Monthly Archives: January 2011

Chick-fil-A: a discriminator or victim?

Posted on January 31, 2011 by gbaron

The New York Times ran this story about accusations by the gay rights community about discrimination at Chick-fil-A. This is a difficult, dangerous issue not just for Chick-fil-A but many companies and organizations. Social/moral issues like this are powder kegs … Continue reading →

Posted in Crisis Case Studies, Crisis Communications, Crisis Communicator, crisis management | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Taco Bell–false advertising or a victim of a publicity-savvy lawyer?

Posted on January 26, 2011 by gbaron

I was asked by a reporter for Ragan to comment on the Taco Bell lawsuit alleging false advertising about meat in the company’s products. Here’s a sample of the news coverage about this lawsuit. Taco Bell, again a little late … Continue reading →

Posted in corporate blogging, Crisis Case Studies, Crisis Communications, Crisis Communicator, crisis management | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The media was wrong about the spill, but don’t expect an apology

Posted on January 24, 2011 by gbaron

Remember the old Aesop fable of crying “Wolf!” Shout an alarm a few too many times when there is no reason for it and pretty soon, no one will believe you. That’s pretty much common sense. But, the news media … Continue reading →

Posted in Crisis Case Studies, Crisis Communications, Crisis Communicator, crisis management | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Strategy “coherence:” an interesting Booz study

Posted on January 21, 2011 by gbaron

This study of executives and strategy by consulting firm Booz and Company provides some interesting insights–valuable for PR and public affairs leaders as they help their organizations develop strategy. But it also has some interesting implications for crisis communication strategy. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crisis Advice, Crisis Case Studies, Crisis Communications, Crisis Communicator, crisis management | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Apple CEO’s leave a predictable, preventable crisis

Posted on January 18, 2011 by gbaron

Anything that would cause stock to lose from 3.5% to 7% of value would probably be considered a crisis in most business circles. When Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs announced a medical leave of absence the overseas markets responded with an … Continue reading →

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The Tucson massacre, social media and political rhetoric

Posted on January 10, 2011 by gbaron

A few quick comments about the tragic events in Tucson and the strange direction it is now taking. First, a note on social media in this event. This event, like most all major erupting news stories particularly since the Hudson … Continue reading →

Posted in Crisis Case Studies, Crisis Communications, Crisis Communicator, crisis management | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Band of Brothers leader Dick Winters dies

Posted on January 10, 2011 by gbaron

I know the news right now is consumed with the tragedy in Tucson. That’s one of the things about living in the global village–everyone is focused on and discussing the same things. But the rest of the world does go … Continue reading →

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Is the BP “black hat” fair?

Posted on January 6, 2011 by gbaron

There is a difference between perception and reality. That is intuitive, and public relations people have often said “perception is reality.” That’s because what people think (their perception) matters much more than what is. The goal of reputation management is … Continue reading →

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Blending of comms into response–what should it look like?

Posted on January 5, 2011 by gbaron

In my eleven issues for 2011 post, one of the items referred to what I see as the inevitable coming together of external communication and operational response. This triggered this thoughtful blog from James Garrow, who until today I only … Continue reading →

Posted in Crisis Case Studies, Crisis Communications, Crisis Communicator, crisis management, emergency management | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment