The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications, Second Edition, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 26CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS: Brand New Channels, Same Old Static

Hud EnglehartManaging PartnerBeacon Advisors, Inc.Adjunct Professor, Integrated Marketing CommunicationsNorthwestern University

Crisis is any threat that, when reported to one or more key constituents, disrupts company operations or causes a set of negative outcomes for a company or brand. Such peril from a public relations perspective goes beyond disruption, however, because unlike any other business situation, crisis puts a company’s reputation on the line in full view of its stakeholders. It tests principles, positions and values. It magnifies every misstep, compounds every error, fuels every emotion and heightens every agenda while everyone watches—and judges—from a front ...