BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

Today, companies have more reasons to engage in the fight against corruption than ever before. In 2010 alone, we’ve seen a record-breaking prison sentence and evidence of massive increases in nearly every measureable enforcement metric related to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). We’ve witnessed the enactment of the UK Bribery Bill 2010, which has been called the “toughest enforcement standard in the world.” We’ve heard global investors voice their desire for greater disclosure ... READ MORE

With all that’s been in the news recently, it might be easy to forget that there is nary a page in the annals of American history that wasn’t written, at least in part, because a bank made it possible. For more than 200 years, banks have provided the capital necessary for many of the United States’ most significant commercial and societal undertakings – and at a time when the financial services industry’s image needs to ... READ MORE

While the massive oil spill making its way towards America’s Gulf Coast is the most high profile incident to impact BP’s environmentally-friendly “Beyond Petroleum” positioning, it certainly isn’t the first. In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hit BP with a largest-ever fine for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. In 2006, a corroded BP pipeline was found to have spilled more than 250,000 gallons of oil into Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay. And in 2000, ... READ MORE

Last week, when it seemed that the environmental impacts of an oil rig explosion off Louisiana’s coast were on their way to being contained, I wrote in this space about the need for British Petroleum (BP) to aggressively communicate the steps it had taken, and would continue to take, to protect the people and wildlife of the Gulf Coast region. Since then, the situation has deteriorated – both in the Gulf and in the media, ... READ MORE

When ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano disrupted air travel across Europe earlier this month, more than five million passengers found themselves in the same boat – booking hotel rooms and buying meals that would make their extended stays just a little more bearable. But when it came time to pay for these basic necessities, some travelers had expenses covered by their airlines, while others were forced to fend for themselves. That’s because laws governing passengers’ ... READ MORE

Do you know where to find the world’s fastest mobile Internet network? It isn’t in Beijing, London, Tokyo, or Paris. Here in the U.S., Sprint (which just this morning posted its first sequential increase in net operating and wireless service revenues in three years) has developed a system that transfers video, voice, and data to mobile devices ten times faster than previous commercial networks – but that isn’t the fastest either. As it turns out, it’s ... READ MORE

On Tuesday night, when an explosion rocked and subsequently sank a Deepwater Horizon floating oil rig off the Louisiana coast, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Just as Americans are beginning to warm to the idea of expanded off-shore drilling, opponents of such a shift in the nation’s energy policy have been handed a damning talking point in their favor – and powerful visuals to go along with it. But to its credit, British Petroleum (BP), ... READ MORE

Earlier this week, the New York Times ran a story detailing New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s approach to the press, which is rather unusual for a politician of his stature. Rather than flashy news conferences and major press events, Mr. Cuomo opts for low-key reporter conference calls and frequent off-the-record conversations. It’s a strategy designed to shape the prevailing narrative while never letting the public see him sweat – and it’s working to the ... READ MORE

Yesterday’s Associated Press headline reporting that “a sense of normalcy” has returned to Augusta National says it all. Even before Tiger Woods hit his first professional golf shot since allegations of serial infidelity first broke back in December, it seemed that the fans, players, and press gathered at The Masters were ready to move past his well-documented personal problems and put the focus where it belongs at any major championship – the game. Even as salacious ... READ MORE

Last month, the Obama Administration’s “pay czar,” Kenneth Feinberg, announced that top executives at companies that have yet to repay the financial assistance they received under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) will be paid cash salaries of $500,000 or less in 2010. The move, which was expected for some time, reflected Mr. Feinberg’s belief that, among other things, the excessive risk taking that many blame for the recent financial crisis can be best reined ... READ MORE