If you are one of the 60 percent of Twitter users who have deserted their accounts after a month, it’s time to reconsider your participation. The world’s third most popular social networking site has relevance for all consumer companies. Ignoring what is being said about your brand in this space is no longer an option – just ask Domino’s, KFC and AT&T. Right now customers, vendors, employees and the media are discussing your brand. Following their ... Read More

According to a Zogby poll released this week, the most trusted name in news can no longer be found on the television or in newsprint. To the chagrin of newsroom directors and cable producers around the country, Americans have signaled a firm shift in their news gathering habits with a majority saying for the first time that they trust information found on the Internet more than any other medium. For anyone still looking ahead to the day ... Read More

Today, AT&T responded to current subscribers angered by its decision to not subsidize an upgrade to the new iPhone 3G S for every current iPhone owner. Bulletproof readers will recall we first addressed this issue last week as the crisis appeared to be spiraling out of control absent any messaging from AT&T.  The company has since announced that any customer eligible for the full subsidy within the next three months can immediately upgrade at a ... Read More

The FDA is at it again. The latest product to fall victim to the newly-energized agency is Zicam, an over-the-counter cold and allergy product that some users claim has damaged their sense of smell. Unlike prescription drugs, over-the-counter remedies like Zicam don’t require FDA approval before they go on the market. But since 2007, companies have been required to report what are called “adverse events” related to their products. After the agency spotted the Zicam complaints ... Read More

In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs’ attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to Thomas Demetrio, partner at Chicago’s fabled Corboy & Demetrio, who has won over $130 million in jury verdicts, including the largest personal injury verdict ever upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court, along with over $1 billion in settlements. You’ve seen the civil justice system undergo a number of transformations. ... Read More

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently found itself in the middle of a very unpleasant communications situation. Its approach to dealing with the problem has left a lot to be desired. When reports first surfaced that an unknown number of patients had been put at risk because colonoscopy equipment at VA hospitals had not been properly sterilized between examinations, thousand of patients wondered whether they might be among the unlucky few to have been exposed ... Read More