CommCore MEDIAtor

Don't Give Them The Finger

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Peters, SVP, CommCore Consulting Group) — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:09:00 +0000

When it comes to crisis response, TV and Social Media can be either friend or foe. It all depends on how you handle it.

Consider what is called the Letterman-Leno Syndrome – when an incident that puts your brand at risk becomes fodder for network TV comedy monologues or skits. That's what happened to fast food chain Arby's last week when an unfortunate employee's sliced fingertip was found in a sandwich by a 14-year-old Arby's patron in Michigan. Guess what made CBS’s David Letterman’s popular nightly "Top Ten" List?

Arby's quickly posted a statement on its website explaining how they had "sanitized" the location in question and its food. But was that enough? Several PR and Crisis bloggers and experts say no – that the statement was generic, didn't explain in enough detail what Arby's was doing company-wide to prevent such a mishap from occurring again elsewhere, and that the chain failed to proactively engage publicly-visible sarcastic social media postings.

At CommCore we regularly advise our crisis communications clients that once a determination has been made that an incident requires public response, they should consider:

· A rapid response on your corporate or "dark" website acknowledging the problem, stating how it has been (or is being corrected), and what is being done to ensure it won't happen again. If you can't give many details – because it's too soon or the response is not fully formulated – at least develop an appropriate holding statement

· If the incident is deemed to be serious enough, include the face and voice of a senior executive expressing genuine, appropriate concern for anyone affected by the incident

· Monitor social media and engage as necessary. (A corollary: be aware of the so-called Streisand Effect where efforts to quash social media commentary merely serve to spread the story even more widely).

· Reach out to journalists and bloggers with whom you should already have pre-existing relationships, and let them know what you are doing to redress the problem.

Audio Interview with Andy Gilman: The Art of the Sound Bite at PRSA International Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Gilman, CEO President) — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:15:00 +0000

Eric Schwartzman interviewed Andrew Gilman at the 2008 PRSA International Conference on the Art of the Sound Bite. Download the complete audio interview below to learn about the history of the sound bite and the ingredients that make a winning sound bite.

Eric Schwartzman - On the Record...Online with Andy Gilman - President CEO Commcore Consulting Group

Powered by mp3skull.com

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Weiss, Senior Vice President) — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Catch the Spirit...

If a tree falls in the forest do you hear it? You do if Spirit Airlines is holding the saw.

In case you missed the latest coverage surrounding Spirit...dying Vietnam vet Jerry Meekins tried to get a refund after being told by his doctor that he was too sick to fly. Spirit refused his request for days citing its iron-clad no refund policy. They even suggested that he should have bought travel insurance.

We're not privy to what happened at Spirit, but a company with a good monitoring policy and good antennae as to what could become a crisis would have picked this up and the rest of us would never have heard about this incident.

A firestorm ensued and finally, CEO Ben Baldanza said he would personally pay back the retired soldier and donate money to Wounded Warriors. This was only after at least one media outlet sent Mr. Meekins a check for the $197. We wonder if the "Boycott Spirit Airlines" Facebook page that went from zero to 41,000+ in a matter of days was a factor?

At CommCore we tell our clients to never underestimate the power of public opinion. If management had fixed the problem quickly, it would have been our definition of an emergency: A flash problem that was fixed and probably would have stayed out of the news. It turned into a crisis when Spirit let it simmer into a full Social Media boil-over.

All-Time Tweet Twits

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Peters, SVP, CommCore Consulting Group) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:33:00 +0000

It's hardly news that Twitter gaffes are a professional communicator's nightmare. Once posted, it's impossible to recall your tweet and pretend it never happened. We all know intuitively that brand and personal reputation damage is difficult to repair once your "mistake" has gone viral.

Still, seeing one online social media commentator's current aggregation of the Ten Dumbest Tweets Of All Time is eye-opening. I mean, who pulled the trigger on these tweets, not to mention thought them up? We've heard of several – Chrysler/Motor City Drivers is one we at CommCore refer to often when counseling our clients. Others, like the Kenneth Cole debacle, are new to us.

Reviewing these just serves to remind us that old communications rules apply more than ever to new media technologies and PR applications:

· Resist the notion that speedy commenting on the Internet is THE most important communications consideration

· Think before you tweet

· Then think again

· Articulate clearly to yourself WHY you are creating and sending this tweet into the public ether, and WHO your target audience is

· Show the post to someone else for their reaction

· PAUSE one last time before hitting "send"

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Weiss, Senior Vice President) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:14:00 +0000

The After-Crisis Analysis. Did it work?

