From The Atlantic: Phrases that are not often used to describe a cease-and-desist letter: “the best,”“hilarious,” “cool,” “perfect,” “super classy.” And yet that is exactly the praise that Netflix’s lawyers received this week, from a variety of media outlets, for going about that most lawyerly of tasks: telling people they aren’t allowed to do a thing. In this case, […]
[By Thom Fladung/Hennes Communications] In the years I was helping run newsrooms, one of my least favorite experiences was being in the news. Odd sounding, I know, in that I spent 33 years putting people, businesses and other organizations in the news. Hypocritical? Perhaps. Almost always, though, if one of my newspapers was in […]
[By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications] “The house could be burned down before you even smell smoke.” In 2009, The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics set out to study how the court of public opinion can shape legal controversies. The sources were the people on the front lines – responses gathered from a questionnaire sent […]
Earlier this year, Bruce Hennes and Thom Fladung spoke at the American Bar Association’s Annual Mid-Year Conference, held in Miami, Florida. Their remarks were captured by Marilyn Cavicchia, writing for the ABA’s Bar Leader Magazine: “You’re all living in a media revolution,” said Thom Fladung, vice president of Hennes Communications. “And you don’t even know it.” […]
One day your luck suddenly runs out, and you’re consumed by a crisis that threatens to destroy everything you and your team have worked so hard to build. Rumors go viral on social media. News reporters fill your voice mail and email with interview requests. Work grinds to a halt and your staff wants answers. […]
[By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications] Indiana Republicans have learned that social media is not as easy as it sometimes looks. We suspect the individual who came up with the idea of generating support for healthcare reform by soliciting criticism of Obamacare on Facebook has spent some time in the woodshed as a result of this […]
From our colleague, Richard Levick: “Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.” – Niccolo Machiavelli C-suite executives and board members often ask if their corporation needs a new Facebook strategy or a better way to communicate on Twitter. As pleased as I am that they’re exploring ways to institute change, I […]
Any business, at one point, will face some sort of a public relations crisis and the way you respond can either give you a much-needed image boost or significantly damage your brand, ultimately alienating your customer base and business partners. Especially in this day and age, when news goes viral almost instantly, organizations need to […]
Our firm was proud to be part of the communications team, led by one of our clients, Destination Cleveland, that accepted two Silver Anvil Awards last week in New York City in recognition of the work done to support the 2016 Republican National Convention (RNC), held here almost exactly one year ago. The two awards, […]
From Deloitte and The Wall Street Journal: Domestic terrorism, cyberattacks, power outages, white collar crimes and other catastrophic events are just a few of the potential crises companies can face. While many companies have a crisis plan in place, they may not have actually tested their plans, or the plans may be inadequate. A Deloitte […]