Gillott Communications ~ Protecting Your Reputation
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Once Upon a Time …
There was perhaps a time when certain groups commanded respect and trust. But that’s changing. So many are sliding down the ladder and competing for the bottom rungs. Nobody is moving up. Politicians were always cutthroat and sought to impose their own philosophy. But at least they were perceived to be pursuing a common good. … Continue reading
Recent Happenings
Every organization is vulnerable to PR crises at any moment. Government investigation. Nasty litigation. Financial turmoil. Sudden management change. Data breach. Product recall. Industrial accident. Environmental controversy. Natural disaster. It’s not a matter of “if” it will happen to you. It’s simply a matter of “when.” You’ve invested years of blood, sweat and tears to … Continue reading
There are few, if any, better training grounds for journalists and Crisis PR people than The Associated Press. It’s unrelenting and unforgiving — a lifestyle that fuels and feeds upon adrenaline junkies. If you prosper there, you can excel anywhere. The AP’s mantra is simple and exacting: Be fast. Be first. Be accurate. This isn’t … Continue reading
The higher people are in business or social circles, the more they believe they can get away with. It’s hubris, writ large. When Scott London, a top Southern California partner of the global audit firm KPMG was feeding inside information to a golfing buddy, he reportedly reassured his friend not to worry — the amounts … Continue reading
When 115 Roman Catholic cardinals walked into the Sistine Chapel recently, any of them could have become the next Pope. Some believed they would. When they walked out two days later, all but one were still cardinals. There’s an age-old precept of Vatican politicking: “Go in a Pope. Come Out a Cardinal.” It’s a caution … Continue reading
Penn State got it right. Rutgers didn’t. Amid a sex-with-boys scandal involving assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, Penn State’s Board of Trustees took no prisoners. They fired everyone in the chain of command, from popular head football coach Joe Paterno, up through the bureaucracy to the university’s president. The rationale was simple: If they knew, they … Continue reading
Daily Variety, the Hollywood trade paper, was the latest to succumb, ceasing daily publication and becoming an online magazine with a weekly print edition. Last December, Newsweek issued its final print edition and was folded into the online magazine The Daily Beast. Both had been journalistic fixtures for eight decades. In the past five years, … Continue reading
Some people thrive on action, whether they’re doing it or watching it. If you’re not in motion, you’re deemed to be doing nothing. Long ago, when I was sitting in for the hyperactive city editor at the Associated Press, the news editor scolded me for not appearing busy. After assuring him all relevant stories were … Continue reading
In an earlier blog, we explored the nexus between cynicism and the uphill battle you face convincing the public you’re not guilty. Today let’s look at how to fight back effectively. Obviously, it depends on the circumstances. Start with whether the accusations are true or not. If the former, your options are limited. You’re in … Continue reading
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.” –Stuart Chase, 20th century American economist and social commentator When your reputation is on the line, your ability to save it depends on what other people believe. That in turn depends not just upon the facts, but upon … Continue reading
Throughout history, societies have communicated using whatever means were available. Usually the most convenient and efficient. Why should now be any different? Nothing was inherently special about the old method of transmitting information — or the new one. Cave drawings gave way to papyrus and linen and finally to modern paper. Scribes copied and created … Continue reading
In a recent interview, a popular nonfiction author was asked if his daily output of polished writing was 1,000 words — a respectable number. He harrumphed dismissively: “I could do that much in my sleep.” At the other end of the spectrum is an oft-quoted apology for verbosity and lack of focus: “Sorry this letter … Continue reading
As news cycles become faster and the public’s attention span ever shorter, a troubling thought occasionally bubbles up among some who find themselves in a harsh spotlight. What if we just lay low for a day or two? By then, maybe a new scandal du jour will have been captured the media’s fancy, and no … Continue reading
We all do what comes naturally. For most of us, that includes breathing and moving about. For some, thinking deeply. Beyond that, it usually depends on our career. For doctors, unraveling medical mysteries. For mathematicians, solving riddles. For politicians … sorry, nothing to brag about. For those in Crisis & Reputation Management, it’s working with … Continue reading
Sometimes it’s clear who words are aimed at, and why. Most people are rather straightforward. Others less so. Politicians, in particular, are masters of ambiguity, posturing and misdirection. The same is true for high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management. Often, the best way to reach an audience is roundabout. To make comments directly could seem preachy … Continue reading
