Crisis Management

We manage a comprehensive range of crisis situations across industries, including:

• Reputation and PR Crises: Negative media coverage, social media backlash, public criticism
• Operational Crises: Product recalls, service outages, supply chain disruptions
• Leadership Crises: Executive misconduct, succession issues, governance failures
• Data and Cybersecurity Incidents: Data breaches, ransomware attacks, privacy violations
• Financial Crises: Earnings shortfalls, investor concerns, market volatility
• Workplace Incidents: Employee misconduct, discrimination claims, labor disputes
• Regulatory/Legal Challenges: Investigations, litigation, compliance issues

Our team includes specialists in various crisis types, allowing us to assemble the right expertise for your specific situation across sectors including technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer products, manufacturing, education, and non-profit organizations.

While we can certainly assist during an active crisis, the most effective approach is proactive preparation before a crisis occurs:

• Enhanced Effectiveness: Organizations with crisis plans in place respond more effectively, make better decisions under pressure, and typically experience less damage.
• Preparedness Services: Our prevention services include vulnerability assessments, communications planning with pre-approved messaging templates, and response team training.
• Crisis Simulations: We conduct realistic crisis simulation exercises to test your team's readiness and identify improvement areas.
• Organizational Understanding: Establishing a relationship before a crisis allows us to understand your organization, stakeholders, and values.
• Retainer Relationships: Many clients engage us on a retainer basis for both preparedness work and priority response when needed.

The investment in crisis preparation typically pays dividends many times over when compared to the cost of managing an unprepared response to a full-blown crisis.

We measure crisis management success using a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics tailored to each specific situation:

• Quantitative Measures:
  • Media coverage analysis (volume, sentiment, message penetration)
  • Social media metrics (conversation volume, sentiment trends, engagement rates)
  • Search result improvements
  • Website traffic patterns
  • Business impact indicators (sales data, stock price recovery, customer retention)
• Qualitative Measures:
  • Stakeholder feedback
  • Message adoption by third parties
  • Long-term reputation recovery
  • Operational improvements implemented as a result of the crisis

Our goal is not just to minimize negative outcomes but to position the organization for stronger stakeholder relationships and operational improvements following resolution.

Social media requires specialized handling during a crisis due to its real-time nature and viral potential:

• Dedicated Crisis Team: We establish a social media-specific team that works in coordination with broader crisis efforts.
• 24/7 Monitoring: Advanced tools track conversation volume, sentiment, influential voices, and emerging narratives.
• Platform-Specific Strategies: Different platforms have distinct audiences and communication norms requiring tailored approaches.
• Response Frameworks: Pre-approved response templates for common scenarios enable quick but consistent communication.
• Community Management: Clear protocols determine when to engage directly, when to take conversations private, and when to simply monitor.
• Content Management: Plans for pausing or modifying scheduled content and paid campaigns that may be inappropriate during a crisis.
• Real-Time Analytics: Continuous data analysis measures impact and informs strategy adjustments as the situation evolves.

Our social media crisis management combines speed and strategic thinking to protect your reputation in the channels where public opinion forms most rapidly.