000+ comments.

While we typically discourage "Delete Button Crisis Management," when things go beyond passionate discussion and turn into defamation and outright hatred, it's time to pull the trigger.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

PayPal Loves Cats, Hates People

2011-12-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

Weak crisis response leads to reputation damage

Early last week, PayPal found itself on the receiving end of a Facebook beat down when it suddenly put a halt to the "Secret Santa" charity drive being run by Regretsy.com (careful, content is NSFW at times) because they had used the wrong button to collect donations.

Regretsy's staff had quite a go around with several PayPal staffers, and posted quotes from the conversations on their site, including this gem:

PAYPAL: Only a nonprofit can use the Donate button.
ME: That’s false. It says right in the PDF of instructions for the Donate button that it can be used for “worthy causes.”
PAYPAL: I haven’t seen that PDF. And what you’re doing is not a worthy cause, it’s charity.
ME: What’s the difference?
PAYPAL: You can use the donate button to raise money for a sick cat, but not poor people.

Angry users flocked to PayPal's Facebook page, flooding it with images and comments for over 12 hours before the company woke up and started deleting posts like no tomorrow, looking all the more guilty for it.

So much for social media monitoring and strategy, eh?

PayPal finally calmed the fire with its first smart crisis management move of the entire situation, a blog post that gave a very generic explanation, but did well in discussing PayPal's support of charity, commitment to customer safety, and not only admitted error, but also explained what would be done to fix it.

Overall, a weak crisis response from PayPal that's already cost them in reputation damage, lost customers, and lost fees, all of which could have been avoided with some quality customer service and a bit of flexibility.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

What's Your Reputation Worth?

2011-12-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

Putting a price on complacence

Mismanaging your reputation is almost guaranteed to cost big bucks, yet even multi-billion dollar organizations tend to gloss over this crucial part of crisis management.

The main reason corporate execs offer is that they believe the results of an investment in reputation management "can't be quantified". Well, here's some quantification for you, from an article by Issue Outcomes' Tony Jacques titled, "When Share Price Puts a Value on Brand Reputation:"

Cause and effect is sometimes hard to assess when it comes to the share market, but the cost of mismanagement can be brutal. For example, Google has long been one of the world's most valuable brands (ranked fourth in the latest Interbrand rankings), and earlier this year new CEO Larry Page was expected to explain to an analyst's conference why quarterly revenue was well under forecast. Instead the CEO spoke less than 400 words of general optimism, then signed off. Wall Street hammered the stock, wiping $US15 billion off the value of Google in a single day.

How much would it have cost Google to bring in one reputation management expert and one media trainer the weekend before the conference? The highest paid in the world wouldn't have made a scratch compared to the $15 billion loss the weak presentation caused.

Quantified? I think so.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Again...Shut the Hell Up

2011-12-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

Last month, we featured Rick Kelly's article about Jerry Sandusky's crisis communications, "When Shut the Hell Up is the Best Advice." Unfortunately for them, it looks like Sandusky's camp missed this piece, because now his lawyer's the one offering up quotes that place more than a little cause for doubt on his innocence. Here's Rick's latest piece, from the Triad Communications blog:

Again, Shut the Hell Up

A couple of weeks ago, following Jerry Sandusky’s a poorly executed NBC interview, I wrote that sometimes the best crisis communication advice is “shut the hell up,” even though most of us who provide crisis comm. counsel are predisposed to encourage clients to tell their side of the story.

Specifically, Sandusky committed the cardinal sin of failing to adequately prepare for his interview with Bob Costas, which should have consisted of anticipating the potential questions, identifying the appropriate responses, and practicing the delivery. Sandusky appeared to have done none of those things.

This week, his lawyer, Joe Amendola, provides another example of why sometimes it’s better to shut your pie-hole if you do not understand the news media and cannot muster enough “message discipline” to keep from exacerbating your client’s troubles.

Following is a verbatim transcript of a portion of Amendola’s videotaped interview with Harrisburg Patriot-News reporter Sara Ganim, who asked Amendola whether there may be a point where he sits down with Sandusky “to talk about a different strategy.”

Amendola: “That could happen down the road, if more allegations come forth, and if Jerry gets the point where he realizes that fighting against more than the original eight allegations might be a real uphill battle. As I’ve said all along, we’re in a position where we’re climbing a mountain. It’s probably Mount Everest, just because the way the media coverage has progressed, and now we're starting from the bottom, fighting our way up. But the bottom line remains that Jerry has always maintained his innocence, from the outset of the first allegations, and he continues to maintain his innocence. Now again, what happens with any additional charges which may be filed, but as of yet haven’t, remains to be seen.”

Ganim: “But you’re looking at maybe a dozen, maybe more. What is the point where you say, ‘maybe we should talk about a plea deal?’ And are you already having those conversations with the AG’s office?”
Amendola: “No we haven’t. And as a matter of fact, you know from your experience, Sara, that people who maintain their innocence sometimes plead guilty just because of the overwhelming evidence against them. And there have been many people who have gone to trial who were convicted of very serious crimes, including homicides, and executed, and it later turned out they were innocent. So, there’s a lot of reasons why people decide to do certain things. But at this point Jerry has maintained his innocence in regard to the allegations he knows about, and he wants to defend, and I'm trying to give him that opportunity.”

Reporters are driven by an insatiable desire to be the first to predict an outcome. It’s not a bad thing; it’s just the nature of the job. Inevitably, it can lead to an endless barrage of “what-if” questions, which on their face may sound harmless, but which often are far from it. I liken it to a dangerous part of town called “Speculation Avenue,” populated not by hookers or hustlers, but reporters. They can’t write a story about what could happen unless you help them by loaning them your name and credibility. And once you do, you may have trouble getting it back.

Perhaps without knowing it, Amendola was invited to cross Speculation Avenue. And cross he did – in the middle of the block, at rush hour, against the light, without looking. The news coverage the following day flattened him like Wyle E. Coyote. Nearly 4,000 news outlets and blogs picked the story up.
“Sandusky lawyer may eventually urge plea deal,” the Patriot-News front-page headline read. When Fox News called, Amendola said it “is not accurate” to say that his client would consider a plea deal if more allegations arose. Predictably, Fox News parlayed it into a pissing contest between Amendola and the Patriot-News.

Later, Amendola issued a media statement that said, in part:
“I was asked ‘would your strategy change if the AG filed new charges involving 15 or 20 new alleged victims?’ I responded, IF that happened, in addition to the planned course of defending against all the charges, I would have to discuss other possible alternatives with Jerry. I wouldn’t be fulfilling my legal obligation to him if I didn’t discuss those other alternatives with him, including the possibility of a plea.”
Amendola went on to “explain” that his response “was analogous to saying, if weather forecasters were predicting a blizzard next week, which they are not, I would have to at least consider the possibility of postponing my scheduled trip to Philadelphia.”

OK, let’s review: he allows himself to be drawn into speculation over what his legal strategy might be (including the specific context of a plea agreement), later disassociates himself from it, then concedes that he would be obligated to discuss a plea with his client even if that’s not what he had said in the interview, and finally, likens his response to a theoretical trip to Philly in a blizzard that is not in the forecast. Are you with me so far?

There’s a better way – avoid Speculation Avenue altogether. Here’s how the interview could have gone:

Reporter: Is there a point when you sit down with your client and talk about a different strategy?

Lawyer: My client is innocent. My strategy is to prove it.

Reporter: But isn’t it possible that you would seek a plea agreement?

Lawyer: That’s not my plan. My client is innocent. I intend to prove it.

Reporter: But if there are additional allegations, and the evidence is overwhelming, wouldn’t you owe it to your client to at least discuss a plea, even if he’s innocent? Because, in my experience, innocent people often have their own reasons for accepting a plea agreement.

Lawyer: I’m talking about what my strategy is, not about what it could be. My client is innocent, and I intend to prove it. Excuse me, but if you don’t have any other questions, I’m late for my squash match.

Two disclaimers: First, none of this speaks to Amendola’s strategy for a court of law. Clearly, however, he did not help his client in the Court of Public Opinion.

Finally, this clinical dissection of communication issues does not equate to a lack of caring about the alleged victims. Having worked with numerous organizations and individuals who have been hurt, sometimes very deeply, by various acts of sexual misconduct and assault, I understand that the victims are always the last to heal, and sometimes never do.

Rick Kelly is Directory of Crisis Communications for Triad Strategies

Informed Employees

2011-12-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Don't forget your front lines

When you're in the midst of the flurry of activity that is crisis management, it's easy to focus on communication with those outside your organization. Often forgotten, though, are the people still handling day-to-day operations.

In a Forbes interview, Thomas Watjen, the CEO that drove insurance giant Unum from near disaster to success story in the midst of economic downturn, described how he kept employees informed and engaged during the rapid changes in corporate culture:

The most important thing we did was separate the issues we had to deal with to “right the ship,” including dealing with regulatory and capital concerns. We said to our employees, “Listen, some of us will be focusing exclusively on putting these issues behind us, and the best thing you can do is focus on our customers.” We opened up the communication channels with our employees to be sure they knew all the issues we were working on and kept them updated on how those issues were progressing.

We felt it was important to keep employees focused on our customers because if you solve the problems and lose your customers in the process, you don’t have a business.

The last sentence really says it all. While your efforts are going into reputation management, crisis communication, and operational shifts, remember that you've still got a business to run, and in order for them to do their best work, you've got to have informed employees.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Trust

2011-12-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

Safeguard this valuable asset

Regardless of what your business is, trust plays a major factor. The problem with this is that by their very nature, crises undermine trust. They prove that you have vulnerabilities, and often demonstrate that you don't have them protected very well.

How then, do you maintain the trust of your clients, customers, and the public in the midst of managing a crisis? That was the question posed in a recent Entrepreneur magazine interview to BCM president Jonathan Bernstein, who had this to say:

If a crisis hits your firm, says Jonathan Bernstein, who founded Sierra Madre, Calif.-based Bernstein Crisis Management 17 years ago, take the lead in making your case to the public. And he's not talking about just covering your you-know-what. Be frank about your problems by providing answers even before your critics start asking questions.

"In the absence of communication, rumor and innuendo fill the gap," Bernstein says. "Either you communicate or other people will communicate for you."

It's Crisis Management 101 - become not only a source, but also the best source for information about your own situation. Do this, and you can quash those damaging rumors before they get out of control.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

E-Reporters

2011-11-28T10:28:00.000-08:00

It's not just the pros anymore

...the definition of “the media” has changed. Today, anyone with a smartphone and YouTube is a TV journalist. Anyone with a smartphone and Facebook is a photojournalist. Anyone with a laptop and a blog is a newspaper reporter. The citizen journalist is the person with news to share and a way to share it. Quickly.

This quote, from a ProBlogService blog post by Erik Deckers, describes what I call "E-Reporters." At first a niche group, the immense surge in popularity of social media has thrust many amateur, often accidental, reporters into the limelight.

E-reporting is so popular that it's spawned a meme of its own, "In Case of Fire, Exit Building BEFORE Tweeting About It." As with most memes, it doesn't stray far from the truth, as regular citizens have provided inside reports of disasters, both natural and man-made, to inform the public as well as assist groups like police and rescue services with crisis management.

What does this mean to your organization? It all falls under basic crisis communications really, know when people are talking about you, listen, and respond. Of course, this is all made easier if you have the forethought to create a web presence and make some E-friends before trouble comes knocking.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Shut Down Negative Chatter

2011-11-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

Word of mouth has very long reach

At some point, an individual will have a problem with your organization. In the past they would tell a friend, who would then would tell two friends, and so on. Bad news, yes, but the information rarely got far. Now, instead of merely telling a friend, the complaint is posted on Twitter and Facebook for not only friends, but also anyone searching terms related to your name or brand, considerably widening the reach, and drastically increasing your need to respond.

So what exactly should you do when the Twitter alerts start flowing in? Word of mouth specialist Andy Sernovitz recently shared his tips for quickly shutting down negative talk in a SmartBlog Social Media blog post:

Don’t waste time. The faster you respond to an upset customer, the better your odds of converting them into a happy fan. Even if all you can do is let them know you’re listening and that you’ll have to get back to them, a quick response can help calm them before they have the chance to further complain.
Speak like a real person. The easiest way to turn a little negative word of mouth into a full-blown crisis is to respond like a stilted, corporate public relations robot. When you respond, put a human face on your company by speaking genuinely, identifying who you are and making it easy for them to follow up with you.
Point to independent sources. You want to do everything you can to avoid a debate, but sometimes it’s important to explain your side of the story. When doing this, you’ll get the most credibility by pointing to independent, third-party sources. This was a key strategy UPS used to defend its brand during a PR crisis around new industry legislation.
Write for the record. Above all, you need to always be conscious of the scale of the audience when you’re responding to negative word of mouth online. Even tiny blogs in obscure corners of the Internet have the potential for things to get picked up and blown out of proportion. But if you respond like a human with a sincere attempt to fix the issue, everyone will see that you acted in good faith and tried to do the right thing — regardless of the outcome

Although the mediums used to communicate have shifted, these rules are essentially the same that have applied to quality crisis communication for many years. Respond to critics quickly, avoid suspicion-raising jargon, use outside experts to raise credibility, and remember who your audience is.

I would add to this one key step to the top of this list: look at the criticism and see if it's warranted. If it is, you've got to fix the problem before moving further. This approach should satisfy or even convert all but the most committed trolls, who will either have retreated after you've fixed any outstanding issues, or lost so much credibility their talk does not merit a response.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

FEMA's National Test

2011-11-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

Strong communication means straight talk

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's first nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System took place earlier this month, and although there were some hitches encountered, the agency was a fine example of communication following the test.

A quote, from the FEMA blog:

So now that the test has occurred, we know many of you may be wondering…what next?

Well, first, we’ll be spending the next few weeks gathering test result data from the test’s participants, and feedback from all of our stakeholders. Under the FCC’s rules, test participants have 45 days from the date of the test to analyze their data and provide a full report to the FCC on the scope and reach of the test. In the meantime, FEMA is also interested in hearing from any stakeholders who want to share feedback about how the test worked and ways we can continue to improve it. We encourage you to email us at ipaws@dhs.gov with any tips, suggestions or input you may have.

And looking ahead, this test was just the beginning of our much larger efforts to strengthen and upgrade our nation’s public alert and warning system.

The post goes on to describe future efforts to include new technologies such as smartphones in the system, and, in an astute move, thanks the public for their "partnership" in developing the program.

FEMA has slowly crept up as a leader in high-tech communication among government agencies and really, businesses as a whole. Corporate bigwigs would do well to take note not only of the agency's emergency advisory and mapping systems, but its straightforward communication style, when creating their own crisis plans.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Convincing the C-Suite

2011-11-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

Convincing doubtful execs is easier than it seems

Crises of reputation and operation happen every day, yet for some reason one of the most daunting tasks facing those assigned with crisis management is to get a budget that will actually cover the costs involved.

In a recent interview with Ragan's Matt Wilson, BCM president Jonathan Bernstein gave his advice for getting the C-suite on board:

So how might one convince stubborn executives, often the biggest roadblocks to having a thorough crisis response plan, that the expense is worth it? The sad truth, Bernstein says, is that companies often have to get burned a time or two before they take preparedness seriously.