“What’s a typical situation and solution in Crisis PR?” It’s a common question. But it’s the wrong one. Looking back on decades of top-tier journalism and high-stakes PR, no two situations were alike. A few basic similarities perhaps, but beyond that all diverged sharply. The stories were as different as the response that was required … Continue reading
Odds something good will happen to you? A long-shot. Odds something bad will? Far more likely. It’s an important corollary to Murphy’s Law. Consider: Chance you’ll strike it rich in the California lottery — 1 in 41 million. Chance you’ll be struck by lightning — 1 in 1 million in any given year and 1 … Continue reading
“Innocent till proven broke.” One of the least endearing sentiments in the high-stakes PR industry. Bottom line: Ethics become a measure of the client’s wallet, until the client can no longer pay the freight. By its nature, Crisis & Reputation Management attracts skeptics. They are suspect of everything. Cynicism is your Kevlar. It keeps you … Continue reading
When you turn the last page on the calendar, the easy thing to do is pontificate about the dumb way things were handled in the past year — by other people, of course. Journalists love to do it. So do those whose job is to tamp down PR crises and rebuild shattered reputations. There’s never … Continue reading
Not over-thinking may be a good general-purpose rule for most people. It’s pleasant to sail along blissfully, unaware (or at least unbothered) by all the potentially bad things lurking under the surface. After all, over-analyzing can suck the joy, spontaneity and surprise out of life. But it’s a terrible idea for those dealing with high-stakes … Continue reading
“Give us a break.” Even the first time I heard it, I couldn’t believe it. I was still a journalist — the head of West Coast news operations for business, economics and labor relations for the Associated Press. The person who said it was the head of PR for a major savings and loan, and … Continue reading
There’s a saying in the high-end rag trade: “Fashion is seasonal. Style is forever.” The same applies to most industries. Public relations is no exception, especially not the high-stakes niche of Crisis & Reputation Management. For a while, there was a season when all that seemed to matter to many people was digital and social … Continue reading
For those who have embraced Crisis & Reputation Management as their ambition and career, everything else pales. Probably because those who are truly good at it have been journalists and PR people for years, usually decades, before they specialized in crisis work. It’s an adrenaline rush. It’s fun. No escaping that. But for some of … Continue reading
Usually the best any of us can hope is that clients will pay their bills promptly. It’s rare they take the time or effort to say thanks for a job well done. After all, that’s what they’re paying us for and what they expect. So it was especially gratifying when an email from the Chairman … Continue reading
Perception defines reality, not the other way around. Think about it. A dozen people experience the same event, and you get a dozen descriptions of what happened, why and what it means. People reflect their own experiences and beliefs. Does Absolute Truth even exist? Plato suggested it did, but men could never know it directly. … Continue reading
“Bet-the-farm” PR is fun. Sound a bit perverse? Perhaps. But consider the source. Crisis & Reputation Management is an exclusive club. Few really do it well, and they thrive on tension, brinkmanship and high stakes. What makes ‘em tick and sets ‘em apart? They’re the calmest persons in the room. They handle stress well and … Continue reading
In 1873, Jules Verne captivated readers with “Around the World in 80 Days,” a saga of steamships and trains. In 1986, Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager piloted the first round-the-world airplane flight without stopping or refueling, in just over 9 days. Today, the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft are about to cross the outer edge … Continue reading
“Measure twice. Cut once.” It’s an old carpenter’s rule — a simple way to avoid doing extra work and wasting materials. All professions should have similar rules. Hopefully they do. Crisis & Reputation Management is no different. But the stakes are often higher. Making an error doesn’t mean you simply need to saw the wood … Continue reading
The two most influential newspapers in the country — the New York Times and Wall Street Journal — couldn’t have disagreed more. (I’m referring to their supposedly unbiased news columns, not their expectedly biased editorial/opinion pages.) Two days before the presidential election, both carried online maps breaking down their estimates of the Electoral College vote … Continue reading
“What’s the value of a negative story that’s never published?” We’ve touched on this before. But it’s worth revisiting because it’s the essence of Crisis & Reputation Management. Often our success is measured by the absence of negative attention. That result is self-evident, even if the process of getting there is shrouded in mystery. Not … Continue reading
