By: Sydney Meyer, Intern at ProActive Communications Dealing with a crisis is all about being prepared. Having a plan that lays out what to do, and when, while ensuring you have the right tools to do it. Here are seven tips from STP Communications to draw up your own crisis communication plan and effectively handle […]
By Mark Serrano What has happened to Ray Kroc’s iconic brand? The emperor of fast food is presiding over a crumbling kingdom and the company had better transform itself fast. The news has been bleak for the past several years for McDonald’s, and recent months have only gotten worse, especially with reported earnings dropping a […]
By Mark Serrano, President of ProActive Communications There are many lessons to be learned about the recent hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment – particularly how to establish a corporate mindset that anticipates that you may be next. Regardless of Sony’s shortcomings, their experience has a lot to offer other big companies as well as their […]
Massive data breaches have become an expected holiday season event. Retailers have different approaches in defending their reputations after these breaches. The question, for retailers and the PR firms/internal teams telling their stories to the public is: what’s the most effective way to balance transparency regarding data security with the need to protect one’s reputation among a […]
Market disruption is the ultimate objective when a new technology is introduced into a mature marketplace. Stodgy old adherents who occupy that marketplace don’t like disruption though, because it usually means they are on the losing end of the equation. Such is the circumstance in Europe for the shooting star known as Uber. Uber is […]
T-Mobile is renowned for its revolution against cellular phone contracts, a customer loyalty trap made possible by required two-year agreements we all have with our mobile carriers. In fact, T-Mobile’s growth can largely be attributed to this market disruption model that has jettisoned them to be the fourth largest US mobile carrier. The company is […]
Starbucks employees are now eligible for college tuition reimbursement through an agreement made with Arizona State University. The new initiative is extended to the company’s 135,000 employees; however, there are limitations about which Starbucks was not clear when they announced the launch of the program. Proactive Communications president Mark Serrano was interviewed on Fox Business Network’s Cavuto to explain what’s really happening […]
After General Motors (GM) announced a recall for faulty ignition switches earlier this year, the company was criticized for it communications efforts, as CEO Mary Barra displayed minimal empathy for the thirteen customers who lost their lives in GM cars. If the first stage to recovery is recognizing that you have a problem, then it […]
LA Fitness has a problem child that has turned into a communications crisis. You can just imagine the scenario for corporate executives at LA Fitness, which operates in a very competitive marketplace. One of their retail locations in an urban setting has had issues. Until now, it had probably been seen in the C-suite as […]
Effective messaging is just as much about language as it is about imagery. Words supplement images and add to the story which the pictures are telling. On their own, they can be just as impactful – painting a vivid portrait in the minds of those who hear the message that elicits the messenger’s intended response. […]