But, he says, the best ammunition for the argument in favor of planning is case histories from other businesses, especially if those businesses are similar to yours. Find them and share them often, Bernstein suggests.

With prime examples making front page news daily, there's no shortage of evidence to support your cause, but you've got to make it as clear cut as possible. Make them understand that there's plenty of precedent to show that investing in prevention will save your organization big in the long run.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

When "Shut the Hell Up" is the Best Advice

2011-11-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

The entire Sandusky/Penn State situation continues to capture national attention not only because it is one of the worst college scandals in history, but also for the spectacularly bad crisis management strategy of those involved. In this guest piece from crisis management pro Rick Kelly, originally posted at the Triad Strategies blog, he dissects Jerry Sandusky's recent 60 Minutes interview:

When "Shut the Hell Up" is the Best Advice

First, a disclaimer: what you’re about to read is not about a defense strategy in a court of law. Rather, it’s about the court of public opinion, and how one should or should not navigate that venue.

On Monday, Jerry Sandusky, who a week earlier was indicted on 40 counts of sexual assault, submitted to a telephone interview with NBC’s Bob Costas. Costas’ questions were good ones, but not exactly the kind of chin-music one would expect from, say, 60 Minutes’ Steve Croft.

Costas began the interview with a broad question asking Sandusky for his response to the charges. After Sandusky proclaimed his innocence, Costas said: “Innocent? Completely innocent and falsely accused in every aspect?”

“Well, I could say that I have done some of those things,” Sandusky said, and went on to acknowledge showering with young boys, “horsing around,” hugging them and touching their legs “without intent of sexual contact.”

Later, Costas asked Sandusky whether he is a pedophile. Sandusky responded, “No.”

Costas followed up: “Are you sexually attracted to young boys, to under-aged boys?”

“Am I sexually attracted to under-aged boys? Sexually attracted? No, no, I enjoy young people. I love to be around them. Um, I… I… But no, I am not sexually attracted to young boys.”

And finally, in response to Costas’ finale about how Sandusky feels about being portrayed as a criminal and a monster:

“I don’t know what I can say or what I could say that would make anybody feel any different now. I would just say that if, somehow, people could hang on until my attorney has a chance to fight, you know, for my innocence, that that’s about all I could ask right now. I… and, you know, obviously it’s a huge challenge.”

Crisis management and crisis communication practitioners most oftenencourage their clients to face the news media, especially if they are innocent and have a counterpoint to what they’re accused of doing. Perhaps the strategy for Sandusky and his attorney was to establish a perception of innocence.

To pull it off, however, the accused must be prepared, show some emotion and energy, employ unequivocal denials and express some sympathy toward victims.

Costas did not ask a single question that couldn’t and shouldn’t have been anticipated, and yet Sandusky seemed caught off guard. He responded without emotion or energy. Other than his answer to the question about whether he is a pedophile, he failed to respond unequivocally to any of the accusations.

Although doing so would have entailed walking a very difficult tightrope, he did not express any degree of sympathy for the alleged victims or their families, or seem very remorseful even for the one thing he acknowledged he shouldn’t have done, showering with the boys.

As predictable as Costas’ questions were on Monday night, so too was the reaction among the news and sports pundits the next day. Sandusky was absolutely pilloried on every news and talk show across the TV and radio dials, all day long.

Will he be deemed guilty in a court of law? We’ll see. Did he do himself one iota of good in the court of public opinion? Not so much.

Rick Kelly is director of crisis communications for Pennsylvania-based Triad Strategies

Hack Attack Hits Steam

2011-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Data Grabs the New B&E?

The latest victim of a high profile hack attack is Valve Software's Steam platform. Steam is used to digitally distribute over 1,000 of the most popular games online, which obviously means its databases hold a large amount of sensitive information such as names, addresses, passwords and credit card numbers.

Valve started its crisis management off right by immediately announcing both the fact that the attack had occurred and outlining the scope of the hacker's take, as well as reassurances that there was no evidence of credit card information actually being unencrypted and a promise to investigate further, and, as the following quote from a Forbes article by Daniel Nye Griffiths explains, Steam shouldn't be hurt much by the incident:

With Electronic Arts pushing their own download service, Origin, hard, this could have come at a better time for Steam. However, as the story stands at the moment it is wholly survivable. When the PlayStation Network was hack in April, there was much anger, but in the end the value provided by PSN was sufficiently great that by June network activity was back to 90% of pre-hack levels. As long as Steam is contrite, service is not badly disrupted and the consequences are not unexpectedly severe, this should be a manageable crisis.

Steam, as with the Playstation Network, is in a strong position to bounce back from crises due to having a rabid fan base that is extremely reliant on the services provided. For companies like these, alienating customers through a change of service or culture would be far more damaging than anything a hacker could do.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Penn State's Crisis Management Mistakes - ESPN Interview

2011-11-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

THE biggest scandal in sports history

The scandal at Penn State is on the tip of everyone's tongues, and the series of wrong-way crisis management decisions made by the university's top brass are only cementing the reputation damage that's being done.

Interviewed this morning by host Bo Bounds on the “Out of Bounds” ESPN radio talk show out of football-crazy Jackson, Mississippi, Jonathan Bernstein gave his thoughts on the entire sordid situation.

Many thanks to the folks at "Out of Bounds" for making Bernstein Re Penn State Scandal immediately available to us.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Turn Bad Publicity Around

2011-11-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

When life hands you lemons...

Every business makes mistakes, and at some point or another the media's going to pounce on one of yours. When this happens, it will be your reaction that determines whether your reputation bounces back or takes a pounding.

In every case you should apologize and demonstrate what you've done to fix the issue at hand, but taking things further can actually bring you out of crisis stronger than you went in. Here's one example, from a PRDaily article by Crenshaw PR's Dorothy Crenshaw:

Share your lessons.

Office Depot, a client of my former firm, took advantage of its own experience weathering successive hurricanes at its Delray Beach, Flor., headquarters over a period of years. It turned adversity to advantage with a PR campaign that focused on disaster preparation and management for small businesses, a key customer segment.

It's common for crises to offer opportunities to actually advance your reputation, so keep your eyes open in the midst of all the action.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Protect Your Rep

2011-11-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Safeguard this valuable asset

Reputation matters. People are Googling companies before they buy product, invest, or attend events. Heck, it's not unusual for us to use our smartphones to assess a manufacturer while literally standing in a store looking at one of its products.

The question this should raise for business owners is, what does the Web say about you? It's easy enough to check, just type in your organization's name and see what comes up. The most likely scenario, unless you've found yourself in trouble recently, is that you see press releases, or even nothing at all. While some may breathe a sigh of relief at that, you'd be falling into a common trap. With no information out there, the first bad report that hits the net is going to spring to the front, and guess what these eager customers are going to see when they're deciding whether to do business with you?

On Tuesday, December 13, BCM president Jonathan Bernstein will be presenting a free online reputation management webinar titled, "Reputation Combat: Protecting Your Company's Online Reputation" to help you get safeguard this extremely valuable asset, as well as plan crisis management strategies in case it should be compromised.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

The Shape of Crisis Communication

2011-10-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

How much has the game changed?

The rise of social media was said by some to indicate the beginning of a reclusive state, where communication was done from our individual devices while everyone stayed at home, or in the office. While it's true that most of us have our nose buried in Tweets or status updates for a significant part of the day, it's also brought about some unexpected real-world circumstances, as this quote from a PR News Online article explains:

Deveney said the current Occupy Wall Street movement may be the next catalyst of change in crisis communications. "This movement is fascinating," he said. "One would think that if everything is going in the direction of social media and the movement is so youthful, that everybody would be sitting in coffeehouses and cubicles and Facebooking and tweeting. Instead people are coming together in real spaces and creating community.

Far from isolating people, social media is now being used to bring large groups together in the real-world to take the virtual conversations face-to-face. What this does is enforce something that we've long known about crisis communications - while technology provides us amazing tools to gather and share information, a living, breathing human holds more sway than any electronic communication possibly could.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Watch Your Step with Social Media

2011-10-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

Get prepared before trouble finds you

As social media becomes more and more prevalent in our lives, so too do social media based crises. Just looking at the pages of this blog you'll find story after story of runaway Twitter posts and customer-alienating Facebook gaffes. How, then, does the novice social media user stay out of trouble? In a Globe and Mail article, business expert Tony Wilson gave four tips to avoid your own crisis situation:

It’s not just teenagers who damage their reputations using social media. If you’re in business, the legal profession or any other sector in which confidentiality is of the utmost importance, what you say online can be used by your competitors or others to the detriment of your company and your career. “Should I be tweeting at all?” has to be the first question you ask yourself.
The damage can be done without you realizing it. Even the most harmless comments within something as mundane as a job description or a status update can reveal to others whose job it is to keep an eye on you, a new process or technology. So if you’re in high-tech, be careful what you say about what you do, especially on LinkedIn.
It’s important to have social media policies in place within your organization so that all employees, from the CEO down, are conscious of the blunders they can make by even the most innocuous updates or posts. Employees should be made aware that breach of these policies will have serious consequences, including the possibility of dismissal. These policies can and should be incorporated within employment agreements.
Someone within the organization should be tasked with regularly educating employees from the CEO down on the hazards of social media use, including updates on the horror stories that are reported in the media every day.

What most of these boil down to is a prime tenet of crisis management: preparedness is key. If everyone involved is properly trained, educated, and aware, the risk of trouble falls dramatically.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Crisis Management in the Real World

2011-10-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Fictional story prompts real talk

A new movie, "Margin Call," seeks to give audiences a glimpse into the world of fast paced, high level crisis management. While it misses the mark in terms of reality, Forbes business writer Coeli Carr saw the film as a perfect opportunity to talk with BCM president Jonathan Bernstein about coping with crisis.

In the interview, BCM president Jonathan Bernstein gave three situations that call for immediate crisis management:

When the crisis seriously threatens your reputation. “Your company’s reputation is its most valuable asset, and the court of public opinion can literally dismantle a business,” says Bernstein, noting the classic example of Arthur Andersen, the accounting firm that counted Enron as a client. “Andersen’s reputation was damaged not just because of what they had done, but because of poor communication and refusing to acknowledge anyone working for them could make a mistake.”
When the crisis can cause dramatic harm to your bottom line. The impact on your financial situation can lead to interruption of your business operations.
When the crisis affects day-to-day business operations, which means you can no longer serve your clients. “If your customers perceive inconsiderate or unethical behavior, they’ll bail on you,” says Bernstein, noting the recent Netflix debacle.

Jonathan's new book, "Managers Guide to Crisis Management" (McGraw-Jill, 2011) seeks to give managers (or aspiring managers!) a leg up on the often-daunting tasks associated with crisis prevention, response, and management in today's rapid fire business climate.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

He Wrote WHAT?

2011-10-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hot tempered exec crosses the line

We've seen crises caused by errant emails, we've seen crises caused by potty-mouthed execs, but throw both of those at a blogger that has well over 100,000 followers and you've got a truly spectacular mess on your hands. Check out this quote about the incident, from an AdWeek article by David Griner:

The blogger in question is Jenny Lawson, best known as "The Bloggess" and named by Nielsen as one of "Top 50 Most Powerful Mom Bloggers." She recently received a poorly worded pitch from the agency about the Kardashians, and she sent back her usual reply—a picture of Internet man-meme Wil Wheaton collating paper. The BrandLink PR rep, "Erica," responded a bit defensively. But it was the vp, "Jose," who stepped well over the line with a reply-all calling Lawson a bitch. She wrote back, prompting Jose to dig himself a deeper hole by replying that she "should be flattered that you are even viewed relevant enough to be pitched at all."

While dropping the B-word was a very immature act, to me the real insult was the statement that the blogger (and, by extension, her readers), "should be flattered that you are even viewed relevant enough to be pitched at all."

Well, BrandLink, if you're pitching product placement shots to a blog, then obviously you think its readers are potential customers and, really, it's you who should be flattered that they buy your product and/or support whatever celeb you're pushing.

If I were the Kardashians I'd be taking my considerable PR budget elsewhere, you don't need the firm responsible for your publicity creating crisis management nightmares out of nothing.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

VYou!

2011-10-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

BCM gets involved in conversational video

As Crisis Manager readers already know, we've been playing with a new toy for the past few days. VYou, a social media startup that accurately describes its service as "conversational video," allows users to submit questions to an expert, which the expert then answers in the form of a video.

Luckily for us, we have a resident expert, one Jonathan Bernstein, founder and president of Bernstein Crisis Management, to answer all of your questions (crisis management or PR related please, or we could stray into some dangerous territory!).

We've already had quite a few people test his mettle with questions like these:

What is the first thing to do when faced with a crisis?

Is it better to respond immediately ot a crisis that is being covered in the press or is it better to wait and formulate a response?

Is it beneficial to involve legal counsel in a crisis involving legal issues or will it appear as "admission" of wrong doing?

What would you tell managers at all levels who are 55+ to make them understand the importance of being prepared for social media crisis?

How do you use social media as part of managing a crisis?

Here's an example, straight from our VYou:

If you'd like to see more video responses, have a question of your own, or are just curious about VYou, head on over to our page and check it out!

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Social Disaster Management

2011-10-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

Be prepared to help your community

When natural disasters get bad, they often take out wired communication sources, namely cable and telephone lines. In these times, people look to anyone they can for information about the outside world.

If you are a service provider, be it electricity or firefighting, you need to be prepared to assist with crisis management by alternate means. The prevalence of mobile phones makes social media the logical vehicle for this, as this quote from a Kelliher Samets Volk blog post explains:

Only when we’re in the eye of the storm do we realize how important it is to provide the most basic of information to our customers – to help them in their time of crisis and need. In these circumstances, customers don’t have the patience for corporate-speak or marketing messages – they want help, a sounding board, a trusted friend.

That’s you.

Fortunately, social media and digital channels afford brands an incredible one-to-one and one-to-many two-way connection with customers. And, for those customers who lose power, it is perhaps their only connection to the outside world.

During hurricane Irene, everyone from University employees, to local police stations, to utility companies pitched in to provide updates about emergency services, shelters, first aid stations, and the storm's movements, saving lives and preventing damage in the process. The better prepared we are, the more effective the response, so get to planning.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

BofA Skips Crisis Management 101

2011-10-11T11:35:00.001-07:00

Poor preparation results in reputation damage

Bank of America caused a major uproar early this month when it announced that the majority of its customers will be charged $5 per month for debit card use. The reasoning behind this, at least according to BofA, is that new regulations have raised the cost of offering debit services, so in a classy move the bank has immediately passed this expense onto their customers.

When you know you've got bad news to announce, it's extremely important to properly prepare, as BCM president Jonathan Bernstein remarked in a recent Ragan.com interview:

Bank of America ignored what Jonathan Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management calls "the most basic precepts of crisis prevention."

"Any seasoned PR practitioner knows that an organization needs to do the research necessary to anticipate and mitigate public reaction before they implement a major operational decision," he says. Other banks should take note, Bernstein argues.

