Do you remember the book "Gone Girl" written by Gillian Flynn? Whether you read the book, saw the movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, or both, I think most of us had the same initial reaction of "wow, that's messed up." But after joining the Culloton + Bauer Luce team and recently re-watching the
In a world filled with automation, elements of humanity are becoming harder to find. With the increasing use of chatbots and automated emails, it’s become more difficult to separate interpersonal communication from robotic messaging scripts. Occasionally, brands, companies and even politicians have the opportunity to present themselves as human through the use of humor in
By Dennis Culloton In a week like the one America has just experienced, it seems trite to discuss crisis communications like we do here in this space--everything pales by comparison to the tragedy in Las Vegas. We like to preach that in times of crisis, communicating to your customers and the public is a priority. That priority
By Dennis Culloton, CEO, presidentIt’s just getting started but it has already been a brutal hurricane season. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey walloping South Texas, many unexpected heroes emerged but one Harris County meteorologist stepped into the spotlight with a great lesson for all business, civic and political leaders who find themselves in the
Steve Hamilton and Andrew TouhyIn what was the airline video shown around the world that generated a grave PR disaster for United Airlines, their response to the crisis only made it worse. Even as this story continues to unfold, PR and crisis management professionals can refer to this case as a blueprint of what not
Katherine Krall, CS InternMark Twain once advised to “never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.” His recommendation to avoid becoming engrossed in heated conflicts with journalists is based on the limited reach and influence that the general public had in the 19th century. During Twain’s lifetime, reporters purchased barrels of ink
Steve Hamilton, Digital Media DirectorNo industry is exempt from the possibility of a bad PR move in the digital age. Consumers are using the internet now more than ever for their interactions and purchases. In an era where every meal , movie, teacher, and video games is reviewed, you need to be able to stand
Steve Hamilton and Andrew TouhyAfter the tempestuous election, New Balance’s vice president of public affairs, Matthew LeBretton, offered an endorsement to Donald Trump saying, “The Obama administration turned a deaf ear to us and frankly, with President-elect Trump, we feel things are going to move in the right direction.” Though the answer was in response to
Dennis CullotonAfter Donald Trump's twitter rants and video leaks and Samsung's exploding phones, people tell me, "Hey (that company in trouble) needs you for crisis communications," or they ask "How would you like to be Trump's PR guy?" (no thanks).It makes for fun talk at the tailgate or cocktail party. But to make a real
Steve Hamilton, Digital Media DirectorNow that the dust has finally settled from The Tenor’s Canadian national anthem gaffe, let’s have a look at what happened, how they handled it, and what we can learn from it.For the uninitiated, here’s a brief recap of what went down. During the Canadian national anthem for the hugely popular