In today’s digital age, bad news can go viral in minutes. A single misstep—a social post gone wrong, a supply chain hiccup, a partnership backfire—can quickly spiral into a crisis. Without preparation, these moments can be disasters. With the right strategy, they can instead showcase resilience, authenticity, and creativity. In this edition of Plain Talk, we explore how brands can move beyond crisis management to build trust and long-term loyalty.

For most of us, social media is an integral part of our daily lives, and it certainly plays a pivotal role in shaping public perception of brands and businesses. While positive feedback and glowing customer reviews can boost a company’s reputation, negative reviews and customer complaints can spread like wildfire and lead to a full-blown crisis. Effective crisis management for social media reviews and customer complaints is crucial for preserving a brand’s image and ensuring its long-term success. In this edition of Plain Talk, we will examine the importance of social media crisis management for businesses on social media. We’ll discuss effective strategies to combat negative reviews, with examples on both local and national levels. We may also uncover some valuable lessons.

Have you ever watched a talk show and noticed a guest fidgeting with their hands so much that you forgot what they were even talking about? How about a politician with a blank stare who appears to be reading from a cue card or a CEO who refuses to answer questions from reporters and keeps saying “no comment”? Those actions can annoy or irritate the public. In business today, the way the public views leaders reflects their company, for better or worse. Does the thought of “going live” make you or your leadership nervous or anxious? It’s hard to be human and answer no to that question. However, the way you handle yourself with the media will affect your brand. In today’s edition of Plain Talk, we’ll discuss the importance of media training and how it is crucial to being thought of as approachable, honest, and caring when you or your business are suddenly faced with potential media coverage or during crisis communications.

If there is a big news story in banking so far this year, it’s the failure of the 16th largest bank in the United States. Silicon Valley Bank out of Santa Clara, California, failed on March 10, 2023. The SVB collapse, which took place over the course of roughly 48 hours, reverberated through the banking world. It has caused a number of ripple effects over the last week. Despite the good news for depositors from the government, the days and weeks ahead of us are sure to produce a litany of analyses focused on the financial fundamentals of the institution, the impact on the startup community, and the human cost of lost jobs. We believe there is some value in spending a few moments talking about this near tragedy from a communications perspective. In this edition of Compound Interest, we examine the communication collapse that contributed to the Silicon Valley Bank crisis. More importantly, we share 10 crisis PR tips for banks to follow. Don’t let what happened to SVB doesn’t happen to you.

This year put many public relations professionals to the test, seeing just how quickly they can think on their feet and react. While we weren’t prepared for this scenario, this year has reiterated to many companies the importance of a crisis communications plan. You can’t plan for every potential scenario, but having an overall plan is important. It helps your business handle an emergency situation effectively. Here are some insights and examples of successful crisis communication planning.

If 2016 set out to be the year of controversy, it certainly hasn’t disappointed. Daily local, regional, national and international headlines have not failed to give passionate social media users a plethora of causes to fuel the expression of their opinions. And much like the Energizer Bunny, they just keep going and going and going. One of the most embroiled controversies of the year came from a most unexpected place: a peaceful 143-year-old zoo in Cincinnati.