Bank of America had to know that there would be a backlash after its announcement, yet the canned and, I suspect to the affected customers, rather offensive responses (example: "The economics of offering a debit card have changed with recent regulations.") show that it was unprepared for crisis management.

At some point every business has to share bad news, it's how they do it that exacerbates, or mitigates, a crisis.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Helping Them, Helps You

2011-10-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

Make media and the public your allies against crisis

It is vital to keep the media and public on your side. Ideally, this process will have started before any crisis occurs, through fostering relationships with journalists, bloggers and, of course, your customers.

Once the crisis has occurred, you keep them on your side by being helpful and giving them the information for which they ask. Let them know what you are doing to fix the situation and how long it will take.

What this quote, from a PRDaily article by Dan Harvey, is saying seems to be common sense, but ignoring this advice has caused (and continues to cause) more crises than I can count.

As far as customers, you can have the most dynamic, awesome Facebook splash page on the planet, but if you aren't giving top-quality service then you're going to have trouble. Amazing customer service will provide you a bank of good will that is guaranteed to cushion the blow of any crisis that may rear its head.

The media needs stories to give its customers, just as you need products or services to give yours. If you find yourself the focus of the "gone wrong" story du jour, share as much as you can, without violating legal or ethical rules of course, and grateful reporters are likely to listen up when you've got positive news to tell.

It's a proven fact that the effectiveness of crisis management is greatly increased when you have positive relationships formed beforehand. Use the many social media tools at your disposal to not only advertise and market, but seek out these relationships before a crisis hits, because if you wait until you're in trouble you aren't likely to find many friendly faces.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Rebuilding Reputation

2011-10-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

Do the right thing and the public will forgive

Whether in daily life or business, negative situations bring a negative reaction. It's how we behave after the fact that shapes the way we are perceived. Attempt to cover up the facts, and people smell a rat. Take the high road and admit your mistakes while actively seeking a solution and you're likely to silence critics while moving towards a resolution, and, ultimately, returning to business as usual.

This quote, from Jay Baer's Convince and Convert blog, describes one such situation:

Perhaps the most storied example of this is Dell’s magnificent use of its blog when laptop batteries were literally blowing up, setting their laptops on fire. By embracing the issue, Dell went a long way toward resolving the matter and defusing anger directed at the brand.

Despite what many believe, the public is more than willing to forgive and forget, but it takes the right type of crisis management. Show them you care about more than what's in their wallets, and your happy customers will become staunch supporters.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Toyota's Social Crisis Management

2011-10-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

Take the conversation to your customers

The Toyota recall of 2010 was perhaps one of the most devastating crises in terms of sheer logistics and media pressure that we've seen in recent history. The media pressure was made especially powerful because social media users latched onto the story, with bad news and negative commentary about the brand popping up 24/7.

Besides the physical recall of vehicles and research into why they malfunctioned, Toyota knew its crisis management had to reach stakeholders where the conversation was, and that meant social media. It chose the (as of now, formerly) popular Digg as the platform.

Mashable reports:

On February 8, Toyota served up Jim Lentz, president of Toyota’s North American sales operation, to the masses in the form of a Digg Dialogg. In many ways, the appearance was a stroke of genius. For one thing, Lentz didn’t actually appear on Digg, but on a dedicated video site. The questions, which were voted on by fans (the ones with the most votes rose to the top) also wound up being pretty softball. “They were mostly general questions, like ‘What kind of car does Mr. Lentz drive?’” says Florence Drakton, social media manager. (“That’s a great question,” a clearly relieved Lentz answers.) Lentz’s interview, which ran 28 minutes, is still available on YouTube:

It was hard to beat the reach Toyota got from the appearance. Within a week, the Dialogg had received 1.2 million views. “Probably the biggest indicator of interest was there were 3,200 questions,” says Drakton. “Only celebrities have gotten that much.” In addition to reaching a fairly big audience, the Dialogg gave Toyota the appearance of achieving social media branding nirvana: Transparency.

The Digg interview definitely had the opportunity to be a difficult one, especially with the questions being voted on by the public, but it was also a brilliant move because of the inherent honesty in the process.

Toyota knew it had messed up and offered up its leader for what was essentially an open Q&A session. THAT is giving the public the type of transparency that it desires, then I don't know what is.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

There Is No Overkill

2011-10-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

Over-preparation is the best path

With memories of devastating storms still fresh and painful in the minds of many, the coming of Hurricane Irene was nothing short of scary. Public safety officials leapt into action, just as they had been criticized for not doing in the past, but when the storm passed by relatively quietly many were just as critical of what they called "overkill" crisis management planning.

In a Prudence Consulting Group blog post, Mae Mechkati explained the crisis prevention efforts that were criticized in New York City:

Prepare and use disaster plans especially in cases where human lives are in danger, even it feels like overkill.
If the exact duration of a potential disaster situation is unknown, anticipate and plan for a lengthy period. Planning for the longer period will eliminate the sense of confusion for short and long term.
Use all sources of communication to communicate the plan and message to your team and the general public. Luckily, Hurricane Irene was so newsworthy that you had to be living in a cave not to know what you needed and how to prepare for its arrival.
Establish and appoint key leaders and decision makers. In this case in NYC, all key people were in attendance and swiftly coordinated and responded to the crisis management program in place. They had their team in place to immediately respond to unexpected situations.

We are 100% in agreement that, when human lives hang in the balance, there is no such thing as overkill. If you have the means at hand then there's absolutely no reason not to use them, even if you may face the peanut gallery mocking you for over-reacting afterwards.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Social Media Crises on the Rise

2011-10-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Proof that you need to be prepared

Social media crises are on the rise, but 76% of those that occurred since 2001 could have been diminished or averted with the proper social media investments, according to a report by Altimeter Group released on Wednesday.

For the report, entitled “Social Business Readiness: How Advanced Companies Prepare Internally,” Altimeter Group analyzed 50 social media crises that have occurred since 2001 and found that those reaching mainstream media have risen steadily through the past decade, with just 1-2 incidents per year in the first five years and a total of 10 social media crises last year alone.

This quote, from a Mashable Business article by Erica Swallow, proves that social media crises are occurring with exponentially larger frequency.

What does this mean to you? First off, you've got to get involved in social media. It's a common misconception that if you aren't using social media, you can't encounter a crisis in that domain. Truth is though, that the only thing ignoring social media does is make you more vulnerable to and less prepared for crisis management.

As you're becoming involved, train a team (whether it's one person or 50). Make sure every member knows both the main objectives of your social media use and the major no-no's before they touch an actual account. Above all, make sure you have 24/7 access to ALL social media accounts. No matter how careful you are, at some point an errant post will make its way into the public eye, and you want to be able to swat it whether it's at noon or 2 a.m.

At this point it's up to you which direction you want to push your social media use in, be it a focus on marketing, customer service, networking, or all of the above and more. If you're still feeling lost at this point, take a look at what others in both your industry and others are doing. Don't copy their campaigns to a T, but don't be afraid to learn and use that information to your advantage.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Lack of Preparation

2011-09-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Ignoring crisis prevention costs

Last week, retailer WH Smiths learned about the wrath of social media. A Twitter user in Leamington Spa tweeted a photograph appearing to show that the retailer had moved its copies of Gay Times and Attitude, apparently in an attempt to keep them out of sight.

The Twittersphere was outraged, with hundreds of users retweeting the picture and accusing the retailer of homophobia.

The storm occurred over the weekend, while WH Smiths’ Twitter account was unmanned. On the Monday, the retailer issued a statement explaining that the action had, in fact, been taken for perfectly reasonable reasons – but by that time the damage had been done.

This quote, from a Simply Business article, is yet another example of how failing to perform basic crisis prevention planning can, and eventually will, cost you. Obviously it's common for offices to close over the weekend, but a basic vulnerability audit would have exposed the fact that (gasp!) the world doesn't stop just because you lock the doors and turn out the lights.

Information absolutely flies now, and a gap of hours is already bad for a crisis response. An entire weekend is inexcusable, damaging, and costly in terms of both reputation repair and lost dollars.

All it takes is a quick peek at the top stories in business news to see more examples of easily preventable crises. Don't make this mistake - get prepared!

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Just the Basics

2011-09-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Crisis management is simpler than it seems

To control a crisis, organizations must be able to respond quickly as well as effectively. Delay in response erodes credibility. A bad scenario takes on additional dimensions until it just gets worse and worse. Indeed, the first fundamental rule is to take the lead and not just react to events as they unfurl. While no crisis plan is a single cure-all with the exact answers to either completely avoid a crisis or manage one if it occurs, a well-laid-out plan, in conjunction with media training, will provide the key elements to develop and deliver the right message quickly.

This quote, from a post on Hotel News Now, a website dedicated to "hotel decision makers," is spot on in its crisis management advice. The very reason that we preach crisis preparedness is in order to be able to take this lead. That means being positioned to be not only a source of information, but also the best source of information, to both stakeholders and the media.

Of course, being prepared also does wonders for actually resolving the crisis. With plans in place, there's no mad scramble or hours of inaction while roles and duties are confused.

The basics of crisis management are simple - it's when you choose to ignore them that things get complicated.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Train the Right People

2011-09-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Who needs media training? Everyone.

While empowering employees to speak up in the midst of a media firestorm is the opposite of most large companies' knee-jerk reaction -- telling staff to zip their lips is a more likely standard response -- more firms are coming around to this approach. "What's new is that more manufacturing companies, whether in food processing or auto and steel, are having their foremen and other people media trained," observed Gene Grabowski, senior VP and crisis expert at Levick Strategic Communications.

Two key reasons to offer non-marketing employees media training? To make sure they are prepared in the event reporters circumvent established media-relations channels, and to put a human face on the brand in the midst of a crisis.

As this quote from an AdAge article explains, it is flat out impossible to ensure your entire staff "zips their lips." We've seen this evidenced in crises time and time again when the entire C-suite refuses interviews, but some enterprising reporter finds a line worker or minor foreman who's more than willing to spill the beans.

This is especially damaging because not only does the public have good reason to believe the statements of someone who is immersed in an ongoing crisis, but also in the vast majority of cases nobody below the executive level has actually had a media training session.

Media training now does not only mean preparing to face reporters, by the way. The majority of your employees likely have at least one personal social media account, if not multiple, and should be specifically told what is and is not OK to talk about when it comes to work-related comments.

Bottom line is that everybody in your organization is a potential spokesperson. The intensity and scope can vary, but all employees need media training as part of your overall crisis management plan.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

First Response

2011-09-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

Share information first to prevent problems later

We live in a litigation-happy society, but, while it's important to protect your business, in the midst of a public crisis disseminating important information should take priority. Besides increasing safety for all involved, this practice plays another crucial role in crisis management, as this quote from an OrangePR blog post explains:

Reacting quickly and efficiently gives the public immediate piece of mind. Taking away the element of the unknown, even if the information is jarring, instantly appeases an apprehensive public. Also, reacting swiftly gets accurate information in front of false information that can be disseminated when official statements are too slow. Citizen journalism, social media and an ever-revolving news cycle make it imperative to respond early.

Calming the (potentially) panicked and halting rumors, all through telling the truth about what's going on? Sounds like a good deal to me.

Everyone may not be happy about what they're hearing, but by getting out ahead of the story you not only gain control of the flow of information, but also move closer to a resolution.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Crisis Communication in 140 Characters or Less

2011-08-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

Short messages, long reach

Twitter by its nature helps facilitate mass discussion, and the evolution of hashtags means that it's even possible to (mostly) keep these discussions organized and on-topic. My favorite part of this is that it enables professionals around the world, who might otherwise have no contact with each other, to meet and discuss ideas.

The Philadelphia PRSA recently hosted one such chat on the topic of crisis communication and was kind enough to post the transcript. Some excerpts:

@KatieCipolla
Q1: Who should be involved in developing a #crisiscomm plan?#PRSAPHL

@annebuchanan
Q1. For the planning portion, anyone at the company who might encounter a crisis can contribute something. #PRSAPHL

@BeccasPRWorld
Q1: Isn't too many heads in the board room an issue during the decision making process? #PRSAPHL

@AbbieF
@PRSAPhilly @beccasprworld re: too many at the table.consider committees, other small work groups that can report into lgr effort. #PRSAPHL

While hashtags keep discussions organized, you do need a modicum of familiarity with Twitter in order to participate in or filter useful information from chats of this size.

If you have a hard time filtering out commentary posts to find actual answers, or can't quite figure out what all these abbreviated words are supposed to be, it's time to get better acquainted with the Web (or grab the nearest teenager, they're great translators!).

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

SEO Works

2011-08-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

It's not voodoo - SEO pays by preventing crises

My dear mother forwarded me an email today with the subject line, “Target Says "Veterans do not meet our area of giving." It was one of those emails that had been flashed around the world and the string was filled with vows to never shop again at Target.

According to the email, “Recently we asked the local TARGET store to be a proud sponsor of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall during our spring recognition event. We received the following reply from the local TARGET management: ‘Veterans do not meet our area of giving. We only donate to the arts, social action groups, gay & lesbian causes, and education.’ ”

Five things entered my mind at that moment: 1) I’m a veteran. 2) I shop at Target. 3) I recall Target made headlines last Christmas for not allowing the Salvation Army to chime bells outside their store fronts. 4) Such an act of affronting veterans is a sure path to a PR crisis that even a large corporation couldn’t possibly botch. 5) I don’t believe everything I read on the Interweb.

So I did a quick search, which demonstrated to me that both PR and SEO have a role in modern crisis communications.

A search for “target” and “veterans” and saw five links disproving the contention made in that email. The first three links were to venerable Web-myth-busting sites Snopes and Urban Legends. Links four and five were to Target’s own site dedicated to veterans, which featured a brief stating that Target was named a “2011 Top 20 Military Friendly Company” by head-hunting giant Orion.

This story, from a Sword and the Script blog post, is a perfect example of why it pays to invest in search engine optimization (SEO) as part of your PR or crisis management campaigns. While having a site dedicated to veterans is not only a service to those who serve our country, but also a solid PR move, it could easily be lost in the shuffle if Target had not spent time and money improving search engine positioning for all of its pages.

It's important to note that you don't have to be a massive organization like Target to take advantage of SEO. To make things very basic, your position in Google results has a direct correlation to how often other pages link to your homepage. You can actually get this started for free by linking to your own page via a blog and sharing links among peers or others in the same niche, but don't expect instant results. It takes consistent effort, updates, and networking to land yourself on the front page.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Changing Defintions

2011-08-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Take control with wordplay

Whether you're a Fortune 500 company or a garage startup, at some point your business is likely to come under fire, whether it be from opponents or the media. These attacks often focus on one particular word or phrase which is damaging to your reputation, and can be very hard to respond to without enforcing the negative definition that's been created.

The good news is that it's possible to flip the situation on its head. It's not all that easy though - redefining your opponent's primary attack point takes careful planning and even more careful wording.

