Crisis Experts Share Perspective on Tiger Woods
The Wall Street Journal and Washington Times both published articles on Wed., Dec. 2 about Tiger Wood’s management of his personal crisis – the car accident and reported affairs. Both articles provide readers with an excellent reminder of the importance of communicating in a timely manner and being as transparent as possible during a crisis. […]
Whole Foods . . . Not so Wholesome Anymore?
John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, recently found himself in hot water when he published an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, candidly expressing his personal opinions about healthcare reform. In the article, Mackey argued we should move, “toward less government control and more individual empowerment” and outlined eight reforms that would improve healthcare […]
Praise for UW Professor Kathleen Fearn-Banks
Each year, Communiqué PR hosts a visit from Professor Fearn-Banks’ Communication 444 Public Relations and Society class. It is a very fun time for us as we get to talk to the next generation of PR professionals about the work we do. This year, six students visited our boutique PR firm. We focused our discussion […]
Responding to a Brand Attack via Social Media
On Monday, July 6, Dave Carroll, a musician from the band Maxwell Bros, posted a YouTube music video complaining about the poor customer service he received from United Airlines regarding a broken Taylor guitar. The guitar (worth about $3,500) was damaged on a flight to Nebraska more than a year ago. The video immediately generated […]
Crossing the Privacy Line? City of Bozeman Asks Candidates to Submit Social Media Affiliations & Login Details
It recently became public knowledge that potential job candidates for the city of Bozeman, Mont., were being asked not only to reveal their online social media affiliations, but also release their username and passwords during the application process. The request for applicants to submit their social media usernames and passwords has stirred mixed emotions with […]
When Playing to Stereotypes Goes Too Far
Gender-focused public relations and marketing campaigns can be effective – if executed properly. However, some companies have found that targeting specific genders can cause controversy and negative consumer feedback. Just recently, Dell launched a new Web site targeted towards women called Della. The site, which soft launched on April 30, is being criticized for “pandering […]
Chevron Enlists Former CNN Reporter to Ward off Bad PR
Chevron recently faced one of the largest class-action lawsuits in history, filed by Ecuadoreans who accuse Texaco (a company acquired by Chevron) of poisoning the rain forests. This lawsuit and an upcoming negative broadcast story on ë60 Minutes prompted Chevron to take an offensive approach to combat negative allegations. The company hired former CNN national […]
The AIG Bonuses: A PR Perspective
The news that insurance giant AIG will pay $165 million in bonuses to employees has not been warmly received. At a time when millions have lost their jobs and the recession worsens, the nation is outraged that taxpayer money is being spent on multi-million dollar bonuses for the very people who some believe largely contributed […]
Controversial Ketchum Tweet Teaches an Important Lesson about Social Media
As social mediums such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace continue to gain popularity, there’s one thing that’s very important to keep in mind – the line between personal and professional communication is disappearing. A recent incident involving a Ketchum employee exemplifies the importance of self-censorship when it comes to social media. According to PRWeek, a […]
Can PR Save A-Rod?
How to Handle Crisis Communication the Right Way New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been under a lot of scrutiny lately as news that he took performance-enhancing substances was leaked to the public. In an interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons, Rodriguez admitted to taking “banned substances” and expressed his regret and apologies for […]