TV and news weather forecasters, like politicians, tend to take center stage and issue passionate warnings before a weather event. Increasingly, the public is growing tired of the hyperbole: Every snow storm has the potential to be a blizzard.
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Countering Cyber-Insecurity
Cybersecurity Hall of Fame member Gene “Spaf” Spafford has said, “The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards.” Read more
How A Tweet Knocked New Balance Off Balance
New Balance shoes is the latest unfortunate victim of the “be careful what you say getting taken out of context” syndrome, aka what happens when your mainstream media interview collides with social media. Read more
Wells Fargo’s Crisis Response: Could the Debacle Have Been Prevented?
The missteps in Wells Fargo’s fraud scandal response are well documented. As crisis consultants, our clients are asking us: Could this now chronic crisis have been prevented?
Yes and no. At least a more in-tune management could have kept this from getting worse:
- When employee letters citing fraud – one dating back to 2007 — and a petition from 2014 signed by thousands of employees complaining about draconian sales quotas are sent to management, don’t dismiss them.
Twin Towers Product Promos Spell Double Trouble
Incredibly and against respect for those who sacrificed their lives and basic common sense, fifteen years after 9/11, some companies still peg offensive product promotions to that tragic event.
The latest examples involved two ends of the retail spectrum – Wal-Mart, and a tiny independent mattress store in San Antonio, TX that was – until this week – unknown outside of their local market:
- After furious protests on social media, Wal-Mart publicly apologized for a display at a Florida store in which twin towers of Coke Zero packages promoted a sale under a “Never Forget” banner and against a backdrop of red, white and blue Coca Cola products.
“All Quiet” Is Only Good in the Library
Who doesn’t remember being shushed by the school librarian? Too much noise in the library is disruptive, but if you’re stuck at an airport or waiting to watch a football game, you want noise… a constant flow of information. Read more
“Prompts for the TelePrompTer”
With both Republican and Democrat presidential conventions this month, TelePrompTer operators in Cleveland and Philadelphia are in high demand. We will make note of which speakers perform better than others from the lectern.
Is Your Crisis Plan Updated for Cyber?
Of all the Crisis categories – natural disasters, human error, ethical lapses, product recalls -Cyber is growing the fastest and exponentially. A report by non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center shows from 2014 to 2015:
- Breaches rose from 783 to 3,930
- Records exposed jumped from 85 million to 736 million
- Estimated financial losses from compromised records leaped from $400 million to $14.9 billion
The report recommends five security principles CEOs should take direct responsibility for.
Read more Asking “How did we do?” helps Texas improve crisis response from Ebola to Zika
When local, state and federal authorities faced the nation’s first confirmed Ebola outbreak in Dallas in 2014, reviews of their response were harsh:
- Bungled protocols at Texas Presbyterian Hospital, site of the original infection
- Conflicting public messages from hospital, county, state and federal government authorities
- Lack of overall preparedness and coordination
A key tenet of good crisis planning is conducting a thorough post-crisis assessment of “lessons learned” – aka “How did we do?”
Read more The Washington Metro Shutdown: “Safety First” was the Message
When Washington, DC Metro’s new General Manager Paul Wiedefeld announced the complete shutdown of the nation’s 2nd largest subway system on a work day last Tuesday with only 9-and-half hours’ notice, he sent two unequivocal signals:
- Safety first
- He is ready to take whatever actions are required to safeguard the public and salvage the crumbling system regardless of the consequences
It turned out the caution was warranted.
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