Brad Phillips, Mr. Media Training, provided a great example in a PRDaily article, along with some helpful insight:

One of the best examples of this type of media jujutsu came last year, when Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour briefly flirted with a presidential bid. He knew his past as a tobacco lobbyist would come back to haunt him, so he was prepared when a reporter asked him about his former profession:

“I will tell you this: The next president of the United States on January 21, 2013, is going to start lobbying. He’s going to be lobbying Congress; he’s going to be lobbying other countries. He’s going to be lobbying the business community. He’s going to be lobbying the labor unions, and the governors, because that’s what presidents do, and I feel like it’s an advantage for me to have the chance to do that.”

By redefining negative words as positive ones, you’re able to argue your case from an assertive position—not a defensive one. When executed properly, adopting the language of your opponents’ most loaded charge can neutralize their strongest argument.

Crisis Management 101 teaches us to never use negative words in reference to ourselves. If it's a word you're stuck with, then stop, think, and change definitions.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

News International Back in the Fire

2011-08-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Trouble isn't over for Murdoch and Co.

The downfall of The News of the World was one of the biggest crisis management mishaps this year, and thanks to emerging information we're finding the entire circus may not be over yet. A quote, from the Guardian UK:

Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and their former editor Andy Coulson all face embarrassing new allegations of dishonesty and cover-up after the publication of an explosive letter written by the News of the World's disgraced royal correspondent, Clive Goodman.

In the letter, which was written four years ago but published only on Tuesday, Goodman claims that phone hacking was "widely discussed" at editorial meetings at the paper until Coulson himself banned further references to it; that Coulson offered to let him keep his job if he agreed not to implicate the paper in hacking when he came to court; and that his own hacking was carried out with "the full knowledge and support" of other senior journalists, whom he named.

The Murdoch's main defense was to pile all blame on Goodman, but with his letter naming names in a big way, it looks like the case will be getting a closer look. Scotland Yard is already involved, and I would be shocked if we didn't see senior News International staffers in front of parliment in the very near future.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Be Humble

2011-08-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Stay humble in your celebrations

Using crisis management to cope with negative events is a common topic on this blog, and of course it's an essential part of business. What gets less attention is exactly what you're supposed to do when you have good news to share. In a recent blog post, business consultant Mark Denham had some tips to help you do exactly that:

Celebrate your good fortune! Don’t assume that the world knows every time something good happens to your organization, you have to let them know. You want your good news to get as much attention as possible.
Don’t take all of the credit. Recognize everyone who played a role in the achievement. Modesty goes a long way in the public eye. Recognize both the efforts of individuals as well as teams so that everyone knows it took a lot of work on several different levels to succeed.
Let people know that you still have work to do. One success should never constitute a stopping point. There are countless other victories waiting for your arrival. the most successful organizations are always looking ahead toward their next goal and are planning the efforts it will take to achieve it.

As Denham says, it's fine to take pride in your good work, and even to crow about it. That pride needs to be accompanied by a double dose of humility, though, or else it becomes dangerous and potentially destructive. No company is perfect, and letting the public know that you're aware, although seemingly counter-intuitive to many, will actually strengthen stakeholder perceptions of your organization.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

PR/Marketing

2011-08-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Changes in technology have shifted priorities

Public relations and marketing have always served similar functions, but in decidedly different arenas. In their evolutions, though, the two disciplines have grown increasingly closer, resulting in some organizations naming one person to hold both CMO and CCO roles. One example is American Airline's Roger Frizzell, who spoke on the subject in an AdAge interview. A quote:

American's Mr. Frizzell said the airline's decision to bring both functions under one person was based on the idea that communications don't happen in a vacuum. He said the integration of the two, whether forced or natural, is happening for every marketer and it's due mainly to the advent and acceptance of social media and heightened social consciousness of Americans on environmental, governance and diversity issues. "When you're talking corporate reputation now you're talking marketing," Mr. Frizzell said. "As advertising budgets shrink and the economy gets tighter, you have to rethink your ad spend and PR can maximize that ad spend. In some cases it should compliment creative work and replace it in others."

Having a strong reputation means that much of your customer base is drawn in by word of mouth, as opposed to risking your dollars on an advertising campaign that may or may not catch the public's attention.

This is encouraged even further by social media, because word of mouth no longer means a chain of one to one communication. The comments of a single happy customer can reach the eyes of thousands, instantly producing a reputation boost.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Bad Crisis Management from Pizza Hut

2011-08-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

Weak response hurts pizza giant's reputation

Early this month, Ken Wieczerza went to reheat a piece of his Pizza Hut from the night before, only to (allegedly) find a used, bloody bandage. Obviously dismayed, Wieczerza claims to have sought a private resolution, but was forced public by Pizza Hut's own inadequate communication.

This quote from The Consumerist describes the situation as it stands:

"I'm not out to hurt the restaurant, the manager or the employees and that's why I waited so long to take it to this level after I tried to keep it low-key and private," he (Wieczerza) said. "I explained all I wanted was to bill the company for blood work and tests to make sure that whoever wore this bandage didn't have hepatitis or AIDS or some other disease."
.
While Pizza Hut officials stayed mum when pressed by the Union Times, a company spokesman told local station News 10 that they "take these matters very seriously and we are conducting a thorough investigation of the incident."

Now, they're challenging the veracity of Wieczerza's claims, saying the dough is inconsistent with that used by Pizza Hut. He says they've never even seen the pizza yet.

"We didn't show anybody from Pizza Hut the pizza or the bandage and they basically called us liars," Wieczerza said. "I finally said enough is enough."

It's just plain bad crisis management for the Hut to attempt to cast doubt on the accuser, especially when he's been very forthcoming with the evidence for any media source that wished to view it.

Regardless of what actually happened, anyone reading the articles in The Consumerist, the Union Times, or any of the myriad other online publications that have picked up the story, is very likely to have already found Pizza Hut guilty in their own mind.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Kudos to KFC's Crisis Management

2011-08-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Extra crispy crisis management brings success

Another food fiasco occurred last month, with YouTube at the center once again. A worker at a KFC Malaysia location was filmed tampering with food and fired, but weeks later KFC officials were shocked to see the video pop up on YouTube and quickly begin to go viral. Learning from the very similar situation Dominos endured last year, KFC's response was both faster and more effective.

This quote, from an MRM-London blog post by Michael Taggart, describes KFC's crisis management:

The first thing KFC did was set up an area within their Facebook page entitled “KFC responds”, ensuring they could take control of the crisis by preventing it from stifling other important communications activities.

The page contains an FAQ anticipating all the questions that were likely to come up and, in a real sign KFC had learnt from the mistakes of Domino’s (or watched our film!), they uploaded two videos featuring the chain’s Director of Restaurant Operations, Mohammed Alwi, and made them available on YouTube. We said one of the biggest mistakes Domino’s made was to respond to a viral YouTube video with a press release. If YouTube is where the action is, we said, then it makes sense to respond using film.

The film contains an apology and goes on to describe the steps that have already been taken in order to help reassure customers that this sort of issue won’t reoccur. They explain how (a) cameras have been installed in kitchens of all KFC outlets in Malaysia, (b) all kitchen preparation staff are now going to be directly supervised and (c) the firm is providing hygiene training for staff.

So, let's break it down. KFC took its response right back to the arena where the crisis was created, in this case social media, specifically Facebook and YouTube. Check. In that, a head honcho put a human face on the organization, catching more attention while softening up anonymous critics. Check. Finally, the video explained, in detail, exactly how the problem will be prevented in the future. Check.

Three for three KFC. Excellent crisis management, kudos to you!

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Covering All the Bases

2011-08-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

Creative thinking makes for stronger crisis planning

Some crises, natural disasters for instance, are almost a given. There is no way someone is going to overlook the fact that California is known for earthquakes, or that their company headquarters is located smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley. Others are far less likely, and require thinking to go outside the box in order to be prepared for crisis management. In a recent blog post, the Burns & McDonnell World team spoke on this issue:

When developing a plan for potential crises, the staff working on the project must develop a creative thought process. They must anticipate a variety of problems that may arise, whether financial, structural or environmental, and brainstorm potential solutions to avert or respond to each type of crisis. Of course, the employees working on the plans have to work within the letter of the law, but they must address the multiple aspects of a crisis that need to be handled, such as public relations, containment and, perhaps, cleanup.

Of course, crises rarely ever happen according to the book (it wouldn’t be a crisis if it did), so a business needs its employees to be prepared for whatever comes their way. When a staff is accustomed to thinking outside of the box for crisis planning, employees are likely dynamic enough to adapt to any challenge the company faces. They become equally strong during periods of healthy growth and times of crisis.

The constant evolution of communication and, in recent years, technology, has made flexibility a necessity, not an option. Even with thorough planning, circumstances will come up that you were unprepared for. In those cases you can start with a standard crisis response plan, but it's the brains inside the organization that will see you through.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Internal Communication

2011-07-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Don't keep employees out of the loop

Many businesses plan for ways to communicate with the public and media during crises, while neglecting internal communication plans. While obviously external communication is important, well-informed employees are a necessity for proper crisis management.

In this quote from a New York Examiner article, PR pro Phill Mann explains why:

Consider this: If a chemical plant in New Jersey has an explosion, are you more likely to seek out – and trust – information issued by the company, or from your neighbor who works at the plant? How will you feel if your neighbor tells you, “I have no idea what’s going on. They haven’t told me a thing?”

Who will more likely embrace the challenge of helping the company rebound after a crisis subsides: a well-informed employee or one left in the dark?

Who will more likely Tweet or post accurate, on-message information – a well-informed employee or one who was told nothing beyond, “Keep quiet”?

The basic thinking is this: some percentage of employees will break the rules, including those regarding things like confidentiality and social media. If information is going to get out from sources other than official spokespeople, it's better that it be the right information. In addition, ensuring that employees are informed inspires much higher confidence and in turn better productivity, never a small thing in business.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

The Big T

2011-07-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Don't be caught off guard

You've signed up on Twitter and things are going well. You're posting links to events, useful information, and company blogs, perhaps even beginning to interact with some active stakeholders when suddenly you notice your company name and #FAIL are appearing in many of the same posts.

A crisis is breaking, but you aren't sure what to do. This is, after all, the Big T, and you're new here. Luckily, the Internet is full of resources to help, including this list from media training expert Jane Jordan-Meier of "Five Rules for Managing Twitter When a Crisis Strikes:"

Act Fast: Has always been thus, but now it is a MUST. Organizations MUST, MUST, MUST respond within one hour of the news breaking.
Monitor Early and Often: Even a simple Google alert will help. And there is a vast array of social monitoring tools out there.
Have a Triangular Approach Ready: If the situation escalates out of Twitter, use three different methods of communicating to your key stakeholders in a crisis – Twitter, your website or blog and at least one key media outlet.
Remember We’re Human: We as humans are still incredibly irrational, and constantly make decisions based on our intuition, or whatever we feel like at that moment. We will construct our stories according to our reality.
Don’t Just Listen – Hear: Twitter and social media in general are very empowering and powerful motivators when others want to silence us. Iran and Egypt are just two that come to mind. In a crisis, we want someone to hear us, someone to care.

On one end, technology has driven crisis communication with the ever-increasing need for speed. On the other, the sheer volume of daily impersonal communication makes that human touch ever more powerful.

Find your way to use tech to deliver this touch via Twitter, and you've found the winning combination that will not only see you through crises, but attract and keep active followers.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Recovering from Social Media Crises

2011-07-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

Mistakes happen - fix them with a plan

While Twitter and Facebook are great at attracting potential customers rapidly (potential being the operative word), you can lose them just as rapidly via a silly or careless remark.

Just weeks earlier one of the bosses of a PR firm got annoyed with negative remarks being dished out by journalists (isn’t that their job?) about their client’s video game and tweeted a rather angry response. Something along the lines that he would be reviewing who would be getting the next game release.

Triple whoops! Journalist swooped on him and criticism of the game transferred to criticism of his remark. The result? The video game manufacturer sacking the PR firm, issuing an apology to journalists. The PR boss not only had to apologise to journalists, his staff and his firm but he also had to make quite clear that the tweet was his own work and not the viewpoint of his firm. The fallout and damage to the reputation of the firm could linger for a long-time.

Scenarios like the one described in this quote from a 79PR article are marring reputations on an almost-daily basis. While you can thoroughly check the credentials of whoever is responsible for running your social media campaigns, anyone operating on knee-jerk reactions is headed for trouble.

A social media crisis management plan serves not only as a set of guidelines, but checks and balances to make sure things don't get out of control. Negative attention from journalists is basically a given in business, and a good written plan would have omitted the part about posting comments that embarrass one's employer and self, perhaps instead offering ways to reach out to doubtful media sources.

As far as recovering from the crisis, the game publisher was right to cut ties with the PR firm, but could have taken things further to really turn this crisis into a positive situation. Because they already had the attention of journalists (albeit negative), it would have been the perfect time to create a campaign that invited and encouraged reviewers to give the game a fresh look.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Twitter Hashtags Evolving

2011-07-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

Back in 2008, I suggested that an eyewitness tag on Twitter, such as #EW, would help people identify relevant material from the vast torrent of tweets that were being posted about Mumbai.

In 2011, Twitter users have taken things beyond my rather simple idea by organising a number of separate hashtags to relay information.

Rather than only using one hashtag (#Mumbai) as many people did three years ago, today the Twitter users of Mumbai have started posting to:

#mumbaiblasts, for information relevant to the attacks
#here2help, for people who can offer assistance
#needhelp, for people who are in need of assistance
#mumbaitraffic, for updates on the transport situation

This quote, from a FrontLine Club blog post by media researcher Daniel Bennet, explains how users are evolving the extremely simple "hashtag" method, used on Twitter to enable fellow users to search out posts by keyword.

Major disasters, both natural and man-made, have pushed this evolution due to the sheer numbers of people that turn to Twitter for crisis communication. Without these more specific tags, finding relevant information during a major crisis would be a needle-in-haystack exercise.

You can take advantage of these advanced tags for business as well. Try creating one for special events and asking fellow promoters or sponsors to use it on their Twitter feeds. Hopefully this will result in regular users discussing the event picking it up as well, allowing anyone searching for the information to find it with ease.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Digital Crises

2011-07-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

New study shows pervasive lack of preparedness

Burson-Marsteller, the global public relations firm, has just released a study surveying corporate perceptions of the state of crisis communications in the age of social and digital media. It amounts to a wake-up call for business leaders who defend reputations and brand equity in today’s digitally connected marketplace.

The survey canvassed more than 800 business leaders in the U.S., Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. An overwhelming majority of them—79%—said they believe their company is less than 12 months away from as potential “bet the company” crisis moment. Most of them believe that that crisis will arise from within the online space. Corporate leaders in nearly every industry, regardless of size or geography,- acknowledge that the dark clouds of impending digitally fueled crises are gathering. They also believe they know with some certainty how soon a crisis will occur—within the next year.

Yet, despite that conviction, most are still totally unprepared to manage and emerge successfully from crises fueled by a digitally powered news cycle. Nearly half of those surveyed said they lack even a basic form of effective online reputation monitoring. Not only are they not prepared, they don’t even have the most rudimentary tools to know if their reputations are under assault.

This quote, from an excellent Forbes blog post by global digital strategist Dallas Lawrence, gives telling insight into attitudes involving digital crises. Polls and studies have long revealed the fact that, while most organizations understand the need for crisis management, far fewer actually put it into action, and apparently the rise of social media hasn't changed that much.

