It’s clear that John Schnatter, Papa John’s former chairman wishes he didn’t say that word…but he did. Now that a few days have passed since the incident became public, we can gain a few valuable crisis lessons. Read more
CommCore Blog and News
What’s Good for the Goose Isn’t Necessarily Good for the Gander
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg got generally high marks from PR pros for his appearance before the U.S. Congress in April. Not so much for his just completed testimony before lawmakers of the European Union.
Starbucks Doesn’t Pass the Buck
Starbucks’ crisis communications plan, to shutter all 8,000 U.S. stores the afternoon of May 29 for bias training for some 175,000 employees goes “far beyond the playbook,” CommCore CEO Andrew Gilman told the New York Times. Read more
The ABCs of the Three Fs Rule
Not even three months into 2018, and from a crisis communications standpoint it already feels like a full year: Parkland. #MeToo. North Korea. Steel and aluminum tariffs. “Sh#thole countries.”
Are there any lessons leaders can glean from these controversies? Read more
Communications Lessons from the Olympics
Olympic stars are gifted athletes. A precious few become celebrities with their own personal brands. How two of them handled adversity in the winter games in Pyeong Chang, South Korea provides media training takeaways for anyone dealing with the press. Read more
On President Trump, #metoo & Oprah Winfrey: Words Matter
As we’ve seen in recent crisis communications and media relations coverage in the press, words matter.
Let’s start with 3 data points:
- President Trump’s comments on immigration outraged many Americans and allies
- #metoo has renewed the debate on what can or cannot be said in the workplace and in social situations
- Oprah Winfrey’s Golden Globe speech vaulted her overnight from famous celebrity to discussion of presidential candidacy
What can CEOs and organizational leaders learn from these and other examples?
An Elementary School Teaches us about Crisis Response
The kids at Rancho Tehama Elementary School in Rancho Tehama, CA are safe. Why? Because their school had a crisis plan, they had conducted safety drills, and they knew what to do when a gunman approached the doors and started firing.
CommCore in The New York Times: A Crisis Simulation that Makes Reporters Sweat
At the risk of tooting our own horn, we are sharing the recent New York Times in-depth article on CommCore’s PressureTest crisis communication simulation. (Some Observer readers may have already seen it.)
Equifax’s Response After Massive Data Breach Criticized
Equifax stock fell 19.5% the day the credit reporting agency revealed its massive data breach from six weeks earlier, affecting 143 million customers.
Six days later, it was down 31%. 
Equifax’s bumbling response has come under withering criticism from the public,media, lawmakers, regulators, analysts, and crisis experts. Read more
Think Twice Before You Send That Email: Top 10 Email Rules & And How They Differ for Business Leaders vs. Politicians
A recent article in the Washington Post pointed out what is known in the communications consulting world as “The New York Times Rule” or “The Front-Page Test,” which states that anything you write in email can turn up in a major national newspaper and become a liability to your reputation. Read more