From CommPro, written by Arthur Solomon, Public Relations Consultant: Depending upon which dictionary you use, a weasel will be defined as “sneaky or untrustworthy,” (Meriram-Webster); “achieve something by use of cunning or deceit,” (Oxford Living Dictionaries); or “a word used “to temper the forthrightness of a statement; that makes one’s views equivocal, misleading or confusing,” (Dictionary.com). Perhaps […]
From New York Times staff writer Michael Grynbaum: The toppling of Roseanne Barr — from her racist late-night tweet to the early-morning backlash and ABC’s axing of her highly rated show — took less than 12 hours. That is the equivalent of hyperspeed for businesses and brands that are accustomed to taking their time when […]
[By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] By now you know the story: Acerbic, sharp-tongued comedian Roseanne Barr shoots her mouth off on Twitter, posting a racist tweet targeting Valerie Jarrett, a former aide to President Barack Obama: “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj [Valerie Jarrett]” ABC wastes no time cutting ties […]
[By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications] Tell the truth. Tell it all. Tell it first. Tell it fast. Tell it on “Hard Knocks.” OK, that last one about HBO’s Emmy Award-winning inside look at a National Football League team’s training camp is not one of our fundamental principles at Hennes Communications when we’re working with clients […]
[By Thom Fladung/Hennes Communications] Facebook recently revealed what content it’s going to allow its users to post – and what’s not allowed. If you have social media channels like a Facebook page that invites comments or a website or some other digital platform where people can comment, you should do the same. The Bay Area […]
From Michelle Weldon, writing in Take the Lead: Gender may or not play a role in how a leader handles a crisis, but as a women leader, you can decide how you will behave. And it is likely you will have a crisis on your hands eventually. “A disaster is a moment of truth for […]
[By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications] Starbucks is certainly no stranger to controversy. Past dust-ups include its “war on Christmas,” the year the company issued a simple red cup for the holidays, and the campaign designed to improve race relations built on asking baristas to write “RaceTogether” on coffee cups. Both of those efforts were minuscule […]
[by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] When the charges you face are shocking and severe – damning charges that chafe the deepest ingrained norms of our society, such as rape and murder – the Court of Public Opinion can forever decide your fate no matter what happens in a courtroom. If you are deemed guilty by […]
[By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications] That’s the key question contained in this poster, from an organization called Civic Plus. It’s a good reminder to all organizations that communicating to stakeholders when an emergency strikes often needs to happen in seconds. That means communicators need to have systems and techniques in place in advance that can […]
From Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.: Let’s face it, in business dealings, charisma counts. A lot. And charisma is as much about impressions and body language as it is about issues and substance. I’ve seen many qualified people get passed over for promotion (or lose a sale or fail an interview) simply because they couldn’t project an engaging […]