It's always easy to analyze a crisis in real time. But how do you measure the success of the crisis communications? Simple. Is the story still in the news?

A couple of recent examples...Former University of Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino. A few weeks ago he lied about his unscrupulous personal and professional practices at the school. University officials fired him quickly. They also held a press conference, issued lots of statements and stayed really transparent. Do a Google news search. The story is out there, but the cascading river is down to a trickle.

Example two. A couple of weeks ago, Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen in an interview used the words "love" and "Fidel Castro" in the same sentence. Now the last thing you want to do is alienate Miami’s Cuban-American fan base. Huge protests were planned, people were screaming for his head. The Marlins issued all kinds of communications disavowing those statements. They made Ozzie stand alone in a press conference to take his lumps and suspended him for five days. It looks like the only fan protests now are directed towards the umpires.

The moral of the story is what we at CommCore always tell our clients: Act fast and decisive, and above all, be prepared.

How To Ideas from Business Week

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Gilman, CEO President) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:02:00 +0000

One of the more fun magazine reads is the current "How to" issue of Business Week . There are plenty of short take ideas on how to admit a mistake by an NFL referee, how to talk to a Republican (by a Democrat) or how to talk to a Democrat (by a Republican).

My 3 favorites:

How to Manage Creative Talent by Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry. Angela has insights on blending right and left brain talent.
How to Avoid Burnout by Marissa Mayer, VP of Google. Job "rhythm" might be a better term than “balance".
How to Design an Office, by Denise Cherry, director of design at Studio O+A. To do it again in our offices, we'd have more open spaces.

Take a look and let us know what you think.

How Does Your CEO’s Personal Mishaps Effect Your Company’s Reputation?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie H.) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:38:00 +0000

CEOs, Corporate Reputation, Trust, Crisis. Each is intertwined and has its own role in the success of any company or brand. When your CEO behaves badly in his own time, how does that affect your company’s reputation? Does it require crisis management? Attorney Michael W. Peregrine, in a NY Times post, says yes, and it is the board’s responsibility to hold their leadership responsible for their actions, even if the bad behavior happens off the clock.

Peregrine uses former Best Buy CEO, Brian Dunn, as an example. The firm’s board is currently investigating Dunn’s alleged ‘misuse of company funds related to an inappropriate personal relationship with a female employee. Other examples include: Highmark's board dismissing its chief, Kenneth Milani, after he was charged with assault and trespassing; University of Arkansas dismissing football coach, Bobby Petrino, over an inappropriate personal relationship with a female athletic department employee.

“CEOs behaving badly” falls into the category of crises in which the reputation of a company or brand is at stake from criminal or civil charges, allegations of negligence or wrong-doing, social media rumors, or innuendo. At CommCore we recommend that any company’s leadership develop its own version of our Reputation Protection Model, or RPM©. It’s a methodology that goes beyond preparation and response; it adds a lens that views crisis preparation as an investment in an organization’s long term reputation in the eyes of its most important stakeholders. When company leadership displays questionable behavior, there’s a set plan of action in reviewing and assessing the next steps.

Utilize the Mirror Principle, which states that an organization must hold up the looking glass to its own issues and culture.

Bottom line: learn lessons from others, use the current bumper crop of unfortunate events to compare risks, and honestly assess your own.

Photos: Media Training for Food Safety Summit

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Doman, VP of Administration) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:16:00 +0000

CommCore presented an interactive media training session this week at the 2012 Food Safety Summit at the Washington Convention Center. The workshop focused on how to create messages and sound bites that get quoted, how to prepare for any interview, and how to develop and maintain positive relationship with the media.

To view the entire album - photos are posted on our Facebook Page.

A Picture is Worth One Thousand Words

noreply@blogger.com (Casey Smith, Intern) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Is your organization currently using Instagram?

PR and Marketing professionals have begun to re-embrace the cliché that "A Picture is Worth One Thousand Words." Last week's purchase of Instagram by Facebook for $1.1 billion is what we call a clue about the power of visuals.

Add a couple of other facts and the case for photos or video is pretty clear: Pinterest has come out of nowhere to a player in social media. And it's common knowledge that You Tube is the second most used search engine after Google.

