Crisis: Respond in 45 minutes or less, or reap the consequences

We received a call early one morning from a company that was in the midst of a serious crisis. News of the incident broke during the prior hour and company executives were being inundated with media calls as they scrambled to determine the best way to respond. We provided the prospective client with some initial counsel, assembled our internal team and began preparations to divide and conquer while waiting for our controller to finalize a work agreement.

The cost of not being united in crisis response

United Airlines's response to a passenger being dragged off a plane in Chicago made headlines with the company experiencing a significant hit to its reputation and stock price. While it’s always easy to second guess crisis response, there are some important lessons organizations can take away from United’s experience.

Not commenting on pending litigation equals Epic Fail

There is a natural tension between attorneys and public relations professionals. We both are working with different, even conflicting interests in mind.