crisis management

crisis management • August 15, 2010

The Steven Slater Effect: Has JetBlue Lost Its Cool?

Steven Slater’s slide to freedom took less than a day to establish him as a folk hero. The reasons are obvious. Who hasn’t wanted to make an, um, emergency exit from a miserable job with that kind of flourish? It was just one employee who lost his cool, in a big way. But did his exit signal a downhill slide […]

crisis management • June 17, 2010

What PR People Can Learn From BP

Let’s get one thing straight. The Gulf Oil spill isn’t a PR problem. It’s an environmental disaster that no PR team, no matter how skilled, could clean up. The public relations crisis comes with BP’s lack of preparedness for the gusher, and with the communications in its wake. But, all calamities offer learnings. What lessons can we extract from […]

crisis management • June 10, 2010

Memo To Obama: Don’t Get Mad, Get Going

I used to work with a man who was notoriously calm and self-contained. His demeanor was so low-key that it was easy to parody. I perfected an impersonation of him asking for the sale at a typical new business pitch, just to entertain the staff. I’d stare straight ahead, let all trace of expression leave […]

crisis management • June 4, 2010

Apology PR: What We Can Learn From Jim Joyce

It’s been a good week for apology PR, but a tough time for most of the apologizers. Take BP, which can’t seem to stick to a uniform strategy. Just as it prepared to air an apology ad claiming “full responsibility” for the Gulf oil spill, its CEO cemented his reputation as the Joe Biden of the […]

crisis management • May 24, 2010

Is Facebook Evil, or Just Clueless?

Shall I quit Facebook? Facebook’s recent fumble along policy, technology, and PR lines has many asking the question for the first time. Not just privacy activists or technophobes. But, regular people who are pretty savvy about the social Web. The perception is morphing from irritation to doubts about its integrity. That’s not a good thing. I’ve never […]