With Instagram, the picture possibilities are seemingly endless for PR and marketing. Instragram can be used to provide a "sneak peek" of a product. It can be used to show fans or clients pictures of your organization doing good in the community. For example, Starbucks uses Instagram to feature items from their menu in addition to sharing pictures of their employees working in stores and in the community. General Electric utilizes Instagram to share pictures from within its factories as well as to showcase groundbreaking research and technology. Possibly the most important feature for Instagram is 'Geo-tagging.' Geo-tagging gives organizations the ability to not only share photos, but to also tag the location that the photos were taken. This allows organizations to promote a presence at events, workshops, and conferences. We’ll see if to "instragram" becomes a verb like to Google, to Facebook or LinkedIn.

Is your organization currently using Instagram? What kinds of visuals have engaged your fans and consumers the most?

Do Your Homework

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:49:00 +0000

Successful marketing – particularly when high visibility branding and campaign naming is involved -- requires doing your homework. One of the most important homework assignments” is research into all aspects of a name and its ramifications -- without which you will likely run into PR problems. . For example, last year Netflix learned the hard way after choosing “Qwikster” as the name of its spin-off company. Qwikster turned out to be the twitter handle of a teenage boy who had been posted embarrassing tweets -- a far cry from the image Netflix was trying to portray.

Now we have a Nike example to learn from.

This month Nike apologized for naming a shoe after a well-known American drink – Black and Tan. Their aim: make the connection between the drink and St. Patrick’s Day. It just so happened that the name also refers to a violent paramilitary group that massacred civilians during the Irish Revolution in 1920.

Names carry a lot of weight these days – in part because of the internet where what you say can live forever. At CommCore we encourage clients to do their due diligence carefully by researching all aspects of the marketing and branding strategy beforehand. Choices on names and campaigns should be in line with the company’s brand message, mission and values.

It’s also important do have a system of checks and balances. Marketing ideas should be vetted across the multiple disciplines including PR and Crisis Management; more eyes to see any red flags. Otherwise, you may be unnecessarily putting your company’s brand reputation at stake.

What precautions does your company use to protect its reputation during the “creative” process?

Protecting the NFL Brand

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Weiss, Senior Vice President) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:44:00 +0000

If you follow the NFL, the news of the day is the one-year suspension and fine of New Orleans Head Coach Sean Payton for his involvement in the now-famous bounty program as well as the indefinite suspension of Greg Williams, the defensive coach who concocted the scheme. Over a three-year period, Saints players were paid extra for targeting and in some cases injuring opposing players during football games.

However, if you follow crisis communications like we do, the real story is the decisive steps Commissioner Roger Goodell is taking to protect the brand and reputation of the NFL. Part of his statement reads: "Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised."

There was no knee-jerk reaction from the NFL. Goodell acted in two steps. He reacted quickly when the news broke, then took advantage of the crisis "golden hour" to weigh all the options before handing down what is being called punishments of historic proportions.

Protecting the reputation of a multi-billion dollar brand isn't easy. Do you believe the Commissioner's actions will help or hurt the NFL brand?

How long does slime last??

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Weiss, Senior Vice President) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:34:00 +0000

The industry calls it "lean finely textured beef". The social media world has dubbed it "Pink Slime"...or did they? That phrase was actually coined by a federal microbiologist in 2002. It was first reported in a 2009 in a New York Times article. A successful social media firestorm co-opted the term in its effort to get pink slime out of school lunches. For those new to this topic, pink slime is the low-grade trimmings that come from the parts of the cow most susceptible to contamination. But because of the treatment of the trimmings - simmering them in low heat, separating fat and tissue using a centrifuge and spraying them with ammonia gas to kill germs - the United States Department of Agriculture says it's safe to eat.

The USDA, which oversees school nutrition, is now allowing school districts to opt out of serving pink slime.

The social media uproar and the use of the name pink slime is not surprising. What's really interesting here is that the pink slime news cycle is more than three years old. At CommCore we understand the importance of strategic messaging and counsel our clients that in today's world of social media, what you say now will be around for a long time. That's why we need to continually monitor all media; social and conventional. Reporters and bloggers have a way of dredging up long-lost topics.

Are women better leaders? HBR says yes.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Gilman, CEO President) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:26:00 +0000

There's a new study in the Harvard Business Review of 16 characteristics of leadership in which female leaders outpace their male counterparts.

