Public Relations
ER-PR
Each day, the media is filled with flashing red headlines that scream risk. Avian flu. Sniper attacks. Hurricanes. Terrorism. E-Coli. Embezzlement. Disgruntled Employee Gone Wild. It’s enough to guarantee a society of obsessive-compulsive paranoiacs.
Risk is everywhere. We wallow in it. Anything we consume, inhale or live near can be suspect. We seem to actually feed off scaring ourselves, and because they are quick to recognize a crowd pleaser, the media’s stock in trade is increasingly fear mongering.
The media feed off of marrying risky subject matter with the “drama quotient” to get the public’s attention. We’ve all heard the teaser headlines: “Coming up, we’ll tell you what you don’t know about the dangers lurking in your kitchen cabinet!” Risk fits the “news you can use format,” which puts the media firmly in charge of prescriptive formulas to help consumers manage their overwhelming and uncontrollable lives.
The term risk is actually quite prominent in the corporate lexicon. Risk managers regularly assess the impact to lost sales, lost or stolen goods and damaged production facilities; yet in a world where terms such as sales, growth and return on investment drive the bottom line, many companies are woefully unprepared to handle risk…that is, when risk becomes a crisis. And at time of crisis, usually the first responder is the press, ultimately shaping the story and delivering your news. We believe there’s nothing more risky nor detrimental to a company then not being prepared for the worst. The worst being irreversible damage to your business, clients, employees and image.
Despite what one may believe, the communications tools needed to respond to a crisis can be prepared in advance. Moreover, it is critical to create crisis preparedness and management plans to deal with difficult situations early -- before the problem erupts. How an organization responds and handles the crisis determines the degree of damage to corporate reputation.
Before the going gets tough, a growing number of companies turn to Off Madison Ave for help planning for and navigating the often treacherous paths of issues and crisis management. No matter what or how small your crisis, protecting your assets is critical to protecting your business. Don’t be caught off guard when a crisis strikes.
Review our crisis management experience or contact us to discuss your company’s risk profile and how you can begin building your firm’s crisis communications preparedness plans.
Call us at 1-888-OMA-ER-PR or email us at ERPR@offmadisonave.com.
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Arizona Highways magazine, an award-winning publication for almost 80 years, needed to increase online sales and subscriptions while reducing cost-per-sale through their online store.
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