A recent New York Times story indicating that simple apologies are lowering legal costs and disposing of lawsuits in the realm of medical malpractice once again conjures images of the consummate crisis communications battle: PR guys on one side telling you to publicly repent; lawyers on the other side, demanding you stay mum, admit nothing, and say even less. As most professional crisis managers know by now, “no comment” is increasingly translated to mean “I’m guilty.” It ... Read More

2007 has been dubbed the year of the recall. 2008 is shaping up to be the year of the recall response. The news that Wal-Mart will now require its suppliers of children’s products to meet tough new safety standards that go beyond mere compliance with government regulations – which was reported in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal by Joseph Pereira and Steve Stecklow – is just what the doctor ordered after a year in which more than ... Read More

As if we needed further evidence of the communications sea-change taking place before our very eyes, ABC executives announced today that they have created a new viewership measurement tool – demonstrating just how seriously they’re taking marketer concerns over the long-term effectiveness of TV advertising in an age of decreasing broadcast audiences. According to Nielsen, prime time viewers have dropped by six million in just the last year. The move is consistent with recent reports that illustrate the ... Read More

A few weeks ago, former peace protesters of the old Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant outside Denver gathered for a 30-year reunion of their first demonstration at the now-demolished site. For 10 years following that first protest, anti-nuke activists held vigils, fasts, and other protests outside the facility’s secured, barbed-wire fence. But when the U.S. announced reductions in its nuclear arsenal in 1988, ending Rocky Flats’ mission, the moment was bittersweet. The activists’ goal of halting ... Read More

By now, most people who follow marketing have heard how Yum Brands CEO David C. Novak stepped up to the microphones after the 2008 Kentucky Derby and spoke glowingly of the event and his company’s famous brands – Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, Long John Silver’s and A&W – while a stunned national television audience looked on. The grinning Novak seemed oblivious to the fact that second-place finisher Eight Belles had just been euthanized after breaking ... Read More

There’s little doubt that China once viewed this summer’s Olympiad as the ultimate opportunity to highlight considerable national progress on the world’s grandest stage. Perhaps it still does. But as the torch made its tumultuous journey through Paris, San Francisco, and points beyond, it became readily apparent that many view China’s political and economic progress as not nearly progressive enough. China isn’t helping itself either. The latest picture? News photos of demonstration organizers lined up in front of ... Read More