A Summer Assignment for Educators: Learn From the Pandemic
By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications School leaders have earned the looming summer break. They now have lived through two school years – 2020-21 and 2021-22 – unlike any others, featuring the continuation of a public health pandemic, the most hyper-charged political atmosphere in memory and social justice issues that roiled the nation. Their reward: Start […]
Johnny Depp’s Libel Case Proves All Press is Not Good Press
Choosing to defend your reputation — or to set the record straight — in a packed courtroom is rarely the best crisis communications strategy. https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/3262435-johnny-depps-libel-case-proves-all-press-is-not-good-press/
How to Speak Out With Confidence
From Mark Athitakis writing in Associations Now… Taking half a stand isn’t taking a stand at all. That’s one of the key lessons from the PR mess that Disney found itself in last week. The entertainment giant came under heavy criticism—including from its own employees—for its donations to Florida politicians who supported a recent bill […]
You Don’t Always Have To Share A ‘Hot Take’ On Social Media
From Brittany Wong writing in HuffPost… It happens like clockwork: Something cataclysmic or unexpected occurs and we all rush online to read the hot takes. We’re talking big news events here ― “Mass Attentional Events,” as tech journalist Charlie Warzel calls them: That one weird night in October 2020 when Trump tested positive for COVID. Or Russia invading Ukraine last […]
The Reputational Risks Of Doing Business In Russia
From Maja Pawinska Sims writing for PRovokeMedia… Over the past two weeks, we have seen an unprecedented brand exodus from Russia. International brands that have been present in the country for many years have made the decision to pull out of their operations, as a direct consequence of president Putin’s own decision to invade Ukraine. […]
How Associations Should Review Event Policies in Light of the Oscars Slap
From Rasheeda Childress writing in Associations Now… Actor Will Smith slapping Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s bald head—a result of alopecia, an autoimmune disorder—made headlines around the world. While most news outlets discussed the shock factor, event planners were reminded of the policies and procedures that need to be […]
The Power of a Simple Thank You Note
From Carol Kinsey Goman writing in CommPro… During a break at the conference where I had just spoken on “Connection, Empathy, and Leadership Presence,” a man from the audience told me this story: “When one of our leadership team members suddenly died, I told his wife that I’d clean out his office and make sure […]
The Role of the Board in Preparing for Extraordinary Risk
From Nora Aufreiter, Celia Huber and Ophelia Usher writing for McKinsey & Co…. The pandemic has been a stark reminder for many organizations that they are insufficiently prepared for crises that could not merely destabilize them but put them out of business. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, our board perspective series looks at […]
Law Firm Responses to War in Ukraine
From Randy Labuzinski, writing for Law.com… The Russian invasion of Ukraine sheds new light on the pattern of law firms speaking out about social causes and events with significant societal implications. A law firm’s actions can have PR implications, particularly when it comes to what is or is not communicated to stakeholders and the media. […]
Ukraine Questions Global Automotive Giants’ Parts in Russian Military Vehicles
An IndustryWeek article reports a Ukrainian government official recently launched a social media campaign against some of the largest automotive supply companies in the world, saying that Ukrainian armed forces found parts from ZF, Bosch, Danfoss and other global suppliers on Russian military vehicles seized as Russia pummels its Western neighbor with rockets and artillery. […]