CONTROL
Crisis Management & Litigation Communication for the Digital Age
Control provides vital lessons and insights in crisis management and communication. With a 24-hour news cycle and an unforgiving social media landscape, leaders and public figures can no longer afford to wait hours or days before they respond to a crisis. PR pros, corporate CEOs, and mid to high-profile individuals alike need to know how to avert, prepare for, and mitigate damage.
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Honest PR? A Justification for the Crisis Communications Profession
In the perception of more than a few people, crisis communications is the art of twisting or hiding the truth, aka ‘spin’. Shows like scandal have done much to promote that narrative, but so have harmful actions by some PR professionals, like in the recent Lively/Baldoni debacle. But in the same way that lawyers (who…
Embracing Backlash: How Brands like Bud Light Should Navigate DEI-Related Campaigns in the Face of Backlash
In today’s politically-charged climate, brands that champion DEI may find themselves at the center of controversy. While backlash from intolerant individuals may be disheartening, it’s essential for brands to take ownership of their DEI-related campaigns and stand firm in their values. In such instances, brands should expect backlash, stand firmly behind their DEI initiatives, view…
Combating Misinformation, Disinformation, and Mal-information Using PR 
There’s no doubt that the terms ‘fake news’ and ‘disinformation’ have become a regular part of our collective lexicon in recent years. It’s clear that the media, and social media in particular, can easily be co-opted for malicious purposes. While this phenomenon is now being recognized more readily in political contexts, not enough attention is…
Joe Rogan–Spotify controversy: By attempting to appease everyone, Spotify is angering everyone
Over the past few weeks, streaming giant Spotify has faced boycotts by artists and fans over its loyalty to Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast. Rogan recently came under criticism for spreading false narratives about the coronavirus, his use of racial slurs, and recent controversial comments about the use of the word ‘Black’. Traffic to the cancellation…
What Activision Blizzard’s recent PR woes can teach us about responding to employee misconduct claims
To continue my series reviewing recent PR Disasters that took the cake over the past two years, I’ll be looking at video game company Activision Blizzard, maker of Call Of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush. Activision’s recent PR woes provide a classic case study of how delays in reporting or responding to situations…
From Volkswagen to Snickers: Commercials that provoked social media outrage and lessons to take from them
The past two years have brought us a good deal of PR crisis situations and over the coming weeks, I’ll be reviewing some of the most interesting and discussing what lessons they reveal. Kicking off the list are two disasters connected to controversial commercials that came from Snickers and Volkswagen. Volkswagen Apologizes for Racist Ad …
Managing Expectations in Crisis Management: the Achievable v. the Ideal
Clients going through PR crises or litigation always want to get every bit of positive information out there. They are convinced that if only the world could hear their full side of the story, they would surely be vindicated. Unfortunately, crisis management and litigation communication strategies are easily doomed by such utopian expectations. Education campaigns…
How to Choose an Effective Spokesperson for Your Organization
Having a strong spokesperson can be an extremely powerful weapon in an organization’s communications arsenal, particularly in times of crisis. A spokesperson speaks on behalf of your organization and is generally preferred over a written statement or fact sheet — people relate better to people. More and more in our present media-sensitive world, organizations are…
Reputational Risk vs. Legal Risk? Harmonizing Legal and PR Strategy for Effective Crisis Response
If you’re a fan of The West-Wing or watched Eli Gold in action on The Good Wife, chances are that recall a time when a lawyer and PR manager butted heads over whether or not a client should give a statement on an emerging crisis, issue an apology, etc. The age-old conflict waged between legal…
Why and How CEOs Should Prepare for Crisis
In today’s digital context, it is very easy for crises to get out of hand. For instance, an unofficial quote from a CEO could easily go viral and do more damage than the original issue — just ask Lloyd Blankfein or Tony Hayward. This is why it is necessary for CEOs, in particular, to prepare…
Sony Hacking Scandal: Facing Down Cyber Security Crises #crisisclassics
The 2015 Sony hacking incident is definitely one for the books. While set to release ‘The Interview’, a film that fictionally depicts the assassination of North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un, Sony was hacked and thousands of embarrassing emails, including ones mentioning various film stars, were revealed. In response to threats of violence against filmgoers, Sony…