The study mentioned, available at the Burson-Masteller website, goes on to reveal many more contrasts between understanding and action, such as 66% stating they "believe new media has significantly increased the potential cost of a crisis," while only 47% have increased internal resources for crisis response.

If you were told someone would break into your home within the next year, would you up the security? Looking at these figures, a lot of business owners would just sit and wait for it to happen.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Culture Crisis

2011-07-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

Stop the spread of negative corporate culture

The spectacular collapse of the News of the World following the exposure of a multitude of criminal actions within the organization holds many lessons, perhaps one of the greatest of which was discussed by Jonathan Hemus in an Insignia Talks blog post:

Your corporate culture has the power to create or prevent crisis

Reports from ex-News of the World journalists and other sources indicate that reporters were under enormous pressure to come up with the next scoop, whatever it took. This would likely lead to an atmosphere where the end result is all that matters: this is exactly the culture in which crises can flourish.

In a corporate environment, similar issues can arise. A blinkered focus on the bottom line – “I don’t care how you do it, just hit the number” – or an unwillingness to hear about problems which may hint at broader failings - “just sort it out” – are examples of this.

The best crisis management is crisis prevention: this requires leaders to set and exemplify the right culture.

This problem has run rampant in reporting as the 24/7 Web news cycle puts ever-heavier demands on reporters to grab more eyes than the competition.

Reporting is not the only business that is at risk from this behavior, though. In recent history, we have only to look at the massive financial and real estate crises to see where cultures of "improve the bottom line at all costs" led to devastating financial damage for all involved, and nearly-irreparable reputation damage for many banks and investment groups.

As part of your crisis management upkeep, it pays to periodically do a culture assessment in order to learn more about your own organization. If you don't like the direction things are headed in, define where you would like to be and start the change in mindset from the top down.

It's not easy, but it could be the difference between success and failure.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Reputation Threat: Negative Comments Online

2011-07-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

Your reputation is at risk when negative posts start to appear

A new study is backing up a precept that crisis management professionals have been talking about for years - negative online comments have a measurable effect on an organization's reputation.

PR Daily recently interviewed the study's organizer, doctoral student Bo Kyung Kim, who explained his test like this:

Kim conducted the study by first measuring participants’ baseline perceptions of four auto companies. Then they read a news story about a crisis each company was enduring and answered the same questions about their perceptions of the companies.

Next, participants read negative online comments—from victims of each crisis and from the unaffected public—on Facebook, Twitter, and other online message boards in response to each crisis situation. They then answered questions about their perceptions about the company.

All negative comments affected the participants’ views of the organizations, but comments from victims had the greatest effect. As a result, Kim suggested companies pay closer attention to comments made by perceived victims than those from anonymous sources.

“We found that negative messages created by victims significantly increased the negative reputation of an organization, and were more likely to result in boycotts against the organization than when it was sourced to unaffected individuals,” she said.

The fact that the public does give significant credence to these messages means that organizations should, in the vast majority of cases, make an effort to reply.

Especially when broadcast via social media channels, a complaint actually presents an opportunity for organizations to show publicly that they do care, and are willing to rectify mistakes or correct problems in order to keep stakeholders safe and happy.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Caught on Film

2011-07-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Your most embarrassing moments immortalized

Video has made the transition into the Internet age easily, thriving in the culture of fast news, social sharing and smartphones. Of course, this means that when public figures slip up, it's not only talked about, but also seen by millions of people.

"Mr. Media Training," Brad Phillips, has collected the very worst (and usually most entertaining) recorded gaffes from this past month, and presents them in his, "Five Worst Video Media Disasters." Here's the winner:

#1: Anthony Weiner’s Offensive PR Offensive

Not fair, Anthony Weiner. Your self immolation was so spectacular, no one on this list even had a chance of catching up with you. After getting caught sexting naughty photos to strangers, Mr. Weiner:

Denied the charges, claiming his account had been hacked.
Said that although he hadn’t sent the photos, he couldn’t rule out “with certitude” that the erect undies shot was of him.
Held a tearful press conference to admit he had sexted the photos himself, but would refuse to resign.
Watched helplessly as a nude photo of his…ahem…member…was released.
Saw his private news about his wife’s early-term pregnancy announced to the world.
Saw yet another batch of sexy gym photos released.
Resigned in shame.

Although his two press conferences were also dreadful, this month’s winning losing video belongs to Mr. Weiner’s first defiant hallway interview, in which he sanctimoniously blasted reporters.

The lesson here is that Internet videos never truly go away. Even if an embarrassing video is deleted from the original posting site, there's an extremely high probability that it's saved somewhere and can be drudged up under the right conditions.

If you do find yourself in this position, one approach to crisis management that has proved effective is to respond with a video of your own. While the problem footage will still exist, the idea is to bring your side of the story, or even an apology, to the same eyes that saw the original.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Dissent in the Ranks at RIM

2011-07-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Negative communication culture leads to public blowup

I have lost confidence.

While I hide it at work, my passion has been sapped. I know I am not alone -- the sentiment is widespread and it includes people within your own teams.

Mike and Jim, please take the time to really absorb and digest the content of this letter because it reflects the feeling across a huge percentage of your employee base. You have many smart employees, many that have great ideas for the future, but unfortunately the culture at RIM does not allow us to speak openly without having to worry about the career-limiting effects.

Before I get into the meat of the matter, I will say I am not part of a large group of bitter employees wishing to embarrass us. Rather, I believe these points need to be heard and I desperately want RIM to regain its position as a successful industry leader. Our carriers, distributors, alliance partners, enterprise customers, and our loyal end users all want the same thing...for BlackBerry to once again be leading the pack.

This is an excerpt from an open letter to RIM leadership, published on the tech news site Boy Genius Report and picked up across the Web. A perfect example of a crisis that can get exposed by poor internal communication, the letter goes on to reveal the RIMs shortcomings as a company, which may well play a role in its recent market decline.

When employees do not feel free to speak openly and honestly, you risk them venting some other way, and more and more these "other ways" are becoming national news stories thanks to the power of the Web.

As part of your crisis prevention planning, ask this question, "Are we creating a culture of 'Yes Men'"? You want...no, need, the questioner, the one asking, "why is someone else doing it better?," not a group of people patting each other on the back as the company goes down in flames.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Vulnerability Audits

2011-07-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

Find your Achilles Heel(s)

A vulnerability audit is one of the most powerful crisis management tools available. Designed to ferret out unknown dangers or flaws in crisis planning, this test will allow you to shore up your defenses before a crisis actually hits.

Susan Tellem, of Tellem Worldwide, was kind enough to allow us to reprint her excellent "Short Form Vulnerability Audit," the results of which may raise hairs on the necks of many organizational CEOs:

Take this vulnerability audit and see if you need help getting your business on a crisis track.

Who is on your crisis team? (Pick people who can think on their feet, are good spokespeople and have related experience - do not choose the CEO.)
Do you have friends in your court of you need them? This would include reporters/regulators/inspectors/politicians/police, etc.
Do you honestly monitor possible problems that could lead to a crisis like employee relationships, safety issues, confidentiality issues or termination problems?
Do you have a written book of company policies?
Do you have a list of emergency numbers/cell phones to be able to reach managers/owners at a second's notice?
Who is you spokesperson if something negative happens?
How do you handle belligerent employees?
How do you handle sexual harassment accusations?
Are you familiar with emergency response teams in your area?

When was the last time that you had an emergency evacuation drill?

While this is a very solid list, it consists only of generic questions that apply to every business. Stop and think about how many questions you could ask specific to your industry or location and you can begin to see how in-depth a complete vulnerability audit is, and how powerful it can be as a crisis prevention method.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

OSU Scandal

2011-06-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

University takes the high road when it comes to crisis management

Ohio State's football program has been in hot water since late May, when it came to light that (now)ex-coach Jim Tressel was aware of players receiving kickbacks and selling OSU equipment for cash on the side.

OSU leadership has tightened up, refusing to crucify Tressel for his errors and remaining silent for the most part as the NCAA proceeds with its investigation, which, according to BCM President Jonathan Bernstein, is probably a good idea.

A quote, from the Columbus Business First:

Also willing to give Ohio State a break on its handling of the Tressel situation is Jonathan Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management Inc. in Los Angeles. He gives Ohio State good marks on one of the keys to effective crisis communications – showing compassion toward those with an important stake in the company or organization buffeted by the crisis.

“They didn’t lynch Coach Tressel,” said the crisis management consultant of more than 25 years. “They clearly put the feelings of their most important audiences first – students, alumni and donors. That is what you should do.”

Most important, Bernstein said, is crisis communicators need to be honest and their information must pass the fact test. And a press conference may not be best to disseminate that information, he said.

“They can be real feeding frenzies and everyone goes negative,” he said. “None of the key stakeholders at Ohio State needed to see a press conference (on Tressel’s resignation).”

OSU is actually doing a fairly deft job of crisis management in acknowledging that yes, there is blame to be had, but not dumping the entire load on Tressel or demoralizing stakeholders more than necessary. Thanks to that quick acknowledgement, the focus can more quickly turn to the solution to, rather than the cause of, the problem.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

A Crisis Waiting to Xploderz

2011-06-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

Don't turn a blind eye to safety

One of the most powerful (and overlooked) aspects of crisis management is the ability to come in and spot "crises waiting to happen." Often they are things that could result in minor lawsuits, ie. slippery spots in restaurants, but sometimes problems are so glaring that even an outsider can spot the danger immediately.

"Xploderz," manufactured by The Maya Group, look like the lovechild of a supersoaker and a paintball gun, firing small capsules of superabsorbent polymers, basically a semisoft gel, that break apart upon impact with a hard surface. Sounds fun, right?

Here's the problem - although Xploderz are meant to be fired at one another, not one image on the website or promotional video shows players wearing protective gear, and not one word recommends it.

The Xploderz safety "mission statement" as published on their website:

Safety is our top priority. All of our products have undergone rigorous testing to ensure their safety. Contracting with the recognized leader in toy safety testing we have met all US federal safety standards for toy safety. In addition we have gone beyond mandatory requirements in our packaging and labeling to ensure that our products are used safely by consumers. Our Customer Service Department is fully trained and available to answer all your concerns and questions.

Just below that is the FAQ, which includes this question and answer:

Can the Ammo hurt or injure someone?

No. The ammo might sting but it will not cause injuries. Still, you should not fire your weapon at someone’s face or eyes. If it hits a hard surface it will normally break apart on impact, breaking down into a soft gel.

Both of your writing team here are former competitive paintball players and can tell you first hand the struggles that industry fought in order to make parents believe that it was safe to play; at the very center of that battle was adequate protection for the face and eyes. There is no way you will ever convince us an object that "if it hits a hard surface it will normally break apart on impact," is safe enough to be fired at one another with no protection at all.

The second someone loses an eye, the statement that "we have gone beyond mandatory requirements in our packaging and labeling to ensure that our products are used safely by consumers" will be mercilessly mocked by the media and dismantled by lawyers because quite simply, it's not true. Nowhere on the site or the product packaging does it suggest eye protection, which is priority #1 in safety for anything that shoots, well...anything. In fact, there is no nod at all to potential dangers except to say "you should not fire your weapon at someone’s face or eyes." No player engaged in a game that involves shooting at others while moving can have the aim control that would allow them to avoid hitting the face -- making the warnings about it so much hot air.

What can The Maya Group do to stop this "crisis waiting to happen?" It's very simple - goggles. Include an inexpensive pair of goggles with every single Xploder sold, two with the dual sets, and change both packaging and the website to expressly forbid playing without the proper eye protection. Problem solved, industry improved, and potential multi-million dollar lawsuit averted.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Digital Crisis Planning

2011-06-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

To respond, or not to respond?

Like it or not, communication has gone digital. As a result, our crisis management planning absolutely must account for the fact that when a situation heats up, the bulk of the backlash, and our response, will be Web-based. In a recent blog post, social media expert Justin Levy laid out his "11 Steps to Developing a Digital Crisis Communications Plan," that included these two frequently overlooked steps:

5. Determine what you WILL respond to

It is important to have listed what your company is willing to respond to. These may be general inquiries such as customer service/support issues, product inquiries or publicly available information.

6. Determine what you WILL NOT respond to

Equally, if not more important is having listed what your company WILL NOT respond to. These may be legal or financial inquiries that are not publicly available, potentially inflammatory comments or something that the company does not possess the ability to properly respond to.

That's right, you're actually not under any obligation to answer people or reporters. Although it's most often a good choice to do so, there are times when you can simply refuse to respond, such as when facing unfounded criticism or bullying.

Other times, it pays to respond privately, rather than further escalating the matter. Twitter makes it especially easy to do this. Just address a public @ message to the individual explaining that you would be glad to assist them if they would be so kind as to follow you and send a private message. Voila, the public knows you care, and any potential dirty laundry is kept private while you work towards a resolution.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

B-Schools Ignore PR

2011-06-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

Study reveals only small percentage teach any PR at all

An analysis of highly ranked MBA programs by the Public Relations Society of America showed that only 16 percent offer a single course in crisis and conflict management, strategic communications, public relations, or whatever label one chooses to describe management of a precious organizational asset: reputation. Even that course is likely to be an elective. So glaring is this omission that it's typical for MBA-holding executives to assume "reputation management" or "public relations" is the black art of spinning an alternative version of reality, as though that works in today's wide-open, relentlessly scrutinized, electron-speed information environment.

This quote, from a BusinessWeek article, could very well illustrate one of the defining factors in the seeming disconnect in thinking that can exist between the "C-suite" and crisis management or public relations consultants. The scarceness of these types of programs is even more shocking due to the number of otherwise successful corporations who have recently taken massive monetary losses as a result of reputation-related crises or plain bad communication.

All businesses are bound to encounter crises at one time or another, so wouldn't it follow that MBA's be prepared to handle them? While the number of classes currently available is low, we would bet that in the coming years we'll see a massive expansion as knowledge of public relations and communication strategy and tactics become perceived as vital skills.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Who's Driving?

2011-06-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

Do you know who's manning your social media accounts?

The pressure to get involved with social media is coming at organizations from all angles, and rightly so. One common mistake made by those looking to jump in as quickly as possible, though, is to just let whoever knows how to use the popular services take the reins, often with minimal or non-Web savvy supervision.

This can lead to trouble when their choice of message or topic violates acceptable business practice, as demonstrated in this quote from a Ragan PR Daily article by Pam Sahota:

Who has the keys?

Although the “younger” folks know how to use social media—because they’ve been thrown into it at an earlier age—does that mean they know how to use it properly for business? When making hiring decisions and “handing over the keys,” companies should not hire based solely on social media experience, but also on experience in business strategy and implementation.

Vodafone realized this after the fact. The company had a junior employee handling its online community, and the young gentleman foolishly posted a homophobic comment on the brand’s Twitter page.

Immature? Yes. Inexperienced? Most definitely.

Hand over the keys with care, folks—it’s just your brand’s reputation on the line.

