By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on May 22, 2013
What would your advice be in this ugly situation? Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is in serious trouble after two separate media outlets were shown video of him (allegedly) smoking crack cocaine with a pair of drug dealers. The Toronto Star published an account of the video, written by the reporters who viewed it, Robyn Doolittle [...]
By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on May 20, 2013
Revelation of decades-long data access for reporters creates reputation crisis While Bloomberg‘s data terminals, which serve up volumes of intricately detailed financial information to Wall Street pros on a daily basis, have enjoyed a reputation as must-have tools, a privacy breach scandal has landed the company in a threatening crisis. Last week, it was revealed [...]
By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on May 16, 2013
Unfounded complaints reflect poorly on golf pro One major rule of PR — If you’re going to make public accusations, then you sure as heck better be able to back them up. Pro golfer Sergio Garcia learned this lesson the hard way when he complained to the media that Tiger Woods had caused him to [...]
By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on May 9, 2013
Going risqué can quickly create a need for crisis management The world of advertising gives us quite a bit of fodder, probably because those in the biz are constantly trying to draw a reaction from the public. The danger there is that it’s quite easy to go too far, putting a company’s reputation at risk. For [...]
By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on May 1, 2013
Take these steps and make every employee a crisis management asset Sure, your employees are hired to fill specific roles, but anyone who’s been in the middle of a crisis situation knows that a whole new set of responsibilities pops up, whether you’re ready or not. BCM president Jonathan Bernstein was recently interviewed for a [...]
By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on April 25, 2013
Proving you’ve changed is a key goal of crisis management for reputation damage When your brand’s been in hot water repeatedly, simply talking about the changes you’re making isn’t enough. For instance, is anyone out there rushing to hop on a Carnival cruise right now? We sure aren’t! The company hasn’t been able to get [...]
By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on April 23, 2013
Editor’s note: This guest post from Jeff Chatterton, a crisis management expert we’re proud to have as a Bernstein Crisis Management contractor, examines what the next steps should be for organizations of all types following the events of last week. I think everyone breathed a sigh of relief when police officers converged on a bloody, [...]
By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on April 19, 2013
Editor’s note: We don’t usually cross-post between our two blogs, but given recent events we feel it’s important for the following to reach as many eyes as possible. I know something about terrorists. From 1972-74 I was part of a US Army counterintelligence operation that successfully infiltrated a front group for what became known as [...]
By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on April 13, 2013
When it rains, it pours. Just ask Carnival’s crisis management team. In yet another blow to a Carnival Cruise Line’s barely-standing reputation, a CDC report detailing the failure of the ship “Fascination” to meet cleanliness and food service standards is making the media rounds. Here’s a sample of what’s being said, from an ABC News [...]
By Jonathan & Erik Bernstein on April 10, 2013
Claiming ignorance is not good crisis management As a consumer, how much confidence would you lose in a company if they couldn’t tell you where they picked up 50,000 tons of meat? The Dutch suppliers being questioned in the latest horsemeat development may as well be saying, “hey, we’re either lying to you or horribly [...]
Jonathan L. Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. has more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of crisis management – crisis response, vulnerability assessment, planning, training and simulations.[Read more ...]
Erik Bernstein is a freelance writer and Bernstein Crisis Management's social media manager. He also edits Crisis Manager, a newsletter about crisis management.
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