The Public Relations Blog

By Jason Mudd, APR

One key phrase oft repeated inside newsrooms is “If it bleeds, it leads.”

To those outside the communications profession, that may sound utterly offensive, but realistically, news editors, writers, journalists and programming directors know that when it comes to news, people listen and watch more intently when it’s negative. In fact, bad news far outweighs good news by as much as 17 negative news stories for every one positive one. Scholars have studied the psychology behind this, too. The human brain evolved in a hunter-gatherer environment where dramatic events required immediate attention for the sake of survival, and we still care (worry/fear) more about the threat of bad things affecting us than hearing about good things. When the news is negative, people take notice.

The world is amid growing panic driven predominantly by fear caused by a microscopic killer called Ebola. Americans now face a unique crisis as Ebola bridges waters and appears in a number of states across our country. Ebola is a viral killer and, naturally, fear and panic about how it spreads, infects and could potentially cause an epidemic in the United States has resulted in a scramble for answers and preventative measures from our country’s government, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospitals, schools and more.

Learn the PR tools you can use to effectively manage any crisis

When not handled correctly, a crisis can shed a negative light on your entire company. Handled well, it provides an opportunity for your company to demonstrate that it can be tough under pressure.

According to a study Stanford Universityconducted, companies that provide quick, truthful responses and keep a steady grip during a crisis fare much better in terms of public image and profitability. Your company can learn something from these lessons on the right (and wrong) ways to manage a crisis.

Apple, Airbnb and GM might represent three different industries… But their paths have crossed during the past year when they’ve all had to make apologies to the public for their product and service failures.

Because of their sincerity and admittance of responsibility, their customers remain.

Use PR tactics to cool things off.

Lately, articles about embattled company CEOs have flooded the media. It could be the result of a current issue that has gone horribly wrong, such as that of former Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel, who resigned after a major security breach which left credit card customers vulnerable to identity theft. More often, CEO troubles are caused by the CEO him/herself, usually by saying something inappropriate.

According to research conducted by Protiviti and North Carolina State University’s ERM Initiative in a recent report entitled “Executive Perspectives on Top Risks for 2014” (pg. 5), there are eight top strategic risks for 2014:

They know who we are. They know what we like. They know what we watch, and where we shop. (The companies we buy from, that is). That data in and of itself is be very useful for both companies and consumers. However, OfficeMax’s recent PR blunder demonstrates important lessons in the challenge of maintaining quality control with data, and shows how not to deal with a PR crisis in your organization concerning data.

In light of recent data problems from major companies, let’s get down to the heart of the matter from the angle of PR and responsibility.

Even ultra-clever commercials with catchy drum beats can’t distract millions of consumers from wondering, at least a little, if they can still shop safely at Target.

Arguments over the nation’s minimum wage laws have been ongoing for years. There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight, and people taking sides on the issue are certainly doing their best to sway the public.

It seems like there isn’t a direction you can turn when it comes to the NFL where you won’t hear about the Washington Redskins and the calls to change the team’s name. The situation has now worsened due to a controversial sign at Sonic, a major fast-food company, that called for the Kansas City Chiefs to “scalp the Redskins” and “send them to a reservation.”