Crisis & Reputation News
Expert commentary on crisis & reputation communication events and trends.
4 min audio One Bad Quarter Can Sink a Year of Reputation Work
New research confirms what experienced operators have long suspected: in certain industries, one poor quarter of reputation management produces losses that dwarf an entire year of doing it right. The asymmetry is brutal and unforgiving. Healthcare, financial services, and consumer goods top the list of sectors where a single mishandled public moment can erase hard-won trust built over months of careful, consistent communication.
4 min audio What Brands Get Wrong Before a Talent Crisis Hits
Brands routinely face the fallout when a spokesperson, influencer, or hired talent goes off-script in damaging ways. The pattern is always the same: a crisis erupts, the brand scrambles, and a playbook gets assembled after the fact. The real story here is not about damage control. It is about the communication failures that happen months before anything goes wrong, during vetting, contracting, and alignment.
4 min audio Brand Talent Crisis: What to Say When It Explodes
Brands are waking up to a hard truth: the talent they partner with can detonate their reputation overnight. Ad Age recently examined how companies can build a smarter process for vetting spokespeople, influencers, and ambassadors before signing deals, and how to respond when those relationships go sideways anyway. The piece lays out a playbook covering the full arc from selection to damage control.
4 min audio Kim Kardashian's Campaign: Own the Criticism First
Kim Kardashian recently launched a marketing campaign that leaned directly into the public criticism she has faced over the years. Rather than ignoring the negative narrative or responding defensively, she made that narrative the centerpiece of her message. The move reframed her public image on her own terms, turning accumulated skepticism into the engine of the campaign itself.
Never Be Lost for Words Again
Get word‑for‑word scripts for the conversations that shape your life, from job interviews and negotiations to difficult talks with family and partners, so you always know exactly what to say and how to say it.
Never Be Lost
for Words Again
Get word‑for‑word scripts for the conversations that shape your life, from job interviews and negotiations to difficult talks with family and partners, so you always know exactly what to say and how to say it.
4 min audio Social Media Fails: What Brands Keep Getting Wrong
Brands keep destroying their own reputations on social media, not because they post something wrong, but because they respond wrong. From tone-deaf apologies to defensive pile-ons, the pattern repeats itself across industries and company sizes. The common thread is not the original mistake. It is the communication failure that follows, turning a manageable problem into a lasting brand scar.
4 min audio Port Lucaya Marina: When Vague Authority Kills Trust
The new owners of Port Lucaya Marina in Grand Bahama say the Grand Bahama Port Authority issued a stop-work order that shut down demolition for three days without giving a clear reason. The marina owners are calling the explanation they received vague and misleading. The delay is already pushing up project costs and disrupting their timeline.
3 min audio What 'Heartbroken' Teaches Us About Crisis Communication
A beloved local garage in Watford suffered a devastating fire that tore through its premises. After a period of silence, the business finally released a public statement describing itself as "heartbroken." The fire caused significant damage, and the community had been waiting to hear from the people behind the business.
4 min audio Zeekr Lockout Crisis: The Communication Lesson
Zeekr, a Chinese electric vehicle brand, built an anti-smuggling lockout system into one of its SUVs. When a customer drove the vehicle outside China, the system activated and locked them out for 30 hours. The car worked exactly as engineered. The customer was stranded. Zeekr has since issued a public apology, but the damage to trust was already done the moment the door refused to open.
Never Be Lost for Words Again
Get word‑for‑word scripts for the conversations that shape your life, from job interviews and negotiations to difficult talks with family and partners, so you always know exactly what to say and how to say it.
Never Be Lost
for Words Again
Get word‑for‑word scripts for the conversations that shape your life, from job interviews and negotiations to difficult talks with family and partners, so you always know exactly what to say and how to say it.
4 min audio Italy's Thailand Apology: A Crisis Communication Breakdown
A group of Italian teenagers caused such serious disruption during a trip to Thailand that the Italian Embassy felt compelled to issue a formal public apology on their behalf. The students were removed from the country and sent home early. The incident escalated beyond a school discipline matter into a full diplomatic and reputational crisis for Italy.
4 min audio MEC's Communication Failure: What Went Wrong
Malawi's Electoral Commission (MEC) is facing a credibility crisis after weeks of contradictory public messaging. The situation escalated when fiscal police visited the Commission's offices, adding a layer of institutional scrutiny to an already fragile public image. For an electoral body whose entire authority rests on public trust, the timing and optics could not be worse.
4 min audio Swindon CEO's Crisis Response: What Went Wrong
Swindon Town FC ran into a wall of fan distrust when TrustSTFC published a survey showing supporters had lost confidence in the club's leadership. CEO Anthony Hall responded publicly, saying the club was working hard to improve. The response landed with roughly the same force as a wet paper towel. Fans asked for accountability. Hall offered effort.
4 min audio Talent Crisis Communication: What Brands Get Wrong
When a brand spokesperson, influencer, or hired talent goes sideways, the company behind them faces a communication problem that can spiral fast. Ad Age recently examined how brands should approach the full arc of a talent crisis: from screening talent before signing to rebuilding trust after the damage is done. The piece reveals that most brands are still reactive, not prepared, and that gap is where reputations get destroyed.
What Celebrity Scandals Teach You About Apologies
AI Trust Rises While Media Grows Skeptical: Why It Matters
Can a Robot Teach You to Handle Angry People?
Why Public Health Experts Are Losing the Trust War
One Bad Quarter Can Erase a Year of Reputation Work
AI Is Breaking Workplace Communication. Here's the Fix.
What Companies Get Wrong About AI Communication
