Dear GiGi, What is a good opening statement for a crisis involving stolen information in a cell phone company to reassure customers their information is safe?
November 30, 2011
The security of personal information is one of the most important things to a consumer, especially in the telecommunications business. While I’d need more information to talk specifics about this company’s challenge, here are a few principles to follow: Take ownership of the situation: accept responsibility for the breach, be transparent about the scope, and […]
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Dear GiGi, I work for a national nonprofit, and one of our board members was recently tied to a small scandal at her company. Although the charges are unfounded, I’m worried that my organization may become collateral damage by way of association. What can I do to protect my organization’s integrity and avoid having our name dragged through the mud?
September 23, 2011
Dear Dana, Regardless of the charges’ merit, you absolutely should be thinking about how the scandal may reflect on your organization. Everyone associated with the organization — from the executive director to board members to staff to interns — are brand ambassadors, and their actions affect the collective integrity. Here are a few things you […]
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Dear GiGi: What’s the best way to handle a crisis created by the actions of one of my organization’s own staff? I want to stop the bleeding without totally throwing my staffer under the bus.
June 16, 2011
Dear Rachel, The tone of your question suggests that you don’t entirely blame your employee for his/her actions. There are a number of reasons why this could be the case. Maybe your employee was unclear about the instructions and did his/her best to execute. Maybe your employee’s comments were taken out of context, or manipulated […]
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Dear GiGi: There have been so many blunders involving social media lately. Is there an example of someone who has done it right?
March 18, 2011
Dear Ann, A social media strategy is an important component of many public relations campaigns, and it’s also often critical in crisis response. (Or it can be part of a personal meltdown, see #winning). But as you suggest, social media is frequently mishandled! One recent and particularly good use of social media was the American […]
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Dear GiGi: One blogger has been writing nasty posts about my company. How do I handle this without soliciting more negative publicity or giving the blogger more attention than is due?
February 1, 2011
First off, don’t panic! There’s a robust toolkit for these situations, so let’s take a moment to strategize and discuss just a couple of best practices. The overarching principle for dealing with negative publicity is to keep it contained as best you can. You shouldn’t give the negative post any more light, particularly if the […]
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