BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

The CNN tagline said it all – “Tiger Woods: Live and Scripted.” When the global golf phenomenon turned tabloid whipping boy addressed the media today for the first time since a late night car crash sparked explosive accusations of infidelity, there’s no denying that Tiger touched all the right bases. He took responsibility. He apologized profusely to everyone he’s hurt. He spoke of his time in therapy as “the first steps in the right direction.” He ... READ MORE

The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office. According to Facebook, more than 65 million users interact with the site through their mobile devices. The users are also 50% more active on the site, posting comments, pictures, and even video on the go. Twitter was built from the ground up to be used with mobile devices – its 140 character updates fit nicely within text message length restrictions. Meanwhile, Apple sold ... READ MORE

Pundits across the country continue to ask how the Democratic Party, which was riding so high less than a year-and-a-half ago, could have fallen far enough to lose the late Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate Seat. Some say it was voters’ reactions to health care reform. Others say it was unemployment. But according to data released earlier this month by Zogby International, it’s likely that the outcome had less to do with policy than how policy ... READ MORE

The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office. Revolutions in social media continue to stir evolutions in corporate customer engagement. As with any change in business processes, there are those who become champions of the newest strategies and tactics while others suffer missteps trying to adjust to new paradigms. One of the first questions from anyone hesitant to engage in social media is what return on investment they can expect. For the ... READ MORE

The news that Gilbert Arenas has reached a plea agreement related to felony gun possession in the District of Columbia comes as little surprise. Since news first broke that guns were involved in a locker room confrontation between Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittendon, legal consequences have been all but a foregone conclusion. Of course, there’s been a hefty reputational price to pay as well – and thus far, Agent Zero has done little to stop ... READ MORE

For more than a year now, the headlines have been rife with news of employee layoffs and company downsizing. Just this week, former Internet giant AOL announced it will have to initiate up to 1,000 layoffs after voluntary buyouts failed to achieve the workforce reductions needed to meet the revamped company’s staffing goals. During the past two years, ubiquitous coffee giant Starbucks – after 16 years of solid growth – had to let go more ... READ MORE

The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office. Even though social media titans such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn have become household names in recent years, many companies remain unaware of the deeper functionality that these and other sites provide when it comes to online reputation management.  With brand critics already demonstrating a mastery of these tools, forward-thinking companies would be well-served to level the playing field by taking heed ... READ MORE

Lost amid the recent media frenzy surrounding Tiger Woods and Gilbert Arenas is the story of Mary Anne Catalano – who, according to anonymous sources cited by The New York Times, has told the F.B.I. and other investigating agencies that her boss, Dr. Anthony Galea of Toronto, provided professional athletes in the United States with human growth hormone (HGH) and other purported performance enhancers. While Catalano’s tale might not be as sensational as reports of extra-marital ... READ MORE

As companies begin to successfully navigate the myriad of reputational challenges inherent in the increasingly global regulatory infrastructure, Bulletproof Blog™ presents the next in a series of video interviews with leading regulatory and compliance strategists. In today’s installment, Alexandra Wrage, President of TRACE International, examines the international cooperation between regulators with respect to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations and how that has changed the ways in which companies view anti-corruption issues – and increased the ... READ MORE

As companies begin to successfully navigate the myriad of reputational challenges inherent in the increasingly global regulatory infrastructure, Bulletproof Blog™ presents the next in a series of video interviews with leading regulatory and compliance strategists. In today’s installment, Patrick Norton, a Partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, looks at how multi-jurisdictional Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations – and thus the possibility of multiple prosecutions – will continue to increase the ... READ MORE