Based on experience with hundreds of companies and organizations the categories that don't surprise me are building relationships and developing others. Women have anecdotally been acknowledged for this. Other categories weren't totally surprising, but it's good to have the data. Women scored higher than men in other leadership categories such as:

Taking initiative
Embracing change
Integrity
Communicates powerfully and prolifically

The issue I have with articles like these is that they show differences on a scale. What they don’t show (much like other ratings of who has a better consumer product) is whether the overall skills of leaders are better than they were 5 years ago or 10 years ago. I'm not suggesting that they are or are not (I hope leadership skills and abilities are increasing) but the context would be helpful.

An HBR article like is bound to engender comments and other studies. Have you seen any other studies that support these findings? What's your view of the HBR study?

OMG - Gap speaks in real English

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Doman, VP of Administration) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:06:00 +0000

If you think that The Gap's clothes are hip, so is the way they treat social media with their employees.

An article from Ragan.com, describes The Gap's social media policy as a straight and to the point approach that includes conversational language sans legalese. The guidelines are not open to the public, but the article did share some highlights from the iPhone-sized booklet titled "OMG you will never guess what happened at work today!!"

Regardless of the size of an organization, a social media guideline for employees is as important as the "Employee Handbook". Everybody needs to know what they can and cannot say on social networks.

At CommCore when we work with clients for proactive media training and for reactive crisis planning and response, we always ask if there is a social media policy in place. We recommend that it has to be understandable and applicable to the specific organization. The Gap provides an example of how to keep things simple and to the point.

Does your company have a social media policy in place? Have you seen others similar to The Gap's?

Lesson From the Media Side

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Peters, SVP, CommCore Consulting Group) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:44:00 +0000

A good line surfaced during Q and A at a forum at PR firm Powell Tate on the implications of social media for journalists and journalism.

Panelist Howard Fineman of the Huffington Post was engaged in an exchange with an audience member on ethics and accuracy in the age of Twitter. The questioner quoted her father, an ex-reporter and journalism professor at Columbia University: "There's no such thing as an objective reporter. What we need is transparency so we know where he or she is coming from."

That's likely true for journalism in today's increasingly partisan media. It's also probably prescient to imagine that's where the blend of real-time social media sharing, citizen journalists, bloggers and aggregators, and major brand media will be ten years from now.

And it's a good lesson if you extend it to professional communicators in PR and corporate communications. Those readers who represent consumer brands or major institutions know that when something bad happens, many people will blame you on principle and believe anything you say is biased in your favor.

At CommCore we remind our clients that in a breaking crisis – especially one that negatively affects large sectors of the public –it is unlikely you will be able to convince everyone that you are being truthful. Brands in crisis are often perceived as villains first, perhaps victims later if facts eventually support that conclusion. Though you can manage it, you can't count on controlling the public's knee-jerk preconceptions. But you CAN make them believe that you are doing your best if you communicate quickly and with transparency:

· Monitor social media and engage quickly in dialogue with key bloggers and online communities.

· Communicate what you know and do NOT hide behind vague canned statements.

· Update your website or with key facts and contact information, or activate your "dark" site.

· Get the organization's leadership involved from the get-go and you can score transparency points in a crisis that can mitigate criticism by those who are disposed against you.

What are your observations on transparency in brand or organizational communication?

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Weiss, Senior Vice President) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:58:00 +0000

You have to say "I'm Sorry" more than once

The latest TSA story igniting the social space...a nursing mom was forced to use her breast pump in a public restroom in order to get though airport security. According to news reports, the TSA official wasn’t convinced that the 38-year-old school vice principal with her nine month old daughter in tow was carrying a real breast pump. "It really confuses me as to how an empty breast pump and cooler pack are a threat to national security and 20 minutes later, with milk, they no longer pose a threat to national security," the outraged mom said.

The TSA offered up a public statement with an apology Other than that statement, is the TSA being proactive in social media? Are they using their social communications channels, (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.) to say they’re sorry? Should they on this incident or others? Are they reaching out to the public by posting on the blogs and online publications with the same message? As of this writing, we haven't seen it. At CommCore, we tell our clients you should go where the people are "talking" and engage in their language, not corporate-speak. At the very least, you need to monitor what your customers and stakeholders are saying The TSA would definitely receive negative comments if they started engaging, but they might also get points for sincerity.

