With public relations disasters drawing public attention in multiple fields, the eGUIDE offers a roundup of some of the most notable contenders:
- Samsung seeks to clarify their response to the Galaxy Note 7 problems, after drawing criticism for an initial slow response, and unclear options for affected and concerned customers. Writing for TechPP.com, Nimish Dubey gives a dissection of seven lessons that tech companies can learn from Samsung’s response.
- According to crisis communications consultant Richard Levick, the Trump campaign continues to struggle in their response to allegations of sexual misconduct, and fails to find a way to present Melania Trump’s image to change the focus of the story. “The first rule of crisis communication when you’re in a crisis like this — allegations of infidelity — is, the spouse has to be there, standing by their husband or wife. Where’s his wife? Where are they standing side by side, hand in hand?” asks Levick.
- Wells Fargo remains under attack for the more than two million accounts opened without customer authorization, despite the departure and replacement of the company’s CEO. The replacement, longtime Wells Fargo executive Timothy Sloan, may not be sufficient to restore the bank’s reputation as hiring a replacement from within “makes the repairing of the corporate image damage that much more difficult. The fact he’s been there such a long time, you’d think he must have known what was going on. It’s not as good of a deal as if they’d brought in someone from the outside.”
While no organization will be fully ready for every possible event, preparation is still possible. To that end, the ICMA offers a Crisis Communications Checklist, to assist in the planning phases of crisis management and to address in identifying potential gaps and weaknesses in existing plans.
Sources:
http://techpp.com/2016/10/15/galaxy-note-7-fiasco-learnings/
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/33396165/melania-trump-keeps-low-profile-as-allegations-fly
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wells-fargo-reputation-20161012-snap-story.html
