crisis management

crisis management, ImPRessions, public relations • August 5, 2019

Edelman Falls Short As PR Industry Leader

It’s always instructive when PR teams entrusted with managing the reputations of major corporations run into reputation problems of their own. But it’s downright disturbing when it happens to one that presumes to lead our industry. Mega-agency Edelman recently made waves by resigning a lucrative engagement working with for-profit corrections company The GEO Group, a […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, ImPRessions, public relations, reputation • May 15, 2019

Why Boeing’s Reputation Radar Failed

Boeing’s PR crisis deepened this week as a fuller picture emerged of its handling of serious problems surrounding the 737 Max. With the release of audio from a tense November 2018 meeting between the American Airlines pilots’ union and Boeing executives – after the Lion Air crash but before the Ethiopian Airlines accident – the […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, ImPRessions, public relations, reputation • April 10, 2019

How To Restore A Public Reputation

When the college admissions cheating and bribery scandal broke nearly a month ago, two names led the headlines. More than 50 people were implicated, but actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were featured in every article. Both actors’ spouses were mentioned, and as a social influencer, Loughlin’s daughter Olivia Jade was also drawn into the […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, ImPRessions, public relations • October 24, 2018

When The Crisis PR Guy Is The Crisis

There’s not a major corporation today that doesn’t have a small army of PR and reputation experts helping it navigate a tricky media and government relations landscape. But occasionally, the damage comes from a company’s own ranks. That happened this week when the Campbell Soup Company found itself in hot water after a bizarre tweet […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, PR Fish Bowl, public relations • April 10, 2018

A PR View Of CEO Apologies

Most public relations experts agree that the rules of the public apology are relatively simple. Be sorry. Do it quickly. Take full responsibility. Where possible, communicate how you will fix the problem. But if apologizing is so simple, why do so many CEOs botch the apologies? Sometimes it’s because legal advice conflicts with PR counsel. […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, ImPRessions, leadership, public relations • February 27, 2018

A PR View Of Brands In The Crosshairs

When should a large company take a political stand? Some PR experts would say never. And you can’t blame big companies if they want to avoid public debates about the causes of gun violence, climate change, or other politicized issues. But increasingly, corporate America is being asked to pick a side. It seems there’s more […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, ImPRessions, public relations, reputation • February 26, 2018

KFC Crisis Response Is A PR Win

Who says you can’t make lemons into PR lemonade? That’s precisely what the UK unit of fast-food chain KFC managed after an embarrassing shortage of a pretty important ingredient in its prepared meals – that’s right, chicken. Due to a change in suppliers, KFC was somehow unable to procure birds in the UK, forcing it […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, ImPRessions, public relations, reputation • February 7, 2018

The Death Of A PR Firm, Due To Bad PR

Can you imagine being the guy running a public relations agency that “perished in a public relations fiasco”? That’s the unhappy fate of James Henderson, the former CEO of now-defunct PR and crisis management powerhouse Bell Pottinger. The London-based firm imploded last year after its role in running a “dirty campaign” for South African client […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, ImPRessions, public relations • December 19, 2017

2017 Crisis Management That (Mostly) Worked

Armchair PR experts get lots of mileage from critiquing crisis management by major brands and businesses this time of year. But what about the crisis situations that are handled well? Those instances are less clear, presumably because we don’t hear about the bad news that never hit the press. But in the spirit of fair […]