Bite Your Tongue

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Peters, SVP, CommCore Consulting Group) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:40:00 +0000

It’s not quite a Rush Limbaugh-esque on-air remark. But Winston-Salem (NC) Journal reporter Travis Fain’s inopportune comment to a school board member elicited an apology that contains a communications lesson of the first order.

It seems Fain was less than pleased when a school board member repeated several times that he would not speak to any Journal reporter. Fain then called him a part of the male anatomy. That, in turn, caused the school board to send him and the newspaper a warning letter.

As a contrite Fain publicly responded afterwards: "There's a lesson in that for anyone, especially these days, when your dumb moments live on through Google and the Internet." He concluded by saying, "[P]eople I've worked with over the years ans scores of potential future editors will see it [online]. That is the kind of control you cede when you do somethgn stupid."

At CommCore, we advise all our communications clients to take a pause before responding, especially when under duress. Bite your tongue (literally if softly), or purse your lips like Bill Clinton, or start off by saying, "Well…" slowly as Ronald Reagan did. Give your brain a moment to register what you are responding to, and how, before saying anything.

What are your tips for pausing before replying?

PR for PR

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Peters, SVP, CommCore Consulting Group) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:28:00 +0000

The old platitude within the Public Relations industry is that PR people are good at communicating for everyone except themselves.

No surprise, then, that the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) – the nation's largest PR organization – last fall spearheaded a campaign to redefine the industry in collaboration with a dozen other organizations. The feeling was – and we at CommCore concur – that in an age of a fragmented news industry, social media, citizen journalists, and high profile celebrity spin doctors, the PR field could use a good makeover.

Since last fall's call for entries PR professionals submitted 927 definitions. And today the result is in. The winner from among the three finalists, with 46.4% of the votes: "Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics."

Second place, with 30.1% of the votes, went to, "Public relations is the strategic process of engagement between organizations and publics to achieve mutual understanding and realize goals." Third place, with 23.6%, went to, "Public relations is the management function of researching, communicating and collaborating with publics to build mutually beneficial relationships."

None exactly rolls off the tongue, but in fairness all neatly (and similarly) summarize what PR people do every day:

· Public Relations IS a process.

· It DOES require building and maintaining relationships between organizations and their brands and the public.

· And, yes, ideally it IS to everyone's benefit.

What do you think of the re-definition of PR? Does it correctly describe the discipline?

Lessons from Chardon High School

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Peters, SVP, CommCore Consulting Group) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Geauga County, Ohio Sheriff Daniel McLelland – in whose county the fatal Chardon High School shooting occurred Monday – believes proactive crisis response training prevented the incident from causing more panic in the community than it already had:

"Several years ago, the Chardon school district and local law enforcement began conducting drills, training, practice, if you would, for an event just like occurred today. As a result of that we were well-prepared for the response," he said at a news conference. "Law enforcement was quickly placed inside the school upon arrival, and we believe that helped to lessen the tragedy that occurred.”"

Anyone who listens to the audio tapes of the cool, professional tone and voices of public safety first responders as the horror unfolded in real-time in their home town cannot help but be impressed with their calm efficiency.

CommCore regularly advises its clients that crisis planning, training and simulation drills are essential to successful, prompt crisis communications and response. Whether it's a case of seemingly random violence, as in Chardon, or a threat to a brand's reputation as is more often the case for our clients, the lessons are the same:

· Preparedness is not a booklet in a filing cabinet.

· Effective, rapid and accurate response is due to proactive planning and drilling. It does not happen by accident.

· Clear and concise communication to key stakeholders is an essential part of any successful crisis response. People want to know what you know, and they expect to know it now.

We can surmise that Chardon High School and local law enforcement officials learned hard lessons from the Columbine massacre in Colorado thirteen years ago. Have you or your clients stopped to learn from Chardon?

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Peters, SVP, CommCore Consulting Group) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:08:00 +0000

Hard to find the old fashioned police blotter items in your local newspaper these days. They’ve gone the way of the Private Eye’s fedora. Jim Romanesko, news media watchdog, says that there are so few beat reporters left, there’s no one left to go down to the roundhouse any more to pick up the noteworthy cop beat tidbits.

So why is the Madison, Wisconsin Police Department getting more blotter coverage than ever?

