Preparing for a crisis: crisis strategy essentials
Going into a crisis without a crisis strategy is a bit like saying, “I want to be a CEO by age 40”, but having no actual plan to get there. Luck, connections and hard work may be all that some…
Crisis Communications
What risks are leaders concerned about now?
In January, we looked at the risks that were top of mind for leaders in the coming year. But what are the reputational risks that comms leaders are worried about right now? Polpeo works with organisations from a range of…
2023: the year in crisis
It’s been a crisis-packed year for brands. From failure in company culture or leadership, to sophisticated cyber attacks, here is our pick of the year’s crises, and what we can learn from them. Culture is critical (and starts with behaviour) …
Does backlash always mean backdown? No. Here’s why.
Like every month, June had its fair share of challenges for brands, but three things stood out for me – and they all involved backlashes. Brands backing down in the face of hate-fuelled backlashes Rainbow washing is a term that…
Data breaches, fines and…friend requests?
We’re living in a world that increasingly thrives on data. As consumers, we can only hope that once we hand our data over to an organisation, it will do everything possible to secure it. That’s the dream, anyway. The reality,…
Preparing leaders for a crisis takes more than media training
I’ve worked with a lot of leadership teams to help them prepare for a crisis, often running simulation exercises alongside their communications teams or PR agencies. When I first talk to the PR and comms teams, their focus is often…
Aligning your values to your behaviour can avoid a reputation crisis
A couple of years ago, I wrote a book on crisis communication, and I interviewed the amazing business psychologist, Gill Green, about what an organisation might do to trigger (inadvertently) a backlash against them. We talked about the relationship that…
How “good intentions” can create a backlash
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, or so they say. A brand might have the best intentions in its social content and marketing, but if it fails to live up to its promises, it could cause a…
Saying sorry in a crisis
In nearly every crisis simulation exercise we run, the issue of saying sorry raises its head. Should you say sorry in a crisis? Does it constitute an admission of liability? And what’s the damage to your reputation if you don’t…
My crisis is over. Now what?
In a crisis, there’s a real temptation to focus on the here and now. Our instinct is to go into survival mode. It’s hard enough to think about getting through the next 24 hours, let alone to think about what to do once the crisis is over.