The Public Relations Blog

In addition to September’s status as Ethics Awareness Month, the arrival of fall signals the beginning of professional and collegiate football, tailgating and, of course, the return of the NFL to news headlines. However, those headlines aren’t exclusively focused on superstars, injuries and scores; rather, the spotlight illuminates a 2015 scandal (“Deflate-gate”) that rocked the NFL mere months after several players’ public domestic violence incidences.

Media fame, whether or not it’s the result of a scandal, acts like a proverbial carrot dangled before business owners and investors who flock to it like moths to a flame. Intense paparazzi-style blitzes follow, especially when an ordinary organization takes on a high-profile staff member. Many companies fall prey to “hiring stunts” with very little actual return on investment beyond initial get-it-quick publicity.

PR can show you how to take control of your online image

Have you ever watched a small snowball roll downhill? If you don’t stop it, it keeps gathering more snow until it’s too big to handle. One negative comment or bit of incorrect information about your company on social media can create the same phenomenon as that small snowball.

Therefore, it is vital to your business that you manage social media content before it develops into a crisis. With help from PR, you can take control of your image and reputation.

What to do about the swelling shooting epidemic

It’s not surprising that gun shops are doing brisk business, or that parents are turning more and more to home schooling. It’s because crisis situations like terrorist threats, criminal attacks and active shootings are becoming a pervasive headline throughout the United States.

Most people don’t expect to be at the mercy of an active shooter. Although mass shootings are rare, the number of incidents in which a gunman has opened fire on a crowd has doubled in the last seven years, primarily in businesses and schools, based on a study by the FBI.

Do they stay or do they go?

OK, here we go again. Reputations are floundering; our heroes are no longer heroic. From Jared Fogle to Bill Cosby to Brian Williams, questionable decisions will either show resilience or that the ultimate mistake can destroy careers.

The solution: A damage control team has to always be on deck. Honesty and transparency will help mitigate the problems, but with the advent of social media and round-the-clock news both off- and online, you’d better be quick to take action.

Your organization’s good reputation is one of your most valuable assets; getting negative press can easily ruin your image and your business. Handling negative coverage properly is important in order to keep your good image, so take careful note of these five most common mistakes you must avoid:

Why the travel and tourism industry needs PR

A teenager horsing around in your hotel falls from a balcony and is seriously injured. A shark attacks a family enjoying some water sports off your city’s beaches. There’s no way you could predict or prevent occurrences such as these, but the media and the public will expect your organization to answer for them.

Humans are prone to making mistakes, rash judgements and inappropriate or inaccurate statements. The public relations professionals at Axia often write about crisis communications for the simple fact that far too many people, armed with opinions, inaccurate information and emotionally driven judgment calls, end up in crisis situations. Whether it’s the prime-time anchor of a popular TV show, a CEO, actor or politician, anyone who steps up to a microphone or camera without proper preparation, spouting inaccurate data or carrying a soapbox can turn a smooth-sailing ship into a rudderless boat.

Use these tips to educate your company on PR’s true value

You know that your company needs to be more visible and engage more customers in order to increase sales. However, it can be difficult to sell management on public relations as the solution.

Many companies see PR as just something to pull off the shelf when there’s a crisis. This misunderstanding makes it difficult for them to see the true value of PR work. Once you effectively explain all the ways that public relations can help you boost sales and advance your company’s goals, you’ll have an easier time convincing management that it should be an essential part of your strategic plan.

How a media policy can help you in a crisis

Imagine that your company is in the midst of a crisis. Perhaps your product caused an injury, you’re being sued, someone made a thoughtless comment publicly or a well-meaning campaign has gone horribly wrong. The news media is banging on the door and relentlessly calling every number at your company demanding a comment from someone – anyone. Would everyone in your organization know how to respond? Is it possible that someone might say the wrong thing, prolonging the problem and making the crisis even worse?