Choosing a Successful Crisis Management Team for Your Organization
In the event of a crisis, it’s vital to have a team of people in place who are aware of protocols, ready and willing to act under pressure, quick on their feet, and collaborative. This is your crisis management team and every successful crisis management plan requires one. So, how do you go about choosing…
Sharon Osbourne’s Explosive Media Blunders, Mapped and Analyzed
It’s been recently announced that Sharon Osbourne will be leaving The Talk and this all comes two weeks after the on-air controversial conversation between her and her co-host Sheryl Underwood. I wanted to talk about what really contributed towards all of this spinning out of control. The tweet that sparked all of this was her…
Expecting the Unexpected: How to Begin Planning for Crisis
When a crisis hits, you want your response to be calm, transparent, empathetic and credible. Unfortunately, in times of actual crises we are prone to produce the exact opposite of this response — it’s hard to keep a clear head when the whole building is on fire! A crisis plan developed well ahead of time…
Y2K & The Underrated Value of Crisis Aversion
Working in crisis management, it doesn’t take long to notice that the toughest cases can also be the most undervalued. It can be hard to tell just how much damage a crisis situation is capable of causing, so when effective damage control is accomplished, clients, and even specialists themselves, may not be able to fully…
Strong (and Some Not So Strong) Brand Responses to the Black Lives Matter Movement
Black lives matter. It’s finally not a controversial thing to say, or at least, not as much as it used to be. In the past two weeks, the movement that arose in the aftermath of Trayvon Martin’s death has seen a resurgence in a way that most would not have anticipated. The murder of George…
BP, Goldman Sachs, and Tesla: 3 Times a CEO’s Response Made a Crisis Worse
Crisis management is all about achieving the right emotional response. People act on what they feel so as a spokesperson, what you say and how you say it matters. In a crisis, what a leader makes their audiences feel matters so regardless of what strategy you choose, leaders need to be conscious of what they…
Zoom: Is a Major Crisis on the Horizon for the Video Conferencing App?
Since the start of the stay-at-home policy to address COVID-19 across the U.S., Zoom, a video conferencing app has shot up astronomically in usage. However, with the sudden rise in popularity, the company now faces a number of public relations challenges due to holes in its privacy infrastructure. There have been revelations that flaws in…
Evaluating The COVID-19 Crisis Response in the United States
The U.S. is currently leading all other countries in COVID-19 infection rates; ahead of China where the outbreak started and well-ahead of South Korea which recorded its first case on the same day as the U.S. On Friday, March 13, President Trump declared that he does ‘not take responsibility at all’ for the failures of…
Grammy’s Controversy: What Will the Future Hold for the Recording Academy?
In late January, mere days before the 2020 Grammy Awards were to take place, a series of allegations made by former Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan became public. The crisis spelled a huge hit to the credibility of the 62-year-old organization. Viewership had already been in decline for a while, culminating in a 12-year low…
8 Essentials for Communication During a Crisis
Crises can occur at any time and to any individual or organization. If you’re a celebrity, politician, corporation, or association you should identify and assess the risks of various potential crises, and prepare a plan to successfully navigate when a crisis does occur. Below, I list a variety of vital steps to take when a…
Why the Tylenol Case Study Is an Unlikely Framework for Crisis Management in the Digital Era
In the PR world, we’ve all heard about the 1982 Tylenol crisis and how it should be regarded as the ultimate model for corporate responsibility and crisis control. The handling of the crisis — in which seven people were killed upon ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol — is reified amongst crisis managers as the standard in damage…
Why Crisis Management is Essential in the Digital Age
Public voices are more conscious and powerful than ever in the digital age. Organizations, no matter how big or small, need a thorough digital crisis management plan in order to effectively prevent, prepare for, and mitigate crises.
Boeing: Core Lessons from 2019’s Biggest PR Crisis
Boeing was the subject of 2019’s biggest PR crisis. For individuals new to crisis management, the corporation’s handling of its crisis provide some basic lessons in what to avoid and what basic rules ought to be applied in crisis scenarios.
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CONTROL, by Fiayo. 
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