By James B. Stewart
Wall Street Journal
August 11,2010
When will the Hewlett-Packard board learn the most fundamental lesson of corporate governance and public relations?
That lesson is simple: Disclose all relevant facts, get ahead of the media, and don't turn a one-day story into a media frenzy.
In U.S. public companies, the directors are supposed to serve the owners—the shareholders—and not management or themselves. Shareholders deserve, and are entitled by law, to material information about the company. Boards should err on the side of transparency.
Concealing facts only breeds suspicion, not to mention intense media coverage. That someone might be embarrassed by full disclosure is irrelevant and shouldn't factor in any disclosure decisions … [ More ]
Monday, August 16, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
REUTERS | Apple better give iPhone 4 owners free cases, say crisis experts
Facing mounting public relations troubles over the iPhone 4, Apple must act swiftly to quell customer complaints about poor reception by giving away free cases, crisis communication experts say.
"This is undeniably doing damage to Apple's brand," said Gene Grabowski, senior vice president of Washington, D.C.-based Levick Strategic Communications, referring to the company's refusal to respond to customer complaints. "Apple's being perceived as arrogant by trying to minimize a problem that users say is a big problem."
Grabowski and others were interviewed earlier this week, before Apple announced late Wednesday that it would hold a news conference Friday at 10 a.m. PT, 1 p.m. ET, at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters. The company has said the quickly-called conference -- a major departure from its usual practice -- would be about the iPhone 4, but has provided no additional details ... [ READ MORE ]
Thursday, May 27, 2010
WSJ: Advice for BP's Reputation Crisis
The way the company acts now will affect its image for decades to come.
By PETER D. HART AND DAN MCGINN
Wall Street Journal
May 27, 2010
Pop artist Andy Warhol predicted in the 1960s that "in the future everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes." Well, the future turned Warhol's prediction on its head: 15 minutes of shame has replaced 15 minutes of fame.
Consider oil company BP, which is now watching the halo created by a decade of smart advertising vanish as a mammoth oil slick makes its way across the Gulf of Mexico. BP's "Beyond Petroleum" campaign had positioned the company on the green side of energy development. But its sunken drilling platform—and the resulting environmental catastrophe—has sent it firmly back into dirty carbon company territory. Current polling results show BP has a devastating 4-to-1 negative-to-positive ratio on feelings about the company. From the top to the bottom in nanoseconds.
READ MORE ...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703339304575240123043330744.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion
By PETER D. HART AND DAN MCGINN
Wall Street Journal
May 27, 2010
Pop artist Andy Warhol predicted in the 1960s that "in the future everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes." Well, the future turned Warhol's prediction on its head: 15 minutes of shame has replaced 15 minutes of fame.
Consider oil company BP, which is now watching the halo created by a decade of smart advertising vanish as a mammoth oil slick makes its way across the Gulf of Mexico. BP's "Beyond Petroleum" campaign had positioned the company on the green side of energy development. But its sunken drilling platform—and the resulting environmental catastrophe—has sent it firmly back into dirty carbon company territory. Current polling results show BP has a devastating 4-to-1 negative-to-positive ratio on feelings about the company. From the top to the bottom in nanoseconds.
READ MORE ...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703339304575240123043330744.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion
Thursday, April 29, 2010
WSJ: Catholics launch global PR campaign to tackle abuse scandal
In Crisis, Catholics' Response Is Ad Hoc
ROME—Pope Benedict XVI addressed a general audience here Wednesday that included a phalanx of priests and church officials who had gathered here to hone their response to the Roman Catholic Church's burgeoning sex-abuse crisis.
"I salute those participating in the communications conference," the pope said amid his standard greetings to pilgrim groups from around the world.
The pope arriving Wednesday at a general audience in St. Peter's Square attended by church spokespeople seeking guidance on responding to crisis.
His brief message to more than 100 church spokespeople underscored a divide that has appeared in recent months: Amid allegations of priestly abuse, often sexual and against minors, the pope has rarely engaged directly in the church's struggle to respond publicly. That has left priests, bishops and officials world-wide grappling with how to formulate their own response .... (more)
ROME—Pope Benedict XVI addressed a general audience here Wednesday that included a phalanx of priests and church officials who had gathered here to hone their response to the Roman Catholic Church's burgeoning sex-abuse crisis.
"I salute those participating in the communications conference," the pope said amid his standard greetings to pilgrim groups from around the world.
The pope arriving Wednesday at a general audience in St. Peter's Square attended by church spokespeople seeking guidance on responding to crisis.
His brief message to more than 100 church spokespeople underscored a divide that has appeared in recent months: Amid allegations of priestly abuse, often sexual and against minors, the pope has rarely engaged directly in the church's struggle to respond publicly. That has left priests, bishops and officials world-wide grappling with how to formulate their own response .... (more)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Heated Debate Among Top Executives at Google Over Withdrawing from China
From the Wall Street Journal ...
Jan. 14, 2010 - Google Inc.'s startling threat to withdraw from China was an intensely personal decision, drawing its celebrated founders and other top executives into a debate over the right way to confront the issues of censorship and cyber security.
Google's very public response to what it called a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China" was crafted over a period of weeks, with heavy involvement from Google's co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Jan. 14, 2010 - Google Inc.'s startling threat to withdraw from China was an intensely personal decision, drawing its celebrated founders and other top executives into a debate over the right way to confront the issues of censorship and cyber security.
Google's very public response to what it called a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China" was crafted over a period of weeks, with heavy involvement from Google's co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Monday, January 4, 2010
With Ads, Music Downloads Sing a New Tune
New York Times
December 29, 2009
On Hulu, the popular Web site that streams free television shows and other video, users have proved to be perfectly willing to watch short commercials, and a new site is betting that the same willingness will apply to downloading music ...
December 29, 2009
On Hulu, the popular Web site that streams free television shows and other video, users have proved to be perfectly willing to watch short commercials, and a new site is betting that the same willingness will apply to downloading music ...
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