BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

It's already been an up-and-down year for the airlines. Two weeks ago, the Air Transport Association announced that for the first time in its history, the U.S. airline industry has gone two years without a single passenger fatality. Then, last week, a U.S. Airways jet was set down safely in the Hudson River after losing both engines. If you can guess which story got more attention, then I probably don't have to tell you that few ... READ MORE

We're surprised it took this long. Seattle law firm Marler Clark has filed the first lawsuit tied to the current salmonella outbreak in certain suspected brands of peanut butter against a supplier to Kellogg Co. and McKee Foods. Those companies have voluntarily recalled several of their products in recent weeks. Another firm, PritzkerLaw, of Minneapolis, plans to file its own suit on behalf of a 72-year-old woman who died in a nursing home allegedly after eating peanut butter. So far, ... READ MORE

With nearly 300 million Internet users in China - including 50 million bloggers that have generated more than 100 million posts to date - the potential for a viral media tsunami that could sink an international brand is palpable. The Chinese Government continues to shut down Websites that deal with controversial issues and monitor individual Internet usage with an estimated Internet police force of 30,000. But still, 50 million bloggers can generate quite a bit of ... READ MORE

Several weeks ago, there was another reminder of the need for transparency when enlisting third party advocates to deliver corporate messages. The New York Times reported that psychiatrist Dr. Frederick K. Goodwin - the well-known and widely-respected host of public radio's "The Infinite Mind" - had made up to $1.3 million from pharmaceutical manufacturers for marketing lectures he delivered between 2000 and 2007. The relationship was never disclosed on Dr. Goodwin's program, a potentially serious conflict ... READ MORE

A billion dollars in fines is never anything to scoff at. But when considering the penalties that German engineering giant Siemens could have faced as a result of a years-long international bribery investigation, things certainly could have been a lot worse. At the end of the day, the $1.34 billion that Siemens will pay to governments throughout the world is only a mere fraction of the fines that could have been levied by U.S. regulators alone. ... READ MORE

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

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

"The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word "crisis." One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger, but recognize the opportunity." - President John F. Kennedy. Even though toy-manufacturing giant Hasbro hadn't been forced to issue a single recall related to 2007's lead-paint scare, the company heeded this sage advice to make the most of what could have been a disastrous situation. Hasbro knew that when a crisis ... READ MORE