Trust in your brand builds crisis resilience
You might not be able to stop a crisis hitting, but you can control your brand’s reputation going into that…
What does trust mean for your organisation?
At the Corporate Affairs Summit towards the end of last year, I heard Dr Steve Van Riel (Head of insight…
Why information alone doesn’t change minds in a crisis
For many years, communicators (including me) have told companies to focus on communicating only high-quality…
Doing the right thing is hard, risky and worth it
We know that allyship, and acting in line with your values, isn’t easy. If those…
Lessons in activism
Values aren’t about marketing, they’re about strategy. It’s easy for brands to say what people…
‘Fatal bias’ and the destructive power of the near miss
In a simulation exercise recently, one of the team said: “We’ve been through something like…
Systemising risk – how to take the personal out of crisis planning
Our latest episode of What Just Happened? looked at fallout of the sexual assault that…
Miracle on the Hudson: lessons in crisis leadership
In a recent episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, Kate and Tamara talked to psychologist, Gill…
Team psychological safety and avoiding a culture of fear
Team psychological safety in the workplace plays an essential role in creating a healthy culture.…
Deepfakes & trust in the age of accessible AI
Deepfake frauds are the next step in social engineering attacks. They exploit our relationships, our…
Whistleblowing – a cautionary tale for organisations
A couple of weeks ago, Tamara and I had the privilege of speaking to Jonathan…
The power of immersive training for crisis management
Being confronted with having to deal with a crisis in our working lives can be…
The age of rage: how rage farming is harming brands
Bad news. Trolls have evolved. We’ve known for some time that social network algorithms favour…
Why organisations need diverse crisis teams
Organisations that work to create more diverse cultures and hire diverse teams perform better than…
The biggest brand crises of 2024
2024 saw some big crises for brands. Here is our pick of the biggest: Boeing’s…
Why every crisis team needs a challenger, holding the team to account
When we run simulation exercises, almost every team says the same thing: “We were too…
United Airlines passenger removal scandal – what can leaders learn?
When Dr David Dao was dragged off a United Airlines flight in 2017, there was…
Tylenol’s 1982 recall and lessons in leadership from Johnson & Johnson
The first episode of our new Polpeo podcast, ‘What Just Happened?’ explores the so-called ‘Tylenol…
Preparing for a crisis: crisis strategy essentials
Going into a crisis without a crisis strategy is a bit like saying, “I want…
What risks are leaders concerned about now?
In January, we looked at the risks that were top of mind for leaders in…
Supporting your teams with crisis simulations
It seems like every day there’s another crisis in the news. Some are crises the…
Preparing for future risks
Running regular crisis simulations gives our team first-hand experience of the risks leaders believe they…
2023: the year in crisis
It’s been a crisis-packed year for brands. From failure in company culture or leadership, to…
Does backlash always mean backdown? No. Here’s why.
Like every month, June had its fair share of challenges for brands, but three things…
Why brands must be prepared to stand by their inclusive values during Pride and beyond
If you’re going to get involved in a Pride campaign, sadly, you have to be…
Data breaches, fines and…friend requests?
We’re living in a world that increasingly thrives on data. As consumers, we can only…
Is deinfluencing a threat to brands?
Everyone’s talking about ‘deinfluencers’ at the moment. It’s a huge trend on TikTok, but is…
Dealing with outrage cycles and community polarisation
Social networks love posts that provoke strong emotions – these tend to be shared widely…
Preparing leaders for a crisis takes more than media training
I’ve worked with a lot of leadership teams to help them prepare for a crisis,…
Aligning your values to your behaviour can avoid a reputation crisis
A couple of years ago, I wrote a book on crisis communication, and I interviewed…
How “good intentions” can create a backlash
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, or so they say. A brand…
People don’t want pledges, they want action
There are several reminders in the news about the importance of living up to the…
Saying sorry in a crisis
In nearly every crisis simulation exercise we run, the issue of saying sorry raises its…
Why social networks shouldn’t ban anonymity
A debate has raged for some years now over whether or not social networks should…
My crisis is over. Now what?
In a crisis, there’s a real temptation to focus on the here and now. Our…
What to be aware of when working with influencers
We’re seeing some lifestyle and travel influencers being called to account for their foreign travels…
How to help your employees navigate social media storms
Social media has created a whole new headache for brands and their employees, and many…
How do you deal with a crisis you never imagined could occur?
Have you ever considered what you would do if, say, a newspaper said that your…
Creating resilient teams: how to support teams through a crisis
While you can pay special attention to your team’s wellbeing during a crisis, one thing…
The role of leaders during a brand crisis
Strong leadership can make the difference between a crisis that damages your reputation irrevocably, and…
The art of the apology: 5 ways to do it well
Some people may think that it’s a bad idea for brands to apologise to their…
Why do people flout the lockdown guidelines? Lessons from 1940
Even before the government amended the social distancing rules, I’ve noticed people start to flout…
When is a crisis not a crisis?
I was chatting to Ben Smith for the PR Moment podcast recently about crisis communications,…
Want to participate in a crisis simulation?
If you’re a member of the PRCA and you’ve ever wanted to take part in…
What is empathy? How can brands put it into action during a crisis?
When we run crisis simulations, we look for the participants to respond using empathy. What…
Does brand reputation matter?
Axios has released the results of the latest Axios Harris Poll 100 survey. It conducted…
Ocado’s response to warehouse fire brings its community together
At 2:44 am on Tuesday 5th February, Ocado’s high-tech Hampshire-based customer fulfilment centre caught fire.…
How brands can safeguard their reputation in a post-truth era
Years ago, I had a Homer Simpson #doh moment when I fell for, and re-shared,…
Why crisis planning is vital
Crisis planning comes naturally to some people. These people appear to have been born ready…
Brands in crisis: controlling the risk
Anyone who’s been involved in running a business will know that it’s impossible to completely…
How consistent is your crisis messaging?
The adulterer’s website of choice, Ashley Madison, recently went through a significant reputational crisis when…
Judging authenticity during a #smcrisis
According to a recent article on bbc.co.uk, during a crisis, the believability of a tweet…
The human-driven social media crisis
When people talk about social media crisis, what do they mean? The most serious crises…
Communicating through the crisis
Communication is one of the key factors in getting through a crisis. At Polpeo, we…