BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

As the digital domain increasingly informs today's news and popular opinion, social media engagement is quickly becoming an essential element of any effective communications strategy. With 82 percent of the world's 112 million active bloggers discussing corporate brands at least occasionally (according to Technorati's 2008 State of the Blogosphere report), companies that fail to recognize social media's power to create and shape opinions about their brands do so at their own peril. There are numerous case studies ... READ MORE

Each Monday, Bulletproof Blog now features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. This week, we interviewed Ken Handal, the Executive Vice President for Global Risk & Compliance and the Corporate Secretary at CA - one of the world's largest IT management software providers. Prior to joining CA, Ken was Associate General Counsel and served as Compliance Counsel for Altria, then the parent company of Kraft Foods and ... READ MORE

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner took to Capitol Hill yesterday to unveil the government's plan for a massive expansion of how the marketplace is regulated - an effort the likes of which have not been seen since The Great Depression. Today, the financial industry is face-to-face with a total overhaul of how markets operate. Wall Street's ways of the past and perceived sense of entitlement have now ushered in a shift from freewheeling capitalism to an environment that ... READ MORE

One of the world's greatest newspapers - and one of my favorites - is struggling to meet the challenges of technology, a changing readership, and what that means for journalism as we know it. The fact of the matter is that a new journalistic paradigm is now upon us. In an internal memo authored last week by Wall Street Journal Managing Editor Robert Thompson, we now have further evidence that the decline of in-depth, investigative coverage is ... READ MORE

During the campaign season, President Obama repeatedly made it clear that he intended to scrap the Bush Administration's approach to environmental regulation, especially as it related to the government's response to the threat of global warming. With a new president in the White House the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is wasting no time taking advantage of the opportunity. The EPA has reportedly sent the White House a proposed finding that global warming endangers public health. This opens ... READ MORE

Americans are angry, and with good reason. Every time we turn on the television, pick up a newspaper, or read a blog, we are inundated with stories about how those responsible for landing us in the worst financial crisis in a generation are not sharing in the economic hardship they helped bring about. The animus is palpable. It is reflected just about everywhere we look. But, as President Obama so aptly put it in a 60 ... READ MORE

Every Monday Bulletproof Blog now features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. This series provides insights on current communications challenges, how best to deal with them, and what we can expect down the road. This week - with a recent report issued by the American Society for Quality showing that a majority of Americans are just as worried about food safety as they are about the War ... READ MORE

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has long had regulations in place that limit how advertisers can use endorsements and testimonials. Under the current guidelines, an advertiser can stay clear of false advertising claims simply by adding benign disclaimer phrases such as "experience may vary" or "results not typical." But that may be about to change. The FTC is in the process of re-writing its endorsement guidelines, in part because of the increasing significance of online marketing. ... READ MORE

According to The New York Times, President Obama is seeking to tear down and rebuild the U.S. food safety system. With consumer alarm at all-time highs over recent recalls of peanut products, tomatoes, spinach, and pet food, it's no surprise the president has bipartisan support in Congress and an Agriculture Secretary who sees "a grand opportunity" to revamp food regulation in America. With food contamination killing an estimated 5,000 people and sickening another 76 million each ... READ MORE

When corporate crises strike, the first (and quite natural) inclination of executives and board members is often to hunker down and say nothing - lest someone make a mistake that could make a bad situation worse. But according to a recent survey of more than 100 traditional journalists who cover the financial services industry, failing to promptly provide the media with information or access to key personnel is the biggest mistake that a company in ... READ MORE