All Entries in the "Reputation management" Category
How PR People Rebuff the Media, Risk Brand Image
As co-founder and publisher of BoomerCafé – the online magazine for baby boomers – I was checking Community Coffee’s website the other day for a contact, and what I found instead was a corporate online fortress.
Why Social Media Fails for Many Companies and Organizations
Social media is all the rage among companies and organizations. But when you stop to examine the return on investment and effectiveness of many social media efforts, it’s often embarrassingly ineffective and trivial at the expense of more important potential ways to communicate to key audiences.
United, The Duct Tape Airline
I don’t normally write about such things but a couple of recent international flights on United Airlines were troubling, and raised questions in my mind about safety … how much is United cutting back on maintenance and pushing or circumventing the limits of repair standards?
BP’s Litany of Major PR Gaffes
Mark Sappenfield, a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, has chronicled BP’s series of major public relations mistakes that, as he writes, “have at times cast BP as bumbling, ill-informed, and callous.” Perhaps “incompetent,” as well?
News Group Net Recognized for Strategic Online News
Developed for Imperial Sugar Company by my firm, The News Group Net, the ISC Newsroom has won an “Award of Excellence” for strategic communication processes and an “Award of Merit” for electronic and digital communication.
Louisiana Seafood Industry Turns to News Group Net for Online Crisis Management
The New Orleans-based Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board has chosen News Group Net LLC to manage online news and crisis communications as a result of the devastating impact on the seafood industry caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Crisis Communications Online During an Oil Spill
Google “BP” or “Transocean” … and the first page of search results, alone, reveals the magnitude of the metastasizing online brand image and reputation crisis facing these two publicly traded companies.
Learning Subtleties of Image Management from Jeff Bridges
We can all learn something about image and reputation management from the Web site of versatile actor Jeff Bridges. He’s been online at least seven or eight years with the same clever, low-key, personal and interactive online style … and his site ranking stats confirm his popularity.
A Case Study of Poor Crisis Management
Toyota has become a case study in how not to do things in a crisis of brand and reputation. Toyota, the world’s biggest car maker, has turned consistently to teams of political lobbyists and attorneys as the company has been ravaged by one safety recall after another to “fix” the company’s problems.
Creating Confusion by “Rebranding” an Organization
Companies and organizations occasionally launch efforts to “rebrand” themselves. It usually occurs when sales and marketing efforts are flagging or there is a sense of aimlessness or malaise over strategic direction … a feeling that no one cares or paying attention.
Nothing is Secret … Even for Apple
Whether lost, stolen or leaked, the story of Apple’s next generation 4G iPhone has become big news in the business, consumer and technology media. A prototype Apple 4G iPhone, which is expected to be available to users this summer, was reportedly found in a Redwood City, Ca., bar and sold to the tech blog, Gizmodo.com.
There’s More to Communications than Just Hourly Billing
The field of public relations and communications is rapidly changing, and agencies need to keep pace. Client needs and expectations have radically changed in today’s digital era. There’s more to communications than the passive tactics of yesteryear.
Consumer Reports Takes on Corporate Bully
Consumer Reports is to be applauded for factually, responsibly and ethically warning motorists that Toyota’s 2010 Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicle has a dangerous handling problem that could lead to a rollover and possibly “serious injury or death.”
How to Find Solid Online Communications Counsel
Even though many are terrific people, I am stunned by how few leaders of PR firms have credible working experience in the online world and the digital era in which we are living and working. Hey, people! You are talented … get with it!
Nestle Caught in Identity Crisis
Nestle, headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, is the latest company to get caught up in a social media controversy. The issues are complex and whipped up emotionally by Greenpeace, an organization I have little respect for because of their violent and often misleading or untruthful tactics.
How to Salvage Toyota’s Brand Reputation
Trust of Toyota’s brand … of the safety and reliability of its vehicles … is on life support. The giant car maker is suffering from self-inflicted wounds, the worst of which is not monitoring, not listening to warning signs of trouble.
