Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

Reputation Preservation in a Crisis

Reputation Preservation in a Crisis

It is surprising how many companies and organizations go about their business believing that a “crisis” will not strike them. But unfortunately, in today’s world, no company or organization is immune from finding themselves in the midst of a crisis that could endanger not only their reputation, but their very business itself.

That’s why every company and organization should have a crisis communications plan in place. Certainly handling the crisis itself is a major part of any crisis plan. If your building catches fire, how do you get everyone out safely? That’s basis crisis planning. Here I am talking about potential damage to your company’s reputation because of a crisis. Like getting everyone out safely, your crisis communications plan should be geared to preserving the reputation you worked so hard to build.

The crisis communications textbook case is Johnson & Johnson and the Tylenol debacle. When it was discovered that the bottles had been tampered with and people died after taking the medication, nobody could trust the integrity of Tylenol. Johnson & Johnson had a real crisis on their hands. Tylenol was their most profitable product at the time, worth hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue

This is a real crisis, and Johnson & Johnson answered the call. They gathered their top managers, legal counsel, PR and advertising counsel and went into action with a crisis communications plan that proved brilliant and restored the brand to a leadership position. It certainly wasn’t cheap. The campaign to restore confidence in Tylenol cost the company about $100 million and included the possibility of changing the name altogether.

So what crises can a company expect? Try anything you can think of. From people placing body parts in food like Wendy’s experienced, to employees suing companies for discrimination, to labor strikes, to nonprofit agencies losing a client with Down Syndrome while on a camping trip – if it can happen, be prepared because it just might.

All crises have common elements. First, you never know what the crisis will be and when it will strike. Second, you never know what the fallout will be. And, often times you don’t know whether to address it head-on and risk calling more attention to it, or let it go and hope it goes away.

All a company can do is be prepared. Think of every possible crisis related to your business, and create scenarios to deal with it. Select individuals as members of your crisis communications response team. Make sure to include your legal counsel and PR consultants. Make sure everyone can instantly get in contact with each other, 24/7. And last, make sure that your crisis communications response team includes people experienced in dealing with a crisis.

Like they say, it’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when.

Questions? Contact us at Info@FarrPR.com or visit our website at: www.farrmarketing.com.





Reputation Preservation in a Crisis - To learn more about this author, visit Harvey Farr's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback

To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Harvey Farr
(Visit Harvey's Website) Harvey Farr started his career in public relations / marketing almost 30 years ago. He spent much of that time as senior vice president of Ruder Finn, an international public relations and marketing firm. At Ruder Finn, Mr. Farr represented such concerns as Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Co., The Academy Awards, CitiCorp, Union Bank, Executive Life Insurance Co. and many other national and international corporations. His areas of expertise include PR / marketing on behalf of the financial services industry, crisis communications (in conjuntion with law firms), nonprofit organizational campaigns, emerging companies and community relations programs. He is a sought-after speaker and currently offers workshops and seminars for companies seeking to provide employees with a better understanding of the public relations process. In addition to operating Farr Marketing Group, he also teaches advanced public relations at California State University, Los Angeles and the Center for Nonprofit Management.

Harvey Farr is a Gold author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Harvey Farr's

Complete
List Of
Public-Relations
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Harvey Farr's Complete List of Public-Relations Articles For FREE!

More Harvey Farr
Nonprofit PR Marketing With a Mission
Cut Costs and Add Value to Your Marketing at the Same Time
SmartPR The Future of Marketing
Business to Business PR
Marketing in Tough Economic Times
How To Hire A PR Firm
How to Find a PR Firm Thats Right for You
Public Relations Is Not Just For PR Pros
Reputation Preservation in a Crisis
WINNING OUTSIDE THE COURTROOM
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
Jeff Foster  
Linda Richardson  
John Alexander  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Romance to the Dance Icon Romance to the Dance
Powerful Living Icon Powerful Living
Effective Art Of Networking Icon Effective Art Of Networking
Balanced Leadership Icon Balanced Leadership
Basic SEO Guide Icon Basic SEO Guide
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Top 50 Diversion Blogs
Top 50 Diversion Blogs
Top Diversion Blogs of 2009
 
Top 50 Productivity Blogs To Watch In 2008
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Sarah Akinpelu Lagos State, Nigeria,
Sarah Akinpelu
Lagos State, Nigeria
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Chris Nguyen, 30+ national clients on $0
Chris Nguyen
30+ national clients on $0
Frank Cianciulli, $2.3 to $7.5 Mil in 2 years
Frank Cianciulli
$2.3 to $7.5 Mil in 2 years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
William Hewlett David Packard, Hewlett-Packard
Paul Orfalea, Kinko's
Paul Orfalea
Kinko's
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
Paul Kedrosky, Venture Capitalist
Paul Kedrosky
Venture Capitalist
Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerilla Marketing
Jay Conrad Levinson
Guerilla Marketing
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Idea Blob: An Infectious Way to Fund Your Green Business
By Paul Smith
     Where to get a Green MBA, and beyond (pt. 1)
By Paul Smith
     Carbon Offsets: Creating Something Real from Hot Air
By Paul Smith

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More popular articles
- Franchise Consulting
More Information