What “The Mooch” Can Teach Us About Surreptitious Tape-Recording
No longer must you visit a “Spy Store” or RadioShack and pay big bucks for a miniature recording device. Today’s high-definition audio and video recording devices are tiny, inexpensive – and nearly impossible to spot. In fact, you probably already own one: your iPhone or Android device can easily make recordings with a wide variety […]
Lessons From Google’s Search To Protect Its Reputation
By Thom Fladung/Hennes Communications Any business leader who’s been caught in a hailstorm of criticism after an internal matter went viral must have had a surge of schadenfreude watching the Google diversity memo controversy. Google leadership was immersed in a crisis over an internal memo in large part because, well, people could Google it. Beyond […]
Bruce Hennes Named Industry Game-Changer by PRNews
Bruce Hennes, managing partner of Cleveland-based Hennes Communications, has been named one of 50 “Game-Changers of PR for 2017” by PRNews, one of the public relations profession’s leading news sources. Hennes was selected to join a group of industry leaders from corporations, non-profits and communications firms around the country who use their deep knowledge and […]
Reputation Checkup: Has United Learned from its Bad Behavior?
[By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] After the violent debacle with Dr. David Dao’s forcible removal from a United flight in April, United has vowed a cross-my-heart better customer experience, but we haven’t seen a whole lot of evidence that that’s happening. Complaints about the airline spiked after the Dao assault, and though United’s reputation tanked, […]
The Media Revolution is ‘Iterative’ and Social: Experts Share How Not to Get Left Behind
Earlier this year, Bruce Hennes and Thom Fladung spoke at the American Bar Association’s Annual Mid-Year Conference, held in Miami, Florida. Their remarks were captured by Marilyn Cavicchia, writing for the ABA’s Bar Leader Magazine: “You’re all living in a media revolution,” said Thom Fladung, vice president of Hennes Communications. “And you don’t even know it.” […]
The Scout Lesson: If Trump Comes to Speak, Be Prepared (for Anything)
[By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications] Since the 1920’s, the president of the United States has had a standing invitation to attend and address the Boy Scout Jamboree, held every four years. And most presidents have accepted that invitation, using the occasion to deliver similar messages about God, apple pie and reflect on the Scout’s Code […]
Wall Street Journal’s Suggestion Of ‘Radical Transparency’ For Trump Is Spot-on – But It’s Not Radical
[By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications] The Wall Street Journal editorial board has a solution for the Russia scandal that the board suggests offers President Donald Trump “the best chance of saving his Presidency: radical transparency.” The editorial adds: “Release everything to the public ahead of the inevitable leaks. …every Trump family member, campaign operative and White […]
The Bottomless News Hole and You
[By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] It’s everywhere. You check your Twitter feed. Read a news website or the daily paper. Turn on Nightly News or NPR. It’s an unrelenting and punishing tidal wave of political news pounding us over and over again. The slightest new wrinkle in a political drama, the smallest blip on Wall […]
Cats Sleeping With Dogs: How Lawyers and Crisis Communicators Can Work Together
By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications At Hennes Communications, we often tell clients that they have an attorney for the Court of Law. But they have us for the Court of Public Opinion. And those two courts often require different – and at times conflicting – strategies. Attorneys have persuasive arguments for tailoring a strategy completely […]
Truth Without Credibility is Worthless—Getting Your Truth Believed in a Crisis
From our friend, Diane Citrino: The crisis management mantra of “tell the truth, tell it all, tell it first, and tell it fast” to get ahead of a breaking crisis is wonderful advice, but begs the question, “What is the truth?” As famously sung in Jesus Christ Superstar, “We both have truths; Are mine the […]