To quote Dr. Gregory House of the eponymously named TV series, “Everybody lies.” Sometimes not on purpose. They really believe what they’re telling you because it comports with their perception of reality. But their version may be out of sync with the facts. What they tell you isn’t helpful, but perhaps it’s forgivable. That’s why … Continue reading
After 2 1/2 weeks in Seoul, I’m over the Pacific again, flying the opposite direction. It’s been a refreshing reminder of the relativism of cultures and expectations. Observing U.S. politics and business from 6,000 miles away permits analysis that is broader, more detached and less impassioned. Distance lets the mind grow keener. Yes, clients reached … Continue reading
That’s always the best response when your business or reputation are being threatened. The opposite — better late than never — is always undesirable. A fundamental maxim of Crisis & Reputation Management is, The best time to do damage control is before damage happens. The same is true for many professions. Most people nod knowingly … Continue reading
A colleague was fond of using a one-liner with senior management at his corporation, “I need to know what the facts are, so I know what lies to tell.” Always good for a smile. But my colleague — and everyone he was talking to — knew he was being facetious. In the world of high-stakes … Continue reading
Vacations are a rarity for those who do Crisis & Reputation Management. Threats to reputation aren’t scheduled. They come out of the blue — often at the most inconvenient times. For clients and for those who fix the problems. Mitt Romney’s gaffe about “the 47%” broke just before he was to address a fund-raiser in … Continue reading
Crisis & Reputation Management is a high-stakes niche — and those who do it well are a special breed. Think of it as the brain surgery of public relations. Few need apply. Like all specialties, it’s not a place for generalists. It’s extremely intense and unforgiving. It permits no time for hesitation and no tolerance … Continue reading
Once you’ve banked your first million dollars, you can put it to work for you. Which is far better than relying solely on what you can earn from your own labor. But getting there is difficult, and that’s why most never make it or even come close. It’s the same working with the media in … Continue reading
Too many cooks spoil the broth. But there’s more than one way to skin a cat. You’ve heard these a hundred times, probably more. They’re treated as truisms. So what if they’re contradictory? Just use as the occasion requires. However there’s one rule that’s hard and fast: In Crisis & Reputation Management, there’s room for … Continue reading
Truth is an early casualty in any dispute. Presidential campaigns are the worst. Half-truths are bad enough, but even they quickly give way to cavalier distortions and outright lies. People’s memories are notoriously short. Even when events and statements are remembered, they are softened and reinterpreted by time and beliefs. Historically, this has allowed opposing … Continue reading
When someone’s reputation is under attack, they dissolve quickly into an emotional basket case. This is the point at which the crisis PR guy assumes his alter ego — therapist. He reassures the client that it’s not as dark as it seems, that there are options short of a nuclear meltdown. Clients he’s met only … Continue reading
Caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar? You got some ‘splainin’ to do! The first rule: Put your mind in gear before you open your mouth. The alternative is rarely pretty. The second: Be plausible. Even if not entirely truthful, be close enough to stand the tests of time and scrutiny. At all … Continue reading
It seemed so easy over lunch. The client described how his reputation and that of his nonprofit were in danger of being trampled by hints of indiscretion. I laid out an aggressive strategy: Pre-empt the accuser by telling the client’s side to a broad audience before she gained traction. Limit her options. Hem her in. … Continue reading
Gimme a break! The flap about Chick-fil-A is much noise with little substance. Were comments by Dan Cathy, the company’s president and CEO, retrograde to a darker period of social development? Yes. Does he have the right to express his beliefs? Absolutely. Should government limit the restaurant’s ability to do business because his beliefs are … Continue reading
Do It Yourself? DIY is popular for home-improvement projects. After all, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Orchard Supply Hardware built empires out of it. But the do-it-yourself concept isn’t transferable to serious public relations where your reputation is on the line. Just as a doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient, so too … Continue reading
Journalists are a lot of things. Forgiving isn’t one of them. (I know, because I was one.) If you do or say something that makes a good story, it’s set in proverbial stone. There are no take-backs. To quote one of my favorite books — a slim volume of ancient poetry: “The Moving Finger writes; … Continue reading
There are a lot of broad guidelines for Crisis & Reputation Management. Some of them actually work. By far the most fundamental is, You need to control the situation — not let it control you. Too often, the tendency is to hunker down and hope a matter blows over. Sometimes it may. Usually it doesn’t. … Continue reading
