BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

New predictions of a longer and deeper recession mean we can expect to see continued layoffs and plant closings across all sectors of the economy in 2009. When a company chooses to take such drastic measures, every action has consequences that can affect future business prospects. With that fact in mind, all companies need to be ready with a comprehensive communications strategy that protects brand credibility and trust by putting its people first. Levick's counsel on ... READ MORE

Not so long ago it was unthinkable that a blogger would ever be mentioned in the same sentence with the literary and journalistic giants of the last century - but with the Pulitzer Prize Board's decision to include "online-only" publications in all 14 journalism categories, the idea no longer seems so outlandish. In discussing the decision, Sig Gissler, Administer of the Pulitzer Prizes, said "We continue to keep an eye on the changing media scene and ... READ MORE

If you thought the last two years of recall after recall in the consumer product world was hard on manufacturing companies, just wait until 2009. The record 75 million product recalls in 2007 and 2008 has spawned a new era of strict U.S. regulation that poses a great many challenges for the makers of food and consumer products. Pressured by angry and frightened consumers, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 - and ... READ MORE

Over the past several years, a wave of recalls of contaminated pet food, tainted spinach, and toys containing lead paint have put product safety firmly on the legislative and regulatory radar screen. The 2008 passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act initiated the most sweeping reform of the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the agency's history. Now, with a new administration taking the reins in Washington, the Food and Drug Administration may be next in ... READ MORE

With all of the talk about how the Obama campaign's mastery of digital media helped seal its victory in November, I'm reminded of another president that used technological advancements in communications to cement his place in history. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first American president to utilize radio as a primary vehicle for communicating with his constituents. From the declaration of the first federal bank holiday in 1933 to the declaration of war with Japan following ... READ MORE

When the Tribune Company filed for bankruptcy on Monday, the 161-year-old media conglomerate that owns the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, and a number of other dailies across the nation marked yet another significant milestone in the seismic shift that is changing media as we know it. Information Age technologies, dwindling advertising revenues, and the evolution in how Americans get their news are creating a perfect storm that may very well spell ... READ MORE

Two of America's most recognizable companies - Google and Proctor & Gamble - have teamed up in an experimental employee exchange program to provide both Fortune 500 industry titans with information and insights neither could have gleaned alone. The bricks and mortar powerhouse and the search engine trail blazer have been temporarily trading employees as part of an innovative training and executive education program. The idea is the brainchild of P&G's Global Marketing Officer Jim Stengel, ... READ MORE

A new National Intelligence Counsel (NIC) report released last month, Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World, says that the post-World War II international system is changing dramatically. The report states that Brazil, Russia, India, and China will have powerful seats at a new international table - and in assuming those roles, they will alter the rules that govern the global marketplace. Why does this matter to professional communicators? Because it means that U.S. private and public ... READ MORE

After the Intel brand took some well-publicized hits due to flaws in its Pentium chips in 1994, then CEO Andrew Grove coined a phrase that became the company's mantra in the years ahead. He said, "Bad companies are destroyed by crisis. Good companies survive them. Great companies are improved by them." As Intel's latest microprocessor, Nehalem, hit the market last month to rave reviews, it looks like the company took those words - which Intel even ... READ MORE

Every once in a while, somebody does a story about laws that are still on the books but no longer make sense. You know - the ones that require cars to yield the right of way to cows or make it illegal to eat ice cream on Sunday. But outdated laws have a serious side as well. When an enshrined legal standard no longer makes sense to a majority of those who must adhere to it, ... READ MORE