Author: Jonathan & Erik Bernstein

Good crisis management is rarely about attracting a lot of attention and staying in the news. In fact, many fine examples of crisis management have gone nearly unnoticed except for the parties involved. This quote from a NY Times article explains:

“Companies that typically handle crises well, you never hear about them,” says James Donnelly, senior vice president for crisis management at the public relations colossus Ketchum, who — like many practitioners contacted for this article — required elaborate promises that he would not be portrayed as speaking about any particular company. “There’s not a lot of news when the company takes responsibility and moves on. The good crisis-management examples rarely end waving the flag of victory. They end with a whisper, and it’s over in a day or two.”

While “over in a day or two” may be a slight exaggeration in most cases, it is true that most successful crisis management campaigns do not end with a bang. The media has little interest in continuing to hammer an organization which is committed to honesty and making amends, so the issues of those involved are settled and public interest tapers off. Additionally, in some cases, we crisis managers are able to actually help a crisis-struck organization avoid news coverage altogether.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

One of the biggest concerns companies have about venturing onto social media is a fear that detractors, competitors or others who dislike their brand will comment publicly, venting their problem and leaving open the door for a lot of negative viral buzz. Their thinking is that if they aren’t on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or any of the other major sites, those naysayers or disgruntled types will have no public venue through which to flog them. The fatal flaw in this strategy is that angry consumers or clients don’t need a home base through which to damage a company and its reputation. They have their own home base through their individual social media platforms.

This quote is from a featured article in the latest Crisis Manager newsletter. Written by much lauded online branding and marketing expert Cindy Ratzlaff, the article explains in clear terms why avoiding social media not only fails to stop stakeholders from speaking poorly about an organization but actually inflames what would otherwise be minor issues because they are left unheard and unresolved.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

In a move aimed at improving both skills and image, higher ups in the Philippine police forces have directed commanders to review their forces for crisis management capabilities. The Manilla Bulletin reports:

Police Regional Office 6 (PRO 6) Director, C/Supt. Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr. during last Tuesday morning’s turn over of command ceremony at the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) specifically mentioned the “continuous retraining of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Public Safety Battalion units on anti-hostage and terrorism operations especially in bus, building, boat and airplane assault tactics.”

Following the recent hostage debacle top cops in the area had little choice but to take action, but it remains to be seen whether this is a true overhaul or merely a well-timed PR move.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

 

Hotels in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a popular tourist destination, were given a scare this week when the eye of Hurricane Earl passed within 65 miles of heavily populated St. Thomas island. While the clear need for crisis management was acknowledged by all, the way individual hotels handled the situation varied widely. TMC News has the story:

“There are certain core strategies that all the hotels keep,” said V.I. Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty. “But I think each of the branded properties have a certain corporate culture with how they deal with visitors. You’ll find variances from one hotel to the next, and you’ll see that difference with any type of crisis.” On St. Thomas at Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa, which caught the worst of the hurricane-force wind from the north, hotel visitors were given bag lunches, asked to stay in their rooms at 2 p.m. and were told an automated phone message service would inform them about dinner plans. No alcoholic beverages were served.

Less than five miles away at Marriott’s Frenchman’s Reef and Morningstar Beach Resort, which is on the St. Thomas south side and faced milder winds, there wasn’t an empty seat inside the lobby, as hotel guests socialized while playing board games, dominoes and cards. The bar was busy, the gift shop was thriving, and there was no talk of a curfew.

Luckily for everyone involved, the true capabilities of the hotels were not put to the test as the hurricane turned away from the islands and storms in the region began to dissipate. Although the storm’s brief business disruption may cause short-term financial losses as customers shy away from the region, there shouldn’t be any significant effects felt by local businesses.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

For many years Johnson & Johnson was known for one of the most successful crisis management campaigns in history, the 1982 Tylenol recall. Its superb handling of this difficult incident served to cement its reputation among consumers as a trustworthy brand until recently when a series of clashes with the FDA turned public opinion upside down. CNN Money reports:

Since September 2009, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the J&J division that makes over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, has announced eight recalls, including one for an estimated 136 million bottles of children’s Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, and Zyrtec — the biggest children’s drug recall of all time — that were potentially contaminated with dark particles. J&J has been excoriated by the Food and Drug Administration for failing to catch McNeil’s quality problems. In April the agency slapped McNeil’s plant in Fort Washington, Pa., with a scalding inspection report, causing the company to shutter the factory until 2011.

Perhaps most disturbing, in 2009 contractors hired by J&J carried out a scheme to secretly recall damaged Motrin by going store by store and quietly buying every packet, according to the FDA. That raised the prospect that J&J not only was making shoddy products — but was trying to keep the trouble out of public view.

