Bad news more than any other PR activity shapes the negative perception of the profession. That’s when spin happens. Worse, everyone knows it. As exhibit A, look at the news release from the Dow Jones when it decided to sever the relationship with the AllThingsD founders: “For years, Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal has enjoyed …more
It seems every PR person in America has weighed in on the NRA’s press conference last month. No need to rehash this ground with another “What the NRA should have done is …” Instead, I’ve extrapolated from information in the public domain and pieced together how I think the dialogue went down between the NRA’s …more
Chris Tang, our Asia Pacific managing director based in Beijing, has years of experience in advising clients during times of crisis. The crisis a few months ago involving McDonald’s caught her attention. Here, she shares a mini case study on the episode and what McDonald’s did right to avoid a long-term disaster. By Chris Tang …more
When it comes to a crisis, everyone tends to fixate on the “bad press.” I think it’s more revealing to zero in on the communications controlled by the offending company. How are they telling their story within their control? That’s why I find the Toyota open letters to customers so fascinating. Just because you control …more
Tiger takes center stage tomorrow to publicly share his mea culpa. Every pundit and his brother has weighed in with a view. The local NBC affiliate was in our office today to interview our crisis guru John Radewagen. So I’ll keep my view brief. The statement on Tiger’s Web site doesn’t lead me to believe …more
Customer letter No. 3 from Toyota arrived on the scene today. Like the previous two – analyzed in “Open Letter to Toyota Customers Hits Pothole” and “Toyota’s Second Letter to Customers Stays on the Road,” this letter was published in major dailies and on the company’s Web site. Unfortunately, the third time was not a …more
I skewered Toyota earlier in the week in the post “Open Letter to Toyota Customers Hits Pothole.” Instead of addressing the issue head on, Toyota started the letter harking back to its 50-year heritage. The narrative went downhill from there. I don’t think Toyota was particularly proud of the letter either given it’s no longer …more
It’s standard practice for journalists to put a “face” on a crisis. It’s called humanizing the story. Which brings me back to the Toyota debacle which I addressed yesterday in the post “Open Letter to Toyota Customers Hits Pothole.” As you would expect, the reporters crafting follow-on stories to the Toyota crisis are indeed striving …more
Everybody loves a train wreck and what I affectionately call a “NASCAR story.” Even the promise of a collision tends to attract a crowd. With this as the backdrop, UTStarcom faced a quandary. The Justice Department had nailed the company for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a fancy phrase for bribery. How does …more