It's only human to make mistakes, but crisis management after a big one often requires a significant investment of time and money. While it can pay off to have your most "in touch" employees manning social media accounts, the less experienced benefit greatly from a veteran voice guiding the tone and direction of communication.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Social Media Saves Lives

2011-06-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

Replaces traditional tools in times of crisis

The effectiveness of social media as a crisis management tool has been proven repeatedly over recent years, with some of the most telling demonstrations coming in the midst of natural disasters. The flurry of tornadoes that struck the Southern U.S.in late April was yet another incident where social media shined through, as described in this quote from a "Spin Sucks" blog post by marketing pro Stacey Hood:

When the storm system that was responsible for these tornadoes started, Birmingham-based meteorologist, James Spann, started using various social networks to supplement his television broadcast and coverage of this life-changing event.

As an early adoptor of social media, Spann is familiar with various social networks, but used Twitter primarily to broadcast warnings and forecasts for the paths of the tornadoes in central Alabama thanks to the fact that power was lost and a large majority of people were able to stay in contact with the Twitter stream coverage. Spann credits Twitter with being able to get most of the warnings out to more people.

In addition to Spann’s coverage and early warnings, other major companies in the state used social media for its crisis communications. Alabama Power, for example, took advantage of the reach of Twitter and broadcast hourly updates of power outages, warnings of downed power lines, announced areas in which shelter was being provided and other statements that previously would have been broadcasted or written about too late.

Individuals used the social network themselves to announce if local stores were running low on much-needed supplies like diapers, bottled water, non-perishable food, etc. Local charities then started using hashtags on Twitter such as #ALNeeds thanks to Spann’s efforts for those involved in local recovery programs.

Not only does social media facilitate external communication, but internal communication as well. In the event of a disaster many employees will be left without active land lines, but it's highly unlikely these days that most will be more than ten feet from a charged cell phone. Simple mass tweets or posts to an internal blog can keep everyone on the same page, facilitating your crisis response and keeping your workforce safe.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Corporate World

2011-05-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Ancient wisdom has modern applications

While it's widely accepted that solid internal communication is a cornerstone of strong companies, when it comes to putting down the dollars the vast majority balk at including this vital tool in their crisis management and public relations planning.

In a recent blog post, PR pro Becky Sheetz-Runkle applied the teachings of battlefield philosopher Sun Tzu to internal communication, illustrating exactly why it is so important:

Sun Tzu called for clear communication for armies to function smoothly and avoid threats:

"If the army is confused and suspicious, neighboring rulers will take advantage of this and cause trouble. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army and flinging victory away."

As with much of Sun Tzu, the application for business is clear. Misinformation and rumors spread like the diseases they sometimes become. In good times and especially challenging times, it’s easy for suspicion and speculation to impact the morale and the productivity of people. As Sun Tzu warns, it leads to loss.

Care and treatment of people on literal and metaphorical battlefields is essential. Employees can’t feel valued if they aren’t being communicated with effectively and meaningfully:

"Pay attention to the soldiers’ well-being and do not fatigue them. Try to keep them in high spirits and conserve their energy."

Sun Tzu knew that an organization that moved as one, understood the strategy and had a healthy fighting spirit had the advantage. Do the decision makers you work with share that outlook? If we follow the money, we can see that many put very little stock in communicating with the troops, and they do it to their detriment.

While the specifics can be complicated, the objectives are not. Keep employees free of the stress that rumor and innuendo bring by engaging in two-way communication with them, and encouraging them to communicate amongst themselves. Oh, and they work better if they're happy and not exhausted.

Simple, right? But are you putting it into practice, or just nodding "yes?"

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

He'll Be Back

2011-05-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Schwarzenegger down, but not out

Ex-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to make the best of a very bad thing when he humbly admitted his having fathered a child with a former staffer.. Had the timing been different, it would have undoubtedly dented his political reputation, but considering the fact that he's no longer in office, experts, including Bernstein Crisis Management President Jonathan Bernstein, give him good odds on recovering enough to stay in the movie business.

A quote, from a Fox News story by Holly McKay:

“Arnold can’t save face in the short-term. He’s now regarded as zipper-challenged, just as Bill Clinton was many years ago,” said crisis management and public relations expert, Jonathan Bernstein. “And like Mr. Clinton, he can rehab his image by getting involved in good works and not engaging in dishonorable behavior. Unless, of course, he wants to have an image of being a ‘bad boy’ from now on.”

Bernstein said that in the long run, Schwarzenegger’s target movie audience probably won’t be deterred by his wandering ways.

“Arnold’s Hollywood genre is action flicks, and action flick fans won’t care what he did. If his movies are good, people will watch them,” he said.

Arnie's built up a pretty solid cushion of good will over the years. The press will enjoy this for a while, possibly stretching it out if news is slow, but soon enough it will all be history.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Coping with Social Media Attacks

2011-05-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

A proactive stance can stave off baseless allegations

Social media has forced a change on crisis management and public relations as a whole, altering the way we communicate and respond to situations drastically. As the following quote from a TrendyMinds article explains, what was a hard and fast rule as little as ten years ago may be your ticket to disaster today:

As a general rule, organizations and businesses do more harm than good when they allow a deluge of falsehoods to go unanswered. That’s right—the old adage of legitimizing baseless attacks is BS, in my humble opinion. By holding back, you’re missing an opportunity to get your message out AND you’re allowing someone else to define you in their words. Secondly, we’re in a whole new world of mass communication. It used to be much harder and more expensive to do widespread damage to a person or company’s reputation. Back in the day (you know, the 90s), people had to either put money behind a paid advertising campaign or convince a news outlet to cover your accusations. Now, it’s as easy as hopping on Twitter and Facebook to get the rumor mill cranking and create a buzz.

This is exactly why you need to have a social media infrastructure in place, to monitor, measure, and respond to attackers.

The first step is obviously to detect the beginnings of trouble - the angry customer, the agitated ex-employee, etc. Organizations should respond as quickly as possible in an effort to neutralize the issue, but in the case of a social media attacker, this is often not enough. After that effort, close monitoring is required to determine whether this will stop at one person venting, or whether others will pick up and repeat the messages or similar sentiments. Should this occur, social media efforts must expand to both respond to allegations and work towards creating good will among stakeholders and the accuser's own circle.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Backup Plans

2011-05-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

One question can save your crisis management efforts

Don't be surprised if in a few years' (or a few months') time some current White House, CIA and Pentagon staffers write how-to treatises on crisis management. According to news reports, the planning for the assault on Osama bin Laden's compound included contingencies for possible engagement with Pakistani police and military units. These contingencies included two additional Black Hawk helicopters stationed just across the border in Afghanistan, ready to engage in a firefight in case the commandos in the two lead assault helicopters came under attack in the compound.

President Obama insisted upon these two additional helicopters "about 10 days before the raid," according to the New York Times.

That speaks volumes to the thoroughness of the assault's crisis planning. Up until the last moment, the U.S. strategists kept asking the crucial question in crisis planning: What else can go wrong? Initially it was thought that the U.S. could talk its way out of a confrontation with Pakistani forces in case they responded to the military action on their own turf. Somebody—the president, apparently—then asked, "Well, what if that doesn't work?"

This quote, from a PR News Online article, shows that, however much we may love to malign its abilities, on some subjects the government's crisis management still excells.

The question, "what if that doesn't work?," is at the very core of crisis planning, and smart business thinking in general. Every plan needs a backup, or even better several, so you can change paths depending on which direction the situation moves in.

What this does is incorporate flexibility into your plans, and it's this ability to change when something isn't working as planned that will allow your company to make mistakes without taking damage as a result.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Letters from Sony

2011-05-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Communication is critical for crisis management

The heat is still on following the massive data breach at Sony, but the company has pulled things together, and last week somewhere in the area of 100 million users were officially notified via mail that their data had been compromised. With a weak start to crisis management for the situation, largely due to poor communication, a move of this size is a good sign. The campaign will definitely help Sony, but it could have been better, as this quote from SmartMoney's Pay Dirt blog explains:

Jonathan Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management, was put off by the technical and sometimes confusing “corporate-speak” in Sony’s letter. “The theft itself undermines Sony’s perceived competency,” he says, “but I think they did a good job, overall, of factually communicating how they were getting back on top of the situation.”

The task now will be for Sony to convince customers, both current and potential future, that its system is more secure than ever before. Of course, maintaining good will while that system is created is crucial, so constant communication will be key in the meantime.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Let 'Em Know

2011-05-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Don't duck your head during a crisis

It may seem redundant to say so, but the key to a successful crisis communications plan is to focus on communication. There is often an instinct to withdraw from the public eye during times of crisis.

However, during a crisis, people seek strong leadership. The public expects, and needs, someone to step forward to explain the problem and to provide information on how the problem will be fixed. Think of recent notable failures in crisis management, such as last year’s BP oil spill. The concerns and frustrations expressed by the general public were not typically focused on the spill itself, but on the company’s inability or unwillingness to share information on how the problem was being addressed.

This quote, from the Ackermann PR blog, accurately describes a problem many companies face when involved in crises. Regardless of what is going on behind the scenes, if you forget to communicate exactly what is being done in terms of crisis management, then you are seen as doing nothing at all, causing your organization's reputation to take a blow.

It's crucial to not only address the issues at hand, but also make absolutely certain that people know that you're doing it, and no, a press release will not be sufficient. One simple solution is to film repair, retraining, or recovery efforts yourself, using not only a corporate website, but outlets like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and the like to promote the videos, making them accessible to as many eyes as possible.

However you choose to do it, keep talking. It never pays to play ostrich.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Social Synergy

2011-05-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

What's the relationship between customer service and social media?

Social Customer Relationship Management and Crisis Management are more than buzz words for getting the word out about your online business. When it comes to CRM and social media, the buzz word relates to the way your customers spread the word about customer service. The nice part about social media is that you can immediately identify a problem and then intervene before is grows to epic proportions as opposed to finding out about it months after the fact.

This quote, from the eMentor Marketing blog, nicely sums up the synergy between customer service and social media. Social media is essentially an expanded "word of mouth" system, so when people have a problem with a business they now let not only their friends and family, but anyone who cares to look, know exactly how they feel.

The advantage of this is that you have the ability to scan for and respond to these problem posts, giving you the chance to do your own crisis management by publicly rectifying the situation and hopefully not only retain the upset customer, but also attract more as a result of your solid customer service!

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Rewarding Failure

2011-05-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

Thoughtless communication brings negative attention

Remember the big oil spill last year in the Gulf of Mexico?

I’m guessing your answer is yes. And, because our collective answer to that question is yes, Transocean Ltd. created a PR problem for itself when it claimed in an SEC filing last week that 2010 was the “best year in safety performance in our company’s history” and disclosed that it has awarded big safety bonuses to its top executives.

For example, Transocean President and CEO Steven L. Newman got a $374,062 bonus plus a $200,000 raise.

Transocean owned the Deepwater Horizon, the offshore rig that blew up in the Gulf of Mexico last April, killing 11 workers and triggering the biggest oil spill in history.

This quote, from Jerry Brown's Monday Morning Media Minute, highlights a mistake by Transocean that goes against every lesson it should have learned from its largely failed crisis management campaign following the spill. Still displaying a large dose of arrogance and self-importance, Transocean's execs are likely well on their way toward another disaster.

If a year in which 11 workers were killed and unmeasurable damage was done to the ecosystem of an entire region is one to celebrate because it was the safest in company history, then what does that really say about the organization, and shouldn't it be rushing to fix things?

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

No Social Assets

2011-04-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Still not involved with social media?

It's rare to hear of a crisis now that did not involve social media in any capacity, and fact is the majority involve it a great deal. When someone hears a nasty rumor about your company they don't pick up the phone and call your info line, they log onto services like Twitter and Yelp! to search, or post a query to whomever feels like responding.

What happens, then, if you don't have a group of active social media accounts? Or maybe you do, but they are so out of date that nobody remembers the passwords? An Eye on FDA article offers advice:

"...if you don’t have social media assets that will allow you to respond and get your messaging into play on the matter, then you should know what kinds of social media assets your strongest allies have and how you can leverage them. But once the crisis starts, if you don’t have these assets yourself, it is too late to develop them and likewise, if you have not assessed those of your allies, you will now lose valuable time."

I would even say that relying on an ally's social media assets is taking things too far. With literally thousands of services and free tools out there available to help manage social media, there is no excuse for not having firm control of your very own. Even if you are truly too busy to handle it internally, there is a massive market for affordable outsourcing on the Web.

When it comes time for crisis management, social media will be involved. Be prepared.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Restaurants Clean Up Their Acts

2011-04-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

Applebees and Olive Garden must take thorough steps to clean up reputations

Two of the juiciest stories of the past couple weeks have involved Applebees and Olive Garden serving alcohol to small children. For Applebees, the incident was especially damaging to its reputation because a similar incident just last year. Higher-ups at both restaurants had extremely weak initial crisis management, declining interviews and deflecting questions to PR departments or canned statements, but as time moves on they have taken action to actually resolve the underlying issues, but many are not satisfied with the response.

A USA Today article has some tips for getting things cleaned up:

•Retrain staff. "Every employee is a PR rep," says crisis guru Jonathan Bernstein. "These incidents prove how many crises start with line workers."

•Rethink policies. Alcoholic drinks should be served in different glasses from non-alcoholic, says consultant Linda Lipsky.

Applebee's says it will serve kids juice only from single-serve containers. Olive Garden says it will no longer store pre-made alcoholic drinks.

•Limit bar use. Have alcoholic beverages poured only at the bar and non-alcoholic in the kitchen, consultant Dennis Lombardi suggests.

•Be forthcoming. The chains should clearly post their new policies on their websites, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, Paine says.

•Involve folks. Encourage social media comment on the policies, Paine says. "People want to talk about it."

If these restaurants want to not only clean up their acts, but also bolster reputation in the process, then they must make these changes as public and visible as possible. Only when the public actually sees and believes the problem is fixed will the negative attention go away.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Just Admit It

2011-04-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Own your mistakes or risk a crisis

If a blogger or reporter publishes genuinely libelous statements and refuses to retract them, then pursuing legal action can force the issue in your favor. If you've done wrong though, then you have no choice but to own up and make it right, as this quote from an Agent Genius article explains:

The truth of the matter is that if what you’ve done that is being spread around the web is legitimately bad and you’ve screwed up, a lawsuit is not your answer, and an apology and explanation goes much further than “just be yourself” like the social media gurus are telling you. Some things can be spun, but if not addressed fast enough, you’ll be beyond any professional web scrubber or public relations professional’s help and your only recourse is to apologize, explain, take it on the chin and keep working your butt off. If Alec Baldwin can recover from screaming to his child that she’s a little piggy, your sins will eventually be forgotten by the majority too… IF you own your mistake rather than lie about it or ignore it.

Denying a mistake does nothing but extend your agony and delay the crisis management process. The time to act is the moment you realize a mistake has occurred, and not a second later. In fact, admitting errors before anyone else has realized is a fantastic way to boost your reputation as it demonstrates to stakeholders your honesty and integrity.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Major Mistake at Applebees

2011-04-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Crisis management lax following incident

This past Friday, Applebees restaurants encountered a world of trouble when employees at one of its Detroit area locations allegedly served tequila mixed with apple juice to a 15-month-old child in, and this is the kicker, the child's own sippy cup!