Even as I was posting this blog entry, I heard radio news that J&J is now recalling thousand of defective hip replacement devices. What’s happened to their quality control?

J&J may have thought it was out of the fire when the furor over its recall of children’s medications died down, but it appears that its headaches are far from over. By following a recurring pattern of severe lapses in honestly and transparency, the once-revered manufacturer is destroying its own reputation.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

The hypothetical scenario was daunting: An intoxicated driver had just plowed a bus full of students through the wall of the school’s music building, killing seven and injuring 32. How would professionals in charge of emergency management respond to the erupting crisis?

School counselors and mental health providers gathered in small groups at the LSU Health Sciences Center’s School of Medicine to deliberate on a plan of action, drawing from eight core guidelines they had reviewed on a projector screen a few minutes earlier. Many funneled their ideas from lessons they had learned over several decades of experience.

Conducting exercises like the one described here in a quote from Nola.com is one of the best ways to boost your crisis management plan’s chance of success. Not only does walking through potential crisis situations help to cement the role each person plays in the process, but it also helps uncover existing flaws in current plans. These crisis simulations also have the advantage of being able to be run at many different levels of complexity, from tabletop discussion to full on simulations, depending on an organization’s budget and needs.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

HP’s Social Computer Lab has produced some interesting research reported by Tom Foremski on ZDNET which debunks that idea that if you’re popular on Twitter, you’re also automatically influential. The study found that:

– Most Twitter users are passive, they do not re-Tweet.

– There is a difference between popularity and influence. High numbers of followers does not equal influence because those followers do not re-Tweet.

– To become influential, Twitter users must somehow persuade their followers to re-Tweet.

This could be painful — but important to share — news for you or those you know and/or serve.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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Here’s a great guest blog from a colleague and frequent contributor to my ezine, Jerry Brown. This advice is just as important for crisis-related media relations, maybe even more so, than it is for more routine, proactive PR.

Jonathan Bernstein

You had me at helloBy Jerry Brown, APR www.pr-impact.com Hook me at the beginning if you want me to notice your story. Then keep it interesting if you want me to stick around until you’re done telling it. Good storytellers know it’s important to grab their audience’s attention right from the start. That’s why the lead of a news story is so important. And it’s why you need a strong, attention-getting lead for your news releases and pitch letters. There are many kinds of good leads. Here are a few of my favorites: Ask a question. Asking a question intriguing enough that the rest of us will want to know the answer is a good way to get reporters to read your news release to learn your answer. Not everyone agrees with me on this one. Some purists believe beginning a story with a question is a no-no. Why would you ignore such a powerful way to bring me into your story? Example: Why are local bird watchers putting down their binoculars and picking up protest signs? Start with an anecdote. News is about people and things that affect people. Anecdotes humanize your story. A good anecdote is a great lead for a story about an individual or a group of people. Example: Joan Doe has spent the last 43 years helping others. On Tuesday, several dozen of them will be on hand for her final day at work to say thank you and tell her how she changed their lives forever. Say something unexpected. We’re hardwired to notice the unexpected — a strange noise that may indicate a problem with your car or a slight movement by a stranger on a dark street. It’s a survival technique. Because we’re hardwired to pay attention to the unexpected, a lead that surprises your audience is a great way to get their attention. Example: Giving away money isn’t always easy. Use a first-person story. A self-directed version of the anecdotal lead. Don’t overdo this one. But some feature stories lend themselves to first-person leads. Just make sure there’s a reason for the rest of us to care. Example: The bear stared at me. I stared back. What I did next probably saved my life. And it could save yours. Just the facts. Once almost universally used for spot news stories and news releases, and still the most common type of lead for both. Make sure your facts are interesting or your lead will be boring — and your news release will probably end up in the trash. Example: XYZ Company opened a new plant today in Localville, bringing 500 jobs and a $25 million annual payroll to the city. That’s my’ two cents’ worth. What’s yours? ——————————- For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management ——————————-

I am offering free guest lectures in crisis management/crisis communications-related topics to any relevant college or university class, lectures to be delivered by webcam. At your end — project my image for the class to see. Then point your webcam at the class so I can see and hear them. It’s that easy. Contact me for more information.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

The morning before the brouhaha over Shirley Sherrod vomited out of Fox News to create a domino effect of shameful response, I happened to publish an analysis of journalistic ethics today in the form of an article telling non-journalists exactly how to fight back against unethical media. If the practices espoused in the article had been followed, a lot of innocent people, including Shirley Sherrod, could avoid being hurt in the court of public opinion.

I hope all readers of this blog find the “how to” piece useful, and please pass it on!

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]