As fast as PR disasters come and go and with the perpetuation of these “disasters” by social media, there’s no surprise we continue to see an increase from year to year. This year, we saw everything from “foot-in-mouth” fiascos to social media meltdowns. Here’s a recap of the…
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford got himself into hot water in November when he denied, denied, denied, then finally admitted that he was in fact using crack-cocaine in a publicly released video that showed him using drugs. I don’t need to go into the details of the story –…
Poor Paula Deen. Within weeks, she went from high priestess of deep-fried food to pop culture pariah. She’s courted controversy before. (Remember that diabetes diagnosis/endorsement deal? Or her throw-down with Anthony Bourdain?). But she’s never seen anything quite like this. Earlier this summer, Deen testified under oath during…
Paula Deen has a PR problem. At some point Tiger Woods and Martha Stewart have had PR problems. You could even argue that the New England Patriots have a PR problem, what with all their players being arrested for various things. But what is a PR problem, really?…
Like a carpenter who utilizes an arsenal of powerful tools with extreme caution – because they hold enough power to, you know, accidentally saw off a finger or a hand – PR professionals carefully craft statements and key messages for the brands that we work for because they…
As a public relations professional (and, arguably, as an American citizen), it’s my duty to stay in the loop with what’s happening in my community and the world around me. I’m constantly plugged in to local, national and global news on a variety of topics. So at the…
So, here is a confession I have to make – in the last year or so, I have become more active with yoga as part of my exercise regime. It has been awesome. I am definitely stronger, more balanced and flexible. Heck, I even did a handstand not…
Like many people, I’m currently engrossed in the Jodi Arias trial in Phoenix. Sometimes, I listen to it with an earbud in one ear while I work. Occasionally, I’ll check out the live video stream during my lunch hour. When I get home from work, I usually spend…
The other day, an interesting email came across my inbox. For privacy purposes, I’ve removed names: Subject: [Name of Person] Resignation To Whom It May Concern: [Name], our COO, has resigned. Please erase her contact information. We will let you know when we have found a replacement COO.…
Lance Armstrong. Manti Te’o. Bernie Madoff. Aside from the fact that they are all well-known American figures, it’s not hard to guess what these three have in common. They all got caught in a lie of some sort. It affected them all differently, but ultimately damaged each of…