While it's very possible that this was the result of an individual's actions and not the restaurant's protocol, the public will still look to Applebees for answers. One part of crisis management that the restaurant chain has certainly got down its holding statement, as you can see in this quote from a PRDaily article by Michael Sebastian:

The manager reportedly apologized to the mother, while Applebee’s corporate office emailed this statement to a reporter at WDIV in Detroit:

“Obviously any situation like this is unacceptable and we take it very seriously. We are working with local authorities and conduction [sic] our own investigation so we can assess exactly what happened.”

Twitter is abuzz with tweets about the incident. The company’s official Twitter account has responded, tweeting this message (or some form of it):

“Obviously any situation like this is unacceptable. Working w/ local authorities & conducting own investigation. Thanks.”

Getting this message out there is good initially, but being the third day since the incident it's far past time for holding statements. Applebees has nothing on their Facebook or main website addressing the issue, and continues to echo the same exact response to anyone who Tweets about it as well. The restaurant would do well to start communicating, or the situation will only get worse as rumor fills the gap instead, leading to reputation damage and lost or alienated customers.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Edano Aces Media Relations

2011-04-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Savvy crisis communication wins trust of the people

Japanese Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has been doing crisis management for the country starting mere hours after the brutal earthquake of March 11. Edano has put on a clinic since then, exemplifying the ideal spokesman through what was surely extreme stress, as this quote from a blog post by Japanese PR pro Takashi Kurosawa details:

One important factor in the field of PR is risk management communications during an emergency situation. This is because a mishandling of the situation would lead to antagonizing not only the customers but also society as a whole. Edano’s attitude has been exemplary from this perspective, and I have listed below the reasons why that is so.

1. Speaks clearly, slowly and pauses between paragraphs.

2. Doesn’t read out from a script and speaks in his own words instead.

3. When pointing to a journalist to ask a question, he answers looking at him/her straight in the eye.

4. Doesn’t deny possibilities (such as that of leakage of radiation) and accepts them as “possible”.

5. For factors that require expert knowledge, he first explains so but also voices his own opinion.

6. Repeatedly goes over points that might lead to misunderstanding. (The beginning of the video above taken on the 12th, or the explanation he gave about the 4th reactor -around 10:00 in the video below- are cases in point)

7. Clearly articulates the issues that are of the greatest interest to the audience, namely the possible impacts of radiation on the human body. (Not only in terms of figures, but also about the fact that the time of exposure influences the overall impact.)

8. Doesn’t give evasive answers and instead answers as well as possible within the scope of the available facts.

9. Always appears as the spokesman.

10. Gives concrete examples for what each citizen can do to contribute to the situation (conserve energy, don’t send out chain e-mails, don’t hoard, etc.)

Regardless of whether you are speaking for a government or business, honesty, patience and confidence are prime traits that will ensure you gain the trust of stakeholders.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Chrysler's Social Media Crisis Management

2011-04-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

Strong crisis communication prevents trouble for automaker

As social media opens up new communication and crisis management avenues, it also presents new dangers. One of the most common types of trouble that comes to companies using social media is inappropriate postings by employees. Auto giant Chrysler found this out first hand late last month when an member of its media agency posted a message meant for his personal account from @ChryslerAutos, an official company account. The NY Times has the details:

The first incident began last Wednesday, when an employee of New Media Strategies, an agency handling the Twitter account for the Chrysler brand that is aimed at consumers (@ChryslerAutos), posted a comment there that read, “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to drive.” Between “to” and “drive” was a vulgarity.

The comment was deleted, the agency dismissed the employee and Pete Snyder, chief executive at New Media Strategies, wrote in a post on the company’s blog that the agency “regrets this unfortunate incident.”

On Thursday, Chrysler said it would not renew the agency’s contract. In a post on a corporate blog, Ed Garsten, a spokesman for Chrysler, cited a new advertising campaign for the Chrysler brand, which carries the theme “Imported from Detroit,” as a reason.

“This company is committed to promoting Detroit and its hard-working people,” Mr. Garsten wrote, adding: “Inside Detroit, citizens are becoming even more proud of their town, and outside the region, perception of Detroit is rapidly improving. With so much good will built up over a very short time, we can’t afford to backslide now and jeopardize this progress.”

Textbook response by Chrysler here. From heads rolling at the media agency to the well-thought out blog post (hopefully linked from the offending Twitter feed!), the response was fast, effective, and clearly a success.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

The Extra Step

2011-04-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a personal touch

It's been a long time since merely issuing a press release was considered adequate communication. These days, taking only that meager measure is almost inviting crisis, as criticism is bound to follow. BCM President Jonathan Bernstein recently addressed this issue in a Fox Sports article regarding college football coach Mike Anderson's sudden departure from Missouri's program, addressed only by a statement buried in a related press release:

To some, a press release is never enough.

Jonathan Bernstein, president of the Los Angeles-based Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., said the best written statements pale in comparison to a voice's power. He said Anderson's cloaked departure from Missouri "puzzled" him, and that it came across as uncaring.

Bernstein said humility and transparency should be the guiding principles for a coach's communication strategy in difficult situations. Fortunately for Anderson, Bernstein said, the public's memory of messy breakups does not last long.

"In terms of the general public, they are probably going to move on," Bernstein said. "I don't think it will have a long-term affect on his career. I just think it was very poorly handled from an issues management point of view."

Although the incident will probably not damage his "brand" so to speak, had Anderson taken the extra step and given a personal and public goodbye he would have had the opportunity to bank good will that could be used in future crisis management.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Be The Source

2011-03-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

Take charge of communication

You always want to be the primary source of information in a crisis. The best way to do this in today's climate of near-instantaneous communication is to answer stakeholders' questions before they're ever asked, a crisis management tactic described here in a quote from a Mashable article by Levick Strategic Communications' Patrick Kerley:

Today’s consumers are as informed as ever and will likely hear about a recall the moment it is announced. Further, as with so many industries, a push to put data and tools on mobile devices means consumers will have access to information anywhere.

For example, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have released a new mobile app that enables consumers to access up-to-the-minute information on product recalls directly from the retail store aisles.

The same savvy consumers who take advantage of mobile technology will likely be the most outspoken and the most apt to connect online. They will turn to the company’s website or social media profiles to find out the specifics of the recall and to provide commentary of their own. Before this crucial early adopter/early responder audience begins researching and posting about a recall, it is important that information about the recall be readily available. Without your information, consumers will be left to make their own determinations — which could have dangerous consequences on both their safety and the trust they put in your company.

Consumer's personal determinations will not be the only factor in a situation like this, though. Reporters, bloggers, and many other individuals will be weighing in as well, and if you do not shine in the role of information dispensary then someone who may not necessarily have your best interests in mind will gladly fill the gap.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Google Does Crisis Management Right

2011-03-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Simple communication pays off

Google has received even more attention than usual (if that's possible for a page that welcomes millions of users daily) due to a series of articles investigating flaws in its ranking system. While theories abound as to who is behind this sudden influx of attention, it really doesn't matter because of some smart crisis management by Google, described here in a quote from a PR Daily article by Kevin Allen:

Google hasn’t taken it all on the chin; the search giant is launching a PR counterattack of its own. The message: Spammers and content farms will be punished.

We saw what happened to JC Penney when it attempted to manipulate its search results. Now, Wired is reporting, along with several other news outlets, that Google is taking even more measures to bolster its efforts to silence content farms.

If it turns out that a competitor was behind Google’s negative press, it seems that their PR efforts could backfire. Google is playing this one right by saying, in effect, “We acknowledge the need for change and we’re taking the necessary steps.”

Maybe all the offending parties managed to do in the end was make Google a better product.

Tell people you know there's a problem, and show what you're doing to fix it. It's simple advice, but refusing to take those two steps is the reason many crises progress to dangerous levels. Kudos to Google for nailing it!

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Crisis Communication

2011-03-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Give the people want they want

While communication will fall flat on its face without actions to back it up, in the immediate aftermath of a crisis the first thing the public wants is information. In a recent post on the LawFirmsPR blog, my colleague, crisis communication expert Rich Klein, summed up exactly how to give it to them:

3) Speak – Using traditional media but especially social media like Twitter, Facebook & YouTube, a company must respond 24/7 to media/blogger inquiries as well as the concerns of a company’s critical audiences (employees/loved ones, customers/clients, government officials, investors, etc.). “Speak” also means “write” — so any backgrounders, fact sheets, press releases and social media posts that can be prepared in advance will make it easier to navigate a serious crisis. Spokespeople previously designated should have access to live video tools like Skype, iChat, Facetime, UStream, Justin.TV and Google Chat. This will allow critical audiences to actually see and hear from the “face” of the company, which helps an organization to build/rebuild trust much faster. But that’s assuming the written and spoken messages put out by the company are entirely credible. In addition, most of these “apps” are available on a growing list of mobile devices.

The idea of using web-based video for crisis management has already been tested with success in several high profile cases, and although these were largely based on YouTube and not streaming live, the skyrocketing popularity (and near-zero cost) of these services makes them very strong communication tools when used in combination with the rest of your arsenal.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Preparing for the Unthinkable

2011-03-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

Japan faces overwhelming need for crisis management

The catastrophic impact of last Friday’s quake and tsunami in Japan shows that even the very best preparation can be overwhelmed by violent and unpredictable events of this magnitude.

Japan has a well-drilled population, strict building regulations and some of the most extensive earthquake planning in the world. But right now the estimates of dead and missing, the nuclear emergency, and the numbers of people in need of basic supplies and sanitation are a reminder that sometimes all a government can do is try to cope.

This is what crisis management is all about. Being able to react with speed and certainty, explaining what you are doing, and making the best use of your strained resources can have a huge impact in the short, medium and long term.

This quote, from a post by Catherine Haddon on the UK's Institute for Government blog, is the very reason that the old cliche, "expect the unexpected," exists. In the wake of this staggering crisis, not only the government, but business owners and private citizens are forced to plunge into crisis management mode. When even those who have taken precautions are struggling to keep their heads above water, how do you imagine those who neglected to prepare are faring?

Every time a crisis strikes there is a lesson to be learned - be ready. Whether it's a natural disaster or a CEO caught in a scandal, having a plan makes a world of difference.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

The Right Message

2011-03-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Everyone needs to be on the same page when it comes to crisis communication

It's not always possible to limit crisis communications responsibilities to one person, which can create damaging situations if everyone isn't on message. This was evidenced after White House staffers gave varied responses to questions regarding the current situation in Libya, described here in a quote from PR News Online blog post by editor Scott Van Camp:

"...this morning’s piece in The Wall Street Journal about the West’s talk of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya (to keep Gadhafi from killing protesters from the air) struck me as a huge communications snafu for the U.S. At one end of the spectrum you have Defense Secretary Gates criticizing “loose talk” about military intervention (playing it down) while testifying before Congress—while at the other end, Secretary of State Clinton has been supportive of a no-fly zone. That’s pretty contradictive stuff, coming from a couple of high-level officials. In the middle there’s Jay Carney, the new White House press secretary, who says the no-fly zone is being “actively considered.” Seems like everyone isn’t on point during this crisis. I wonder if this is a communications blip, or evidence of the Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience? In any case, if the White House is unsure of what to do about Libya, at least it should get its PR act together."

Regardless of whether you are running a country or a business, ensuring that your representatives understand and can communicate your message should be a major priority. The alternative is to look scattered and weak - not exactly the image you want to project to the competition.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Speak Carefully

2011-03-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Choose your words carefully or your reputation will suffer

Merrie Spaeth's BIMBO Awards are a constant reminder of the power that words carry and the danger of using them without thinking. The latest edition of the BIMBOs features a medley of examples, including this outstanding one:

"The crisis was not caused by Wall Street fat cats," said negotiator Steve Eckhaus, when asked about rising compensation and bonuses for his clients. (We think pay packages are sometimes out of line, but we recognize government intervention only makes things worse. However, Mr. Eckhaus strains his credibility when he adds his clients are "pure as the driven snow." Given the amount of self-dealing and back scratching, we think financial district snow has had more than a few dogs walking on it.)The Wall Street Journal, "Wall Street Lawyer: Don't Blame Pay," Feb. 5, 2011

It's important for anyone involved with crisis management to realize that the media will immediately seize upon sensational or damaging terms; whether they are in context doesn't matter in the slightest. By using the term, "Wall Street fat cats," in an attempt to defend his clients, Eckhaus actually labeled them as such, making his job that much more difficult.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Reputation Rehab

2011-03-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Designer heads to rehab after rant in bar

Fashion designer John Galliano is the latest high-profile person to be captured on film making a complete ass of himself and embarrassing his employer, Christian Dior, in the process. Already cut from the Dior team, Galliano is headed straight to rehab for issues with alcohol and has begun his crisis management with this statement, quoted from a NY Times article:

‘‘Anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologize for my behavior in causing any offense,’’ Mr. Galliano said in a statement issued through Harbottle and Lewis, a London law firm. The designer's statement said he was ‘‘subjected to verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing" during the altercation in a Parisian bar last week. He also has started legal action for defamation, according to the statement.

Already known as a "bad boy," Galliano had little cushion for his reputation and has fallen hard. Recovery is possible, but it would be wise for Galliano to first lay low and finish the rehabilitation process, then make amends with the public and his former employers.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

J.C. Penney Cheats Google

2011-02-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

Shady SEO tactics create a reputation crisis

While it can certainly net you temporary gains, in the long run it doesn't pay to be dishonest. Retailer J.C. Penney is a perfect example, having been outed by The New York Times this week for using "black hat" SEO methods to unfairly raise its rankings in search results. A quote, from the Times article, by David Segal:

There are links to JCPenney.com’s dresses page on sites about diseases, cameras, cars, dogs, aluminum sheets, travel, snoring, diamond drills, bathroom tiles, hotel furniture, online games, commodities, fishing, Adobe Flash, glass shower doors, jokes and dentists — and the list goes on.

Some of these sites seem all but abandoned, except for the links. The greeting at myflhomebuyer.com sounds like the saddest fortune cookie ever: “Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn’t here.”

When you read the enormous list of sites with Penney links, the landscape of the Internet acquires a whole new topography. It starts to seem like a city with a few familiar, well-kept buildings, surrounded by millions of hovels kept upright for no purpose other than the ads that are painted on their walls.

So far Penney spokespeople are denying responsibility, but unless the organization is 100% sure its hands are clean the smart crisis management move would be to cop to the mistake sooner rather than later. The mistake might have been an all-too-common one: trusting that your alleged SEO expert was using "white hat" techniques, and not knowing the difference yourself.

My advice to the retailer would be to humbly and apologetically admit its lapse in judgement, then publicly describe what it is doing to have the problem links removed and how the issue will be prevented in the future. While Google may issue its own punishment, saving face in the court of public opinion will help limit reputation damage and the loss of sales that could follow.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Answering Questions

2011-02-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

Active crisis communication always pays off

In the past, when all hell broke loose, regular sources of information could be hard to come by, unreliable, intermittent and downright infuriating; a phone number with a taped message on the other end, a sliver of advice, half-heard from the radio or a massive queue ending in a very flustered customer service operative.

