From Jay Fitzgerald, writing for the Harvard Business School… Days after the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, a shaken Ed Stack, then the CEO and largest shareholder of Dick’s Sporting Goods, decided it was time for his 850-store chain to pull certain guns off its store shelves. The accused 19-year-old shooter in […]
A Crisis Can Occur Anytime & Anywhere In the immediate aftermath of a major incident, such as a mass shooting at a mall, restaurant, school, or faith-based location, the police chief and other first responder agencies will likely be lead spokespersons. But “major incidents” could turn into multi-day or multi-week events. Some of those include […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications… A reporter wants to interview you, but you don’t want to be identified as the source of the information. What do you do? The first thing to do is to ask yourself if the risk is worth it. Even if you follow everything we suggest below, what might the repercussions […]
Choosing to defend your reputation — or to set the record straight — in a packed courtroom is rarely the best crisis communications strategy. https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/3262435-johnny-depps-libel-case-proves-all-press-is-not-good-press/
From Brittany Wong writing in HuffPost… It happens like clockwork: Something cataclysmic or unexpected occurs and we all rush online to read the hot takes. We’re talking big news events here ― “Mass Attentional Events,” as tech journalist Charlie Warzel calls them: That one weird night in October 2020 when Trump tested positive for COVID. Or Russia invading Ukraine last […]
From Maja Pawinska Sims writing for PRovokeMedia… Over the past two weeks, we have seen an unprecedented brand exodus from Russia. International brands that have been present in the country for many years have made the decision to pull out of their operations, as a direct consequence of president Putin’s own decision to invade Ukraine. […]
From Rasheeda Childress writing in Associations Now… Actor Will Smith slapping Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s bald head—a result of alopecia, an autoimmune disorder—made headlines around the world. While most news outlets discussed the shock factor, event planners were reminded of the policies and procedures that need to be […]
From Nora Aufreiter, Celia Huber and Ophelia Usher writing for McKinsey & Co…. The pandemic has been a stark reminder for many organizations that they are insufficiently prepared for crises that could not merely destabilize them but put them out of business. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, our board perspective series looks at […]
From Randy Labuzinski, writing for Law.com… The Russian invasion of Ukraine sheds new light on the pattern of law firms speaking out about social causes and events with significant societal implications. A law firm’s actions can have PR implications, particularly when it comes to what is or is not communicated to stakeholders and the media. […]
From Marguerite Ward, writing for Insider Magazine… Three weeks ago, when President Joe Biden offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy an escape from his country as Russian forces invaded, Zelenskyy replied, “I need ammunition, not a ride.” The answer is emblematic of Zelenskyy’s unflinching allegiance to the people of Ukraine, which has taken center stage as the world […]