Because of blog posts by the MPD’s Joel DeSpain. As Romanesko explains, DeSpain’s blogs are now gaining national exposure as ongoing “news of the weird” to the point that major mainstream newspapers, online news sites, and social media are picking up his craziest police notes. Consider the incident about the guy in a suit who walked into a Denny’s restaurant claiming to be a supervisor and cooked himself a meal before being called-out by staff as a fraud. Or the most-shared report to date: the arrest of Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop.

OK, so as a professional communicator the daily police blotter is not your everyday concern. But there’s a larger lesson here: at CommCore we always advise our clients that you ignore the blogosphere and social media at your own risk…and at the risk of your organization’s brand. Blogs are a great place to tell and distribute good stories in a brief and creative way…and furthermore, if you don’t carefully monitor the social space, you never know what’s out there that can affect you or your brand.

What are some of the weirdest stories you’ve found on blogs and in social media that affect your organization or client?

Video Blog: "A tale of two universities"

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Weiss, Senior Vice President) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:01:00 +0000

A Tale of Two Universities

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Weiss, Senior Vice President) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:51:00 +0000

In the news this week is another campus crisis. (click here) Fifteen students including three current football players at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth were arrested and charged with drug trafficking as a result of a police sting operation. TCU officials took the rare move of releasing all information in real time including statements, press releases, and held a full open news conference on the day the news broke.

Compare this with Penn State where transparency by university leaders took some time to appear.

We’re not comparing the severity of the offenses...both are bad. However the immediate openness that TCU is exhibiting can go a long way in preventing massive damage to its reputation. In a crisis, you can’t control the news of the day. You can control the timeliness and credibility of your response.

Does the Board Need Training on Reg FD? Look at Diamond Foods…

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Doyle, Principal) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:55:00 +0000

The SEC’s Regulation Fair Disclosure, or Reg FD has been in effect for nearly 12 years now and essentially requires public companies to widely – not selectively – communicate material information. As you will see from this accompanying clip, it seems that the Board at Diamond Foods needs a refresher course.

As if food companies these days don’t have enough to worry about, for Diamond - add an accounting scandal on top please. So, off go the CEO and CFO. Fine, but then to not disclose this material management change – seems an unforced error from a reputational perspective. Results? Lawsuits, lots of them and the reversal of deals like the one they had in the offing with P&G.

Crises befall every organization, but when the Board is making things worse, it’s time they got better advice, were trained on critical public company components like Reg FD or should be booted out.

I suspect these types of missteps happen often. What other examples have you seen? How many company crises are worsened by the acts and decisions of the management committee or the board?

The Komen firestorm, and flip-flop

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Peters, SVP, CommCore Consulting Group) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:46:00 +0000

The sudden reversal by the Susan G. Komen For The Cure foundation will likely not end the controversy over its temporary withdrawal of funding for mammograms from Planned Parenthood. Without taking a position on the decision itself, and on the reversal, as communications consultants we at CommCore have several observations:

· Why did they make the original announcement in the midst of a bitterly contested Presidential and Congressional election year in which Culture War issues such as abortion – which Planned Parenthood provides on-demand – are among the most divisive? Charges of caving in to political pressure are among those being hurled at Komen most often. We would have suggested waiting until after the election in November. Consider the landscape when making a controversial decision, and if possible, time it to minimize conflict.

· For Planned Parenthood this was what we at CommCore call a Flash Crisis. The equivalent of a recall for a drug company. While you can’t always predict the timing, you know things happen and you can always be ready with standby statements, key messages, important facts, etc. Planned Parenthood clearly had this in the ready because they were fast and relevant in their responses.

· Why did Komen make the original announcement before withdrawing funds from other organizations besides Planned Parenthood, an organization already under constant attack by conservatives and Right-to-Life groups? Komen president Nancy Brinker responded to charges of singling out Planned Parenthood by saying they were in the process of re-evaluating their mammogram contracts with “several” other organizations. We would have suggested waiting until those were lined up.

· Where was the impartial, beyond reproach vindicator for Komen? When you know you run the risk of being cast as the Bad Guy, make sure you have at least one high profile, credible ally ready to support you in the face of expected criticism. The only vocal support for Komen was, predictably, from Right to Life groups, which only furthered the appearance of giving in to political pressure.

What do you think about the Komen announcement, and the sudden reversal, from a PR and corporate communications perspective?

Dale Weiss, Sr VP of Training, CommCore Dallas Office - Durable Messaging

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Gilman, CEO President) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:01:00 +0000