While this can still unfortunately be the case in a lot of instances, a number of recent cases have demonstrated that savvy organizations can use social media channels to keep people informed, disseminating crucial information, answering panicked questions and doing their credibility a whole world of good.

As this quote from a post on the SocialMedia-Forum blog states, new technology is making it easier than ever to communicate during crises. This is important because one of the largest dangers of crisis management is losing control of your own story by leaving an information gap. With the speed of communication expected by today's public and media, allowing too much time to pass without any type of information or statement being released is asking for rumor, innuendo, and probably your detractors or competitors, to fill in the details.

Even if you do not have enough information to explain the situation, a simple holding statement will usually afford you time enough to craft a full message. After that, it's the simple, but time-consuming, act of reading and responding to inquiries with a particular aim at answering questions, fixing problems and correcting misconceptions.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Protocol Counts

2011-02-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

No matter how talented your team is, crisis management is not something done best on the fly. While obviously some improvisation is necessary, it's important to create a plan and follow through. That's why, as Risdall McKinney PR president Rose McKinney wrote in a recent article, "protocol counts." A quote:

Protocol counts. If there’s not a communications protocol in place, you need to quickly establish one – and stick with it — so that the crisis response team can be effective. Determine who needs to be involved, determine the facts of the situation including the timing, determine who will speak, determine the order of communications (any victims, employees, board, customers, media) and the channels available to reach fundamental audiences. Agree to the protocol and then share it with everyone so there is no confusion about who’s doing what and who’s talking to whom. This is especially helpful for front-line employees who may not know how to handle a phone inquiry, reporter in the lobby or even an e-mail that they get from a friend.

Remember, every employee is a potential spokesperson for your organization, especially these front-line employees, who will be the first point of contact for anyone looking to get in touch with your organization. Whether responding to a standard phone call or warding off an ambush interview outside the office, everyone must be aware of the crisis communications plan and stick with it.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Red Cross Twitter Mixup

2011-02-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

Strong crisis communication prevents reputation damage

The Red Cross is extremely experienced with social media, having been an avid and active user for years now, so when a rogue tweet went out from its Twitter account at nearly midnight last night, the organization was not caught flat-footed. The Tweet, from Mashable:

According to the Mashable article, the tweet remained online for just one hour before Wendy Harman, the Red Cross' social media director, was woken and deleted the post.

The following morning the offending employee, Gloria Huang, posted accepting blame and explaining her error:

While that was a good start, the social media savvy Red Cross took things a step further, issuing their own comforting and humorous response:

Because the situation was not dangerous or overly serious, the Red Cross' answer was perfectly suited, basically saying, "no harm, no foul," while at the same time acknowledging that something had happened and that it would be prevented in the future, an ideal crisis management response.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Thank You for Suing Us?

2011-02-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

Why Taco Bell's crisis management strategy doesn't measure up

Taco Bell's response to claims that their taco filling does not actually qualify as beef was certainly unorthodox, but was it a success? Bruce Bonafede, president of Bonafere communications, doesn't think so, and in an article for the latest Crisis Manager newsletter he tells you why. A quote:

Running print ads with the headline "Thank you for suing us" may have seemed clever to Taco Bell, but crisis response is no place to be clever. It's a place to be honest, concerned, informative, two-way, and prompt. Those are what are called the "five tenets of crisis communications" not because crisis management pro Jonathan Bernstein put them in an article, but because they work.

Taking a less than serious approach to a damaging allegation is just one of several mistakes that Taco Bell has made in its crisis management. Check out the rest in Bruce's article, here.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Crisis Manager Turns 11

2011-02-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Crisis Manager!

The latest issue marks the 11th year that the Crisis Manager newsletter has been in circulation, and as always it brings expert advice from professionals in communications, PR, and of course, crisis management.

We start things off with an article by longtime friend and contributor Bruce Bonafede, who analyzes Taco Bell's unconventional response to the recent lawsuit which alleges their taco fill does not in fact qualify as beef. Following that is a piece by Tony Jaques, who looks as how corporations can suffer a "touch of the Charlie Sheens," an accumulation of problems that causes every new issue to become a major crisis.

Still not a subscriber? Click here to become one, or check out every issue ever published in the Crisis Manager archives!

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Build Your Army

2011-02-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

Treat them right, and customers will do battle for you

The difference between a small hitch and extensive reputation damage is often the effort that is put into building relationships before the fact. Once you understand this, then, where do you begin? Marketing pro Peter Shankman gave his advice in an article for Business News Daily:

It starts with your customers, clients, users, whoever. What you’re doing for them on a day-to-day basis defines how they’ll treat you when you need them. Are you going out of your way to be helpful? Are they buying from you, or from a “big-no-name-store?” Will they get a human being on the line when they need one, or will they go into voice mail hell?

The little ways you treat your customer now will ensure they’re there for you when you need them.

Even though most have fully embraced technology, human touches make a world of difference. Remember, a satisfied customer today could be your most vocal defender tomorrow. Gather that loyal crowd, keep them happy, and you create a powerful crisis management tool.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Barack's No Father-Figure

2011-02-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Obama's leadership is no "how to" class

In hard times, people turn to their leaders. For a business, this means the CEO, in the United States, it is the President. Even in the midst of a crisis, strong leadership can empower followers and turn things around. Unfortunately, Barack Obama has, at best, had mixed grades in this department, and it shows. A quote, from a USA Today article:

Crisis management expert Jonathan Bernstein says that in times of economic trouble, a president "is the ultimate father-figure for the country, if you will." He adds, "If we think he feels good about how things are going, we'll believe it. JFK was very good at that; unfortunately, Barack Obama is not."

Obama's early confidence and magnetism led the public to believe that his crisis management and communication skills were strong, his attitude unfaltering, but the problem with creating such high expectations is that you must later live up to them, a task he has struggled with throughout his presidency. With a second run at the office fast approaching, Obama must fight to demonstrate his abilities, or he could find himself looking for a new job.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Badly Babbling Blogosphere

2011-01-31T14:49:00.000-08:00

It pays to be part of the conversation, but how do you stay safe?

How you react to discussions on the Internet can make or break your reputation. Responses to blogger's comments, whether positive or negative, must be honest, tactful, and stay on message. In this week's issue of Crisis Manager, Tom Gable, CEO of Gable PR, uses examples from his own practice to demonstrate the difference between good and bad online crisis response, then provides a check list meant to get organizations on track for online crisis management in the "badly babbling blogosphere."

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Too Little Too Late

2011-01-30T11:34:00.000-08:00

Be ready for online crisis response...or else

The Internet is the center of information today. What this means for businesses is that when a crisis breaks, their fans, critics, and everyone in between will flock to the Web for the latest details. If this happens and the business has no web presence, then things get ugly, and fast.

In an article for this week's Crisis Manager newsletter, social media expert Lisa Chapman describes a crisis where a small group of angry bloggers caught direct sales giant Amway unprepared for online crisis management, costing the company hundreds of millions and further damaging an already-battered reputation in the process.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Crisis Manager Newsletter

2011-01-29T09:12:00.000-08:00

PR Disaster & Dealing with a Badly Babbling Blog

It's that time again, a new Crisis Manager newsletter is out, and with it comes more guest articles from professionals aimed at improving your crisis management skills. This week, our focus was on the topic of social media - Twitter, Facebook, blogs and the like. First up, social media expert Lisa Chapman takes a look at the PR disaster that took a chunk out of Amway's reputation (and pocket book), all because of a weak Web presence and lack of social media skills. Following that, Tom Gable, CEO of Gable PR, gives some advice on how to deal with rumor and innuendo in the "badly babbling blogosphere," complete with a handy checklist!

Still not subscribed? Find this issue and many more, right here.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

What is Social Media?

2011-01-26T09:09:00.000-08:00

And what can it do for me?

Many business owners are still unsure what the purpose of social media is. Most have the general idea that it can be used for some type of marketing or communication, but the actual ins and outs are a mystery, and they often approach it from the wrong angle. In this quote from a post on the k2media blog, Kate McKinney describes the relationship between business and social media:

The bottom line is this: social media for businesses is about marketing – and lead generation and sales and reputation management AND customer service. YOU can’t decide that it’s going to be about only one or two things in that list. Your customers will decide for you. So you’d better be ready.

The only way to be ready is to prepare, and train, for potential situations. In addition to this, there needs to be some sort of base established. While it is better than nothing, it's just not enough to create social media accounts when the need for crisis management arises. You won't have the followers, and people looking for information won't even think to visit your page unless you've established that relevant news and information will be posted there.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Keep it Honest

2011-01-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

Stakeholders reward transparency in communication

Maintain honesty and integrity:

Every business model should be molded around these two pillars, but while you’re in the eye of the media, (more than ever) maintaining honesty and integrity is crucial. Executing this simple concept can be difficult, but if you’re at fault, accept responsibility and always point to yourself before pushing blame onto others. In 1982, Johnson & Johnson conducted a nationwide product recall when seven people were killed from cyanide poisoning in Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules. The recall resulted in a more than $100 million loss in sales, and although Johnson & Johnson was not directly responsible for the tampering of the product, the company assumed responsibility to ensure public safety. This act of morality helped the company survive and restored the public’s faith and trust in the Tylenol brand.

This advice, from an article by BLASTmedia's Julie Zaitz, seems simple, yet many organizations fail to meet these standards. In fact even J&J, the example provided in the article, has suffered enormous reputation damage after being called out for dishonest practices in relation to a more recent string of recalls, the latest event of which involved secretly sending employees throughout the country to buy up Motrin in order to avoid a recall.

Stakeholders reward honest crisis communication, and although things may look bleak initially, with the right response you can build their confidence in your ability to handle adversity.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

UnGoogle Yourself

2011-01-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

Not everything on the Web is forever

The general theory held by most people is that once something is published on the Web, it is all but impossible to remove. While this is true much of the time, in some cases you can actually modify or wipe damaging search results, and with the ever-increasing number of E-reporters expanding the grey area that many journalists now work in, this is quickly becoming a necessary skill. In an article for our Crisis Manager newsletter, crisis communications consultant Mark Macias gave some tips on, as he says, "How To UnGoogle Yourself" before permanent damage is done.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Lessons from Deepwater

2011-01-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

BP insider gives observations on lessons to learn from the crisis

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was, hands down, the most talked about crisis of the last year. Overall BP received a serious bashing over its handling of the entire issue, especially after ex-CEO Tony Hayward's series of bad quotes, and, as smart organizations do, it has learned from the mistakes made during the crisis management process.

To that note, this weeks Crisis Manager newsletter features an article by Neil Chapman, ex-head of communications for BP's Refining and Marketing business and the man that ran the media room for BP's Unified Joint Information Center during the "Deepwater Horizon Incident." In his article, Chapman gives his own observations as to how others can look at the entire incident to find lessons relevant to their own organizations.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Crisis Manager: Goodbye 2010 - Inside Deepwater

2011-01-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

Crisis management tips and advice from the pros

Our first Crisis Manager of the new year is here, and with it comes guest articles from two highly experienced professionals. First, we had the opportunity to bring to you an article by ex-BP head of communications Neil Chapman, that tells of lessons learned from doing crisis management for the Deepwater Horizon spill, as well as giving an insiders view of many things that BP was critiqued for during the incident. Coming on the heels of that is a piece by crisis communications consultant Mark Macias that seeks to answer the question of "How to UnGoogle Yourself," or how to combat an onslaught of negative online information.

Missed an issue? The Crisis Manager archives are available free, here.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Chik-fil-A Flubs Cri-sis Management

2011-01-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

Lax response hurts popular fast food chain

Executives at Chick-fil-A had these days circled on their calendars long ago: It was to be Spicy Chicken Biscuit Premiere Week, a public-relations-sparked rollout of the company's most exciting offering since last year's Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Then on Tuesday, Good As You broke the news that the chicken chain is an official sponsor of two marriage seminars associated with the right-wing, anti-gay marriage Pennsylvania Family Institute -- not exactly the headlines the CEO's had envisioned.

After outrage spread over the Internet, the chain's name was erased from the website promoting the event, but no word yet on whether the sponsorship has been cancelled. A tweet from the Georgia-based company on Tuesday stated "For those seeing reports of a CFA sponsorship w/ the Penn Family Inst, we are looking into the issue and will provide a response ASAP."

As this quote from a Miami Times blog post by Lee Klein explains, it has not been a good week for Chik-fil-A, the popular chicken-centric fast food chain. While some backlash was unavoidable, Chik-fil-A's slow shift into crisis management mode caused unnecessary reputation damage to be taken . It took the organization a full day to do so much as issue a holding statement on Twitter and following that there was a gap of over 24 hours during which rumor and nasty sentiments toward the brand flooded the Web, before a follow up, or any more communication at all, was posted. While Chik-fil-A seems to have put out the fire temporarily with the claim that the donation was the act of a single franchise owner simply seeking to "serve his local community," the brand's past history of supporting controversial right-wing beliefs will continue to haunt it as long as these incidents keep popping up.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Leadership in a Crisis

2011-01-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

Crisis management starts from the top

In times of crisis, people look to their leaders for guidance. Whether you're a politician or the CEO of a company, you will be expected to be at the forefront of any crisis management efforts. In a recent blog post for the Harvard Business Review, leadership expert John Baldoni listed some tips that apply to anyone in a position of authority:

Take a moment to figure out what's going on. An executive I know experienced a major disruption in service to his company. He was the person in charge and he told me that at the first response meeting everyone started talking at once. The chatter was nervous response — not constructive — so he delegated responsibilities and then called for a subsequent meeting in an hour's time. This also helped to impose order on a chaotic situation.

Act promptly, not hurriedly. A leader must provide direction and respond to the situation in a timely fashion. But acting hurriedly only makes people nervous. You can act with deliberateness as well as speed. Or as legendary coach John Wooden advised, "Be quick but don't hurry."

Manage expectations. When trouble strikes, people want it to be over right now — but seldom is this kind of quick resolution possible. It falls to the leader in charge to address the size and scope of the crisis. You don't want to alarm people, yet do not be afraid to speak to the magnitude of the situation. Winston Churchill was a master at summing up challenges but offering a response at the same time. As he famously said when taking office in 1940, "You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory; victory at all costs; victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival."

Demonstrate control. When things are happening quickly, no one may have control, but a leader can assume control. That is, you do not control the disaster — be it man-made or natural — but you can control the response. A leader puts himself into the action and brings the people and resources to bear. Think of Red Adair, who made a name for himself putting out oil fires that no one else could. A raging blaze may seem uncontrollable but Adair knew could control the way it was extinguished.

Keep loose. Not only does this apply to personal demeanor — a leader can never afford to lose composure — it applies to the leader's ability to adapt rapidly. A hallmark of a crisis is its ability to change quickly; your first response may not be your final response. In these situations, a leader cannot be wedded to a single strategy. She must continue to take in new information, listen carefully and consult with the frontline experts who know what's happening.

Competence in these areas comes with experience, although it can be augmented with tools such as crisis simulation and media training. Remember, the strength of the leader will be seen as a representation of the organization as a whole. A strong, confident, and active leader will go a long ways in shifting the public's perception into the positive.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/