Prep 17

I believe that Kobe Bryant handled the crisis well. He immediately made a statement and that helped his case a lot. Most lawyers say it is best to wait a while to make a statement (Tom Brady is doing that right now) and it usually does not work out. Bryant instead used the public relations method and commented immediately. If I was a sponsor of Kobe Bryant I would not take action against him. If he did not apologize and help his situation I would, but Kobe Bryant handled it very professionally. If I was an NBA advisor I would have told him to not appeal the fine and pay the $100,000 as soon as possible. It is better for your reputation if you face the consequences instead of try to escape them 

Prep 16

In my personal opinion, I believe it was best that MSNBC did not mention the sponsorship with Starbucks during the interview. If I was the public relations advisor for MSNBC, I would have made sure that they avoid bringing up too much dirt on Starbucks, but at the same time, let the CEO confront concerns that consumers may have. If I was an advisor of Starbucks I would tell the CEO to make sure customers hear what they want to hear. You do not want to start anything that will put the brand in a negative light.

Prep 14

The tweet that Kenneth Cole sent out during the situation in Egypt was very inappropriate. If Cole were going to tweet anything, it should have been in support of the citizens of Egypt, not to promote the brand through a tragic situation. I'm sure Kenneth learned his lesson about making humor while lives are being lost. I would recommend that Cole only promotes the brand through trends that are not controversial, and if you do want to get your brand out there during a crisis, show support in order to help the image of the brand.

Prep 13

The Chic-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy was not smart in making his views of gay marriage wide open for public view. Not only did he put his reputation at stake, but he also risked the perception of the million dollar food chain he is employed by. If I was advising Dan Cathy, I would have told him to speak proudly about his religious views in other aspects, but hold back when gay marriage was brought up. There is no reason to give the public any spark that will set a flame to your company.

Prep 12

President of AUVSI Michael Toscano said almost everything perfectly, other than the comparison between drones and cars. It would have been smart for Toscano to avoid comparing the deaths to the common car accident. As far as everything else goes, I completely agree with the President. There are many benefits with unmanned vehicles in any aspect of our lives, not only military purposes. If Michael Toscano and the company put more funding into teaching safety of flying drones, there is nothing else he can do.

If I were instructing their public relations approach, I would ensure safety in the United States and in local communities. As long as people are taught the right way to use them, people should feel comfortable.

Prep11

Mr. Smith was wrong to bash his former employer in the New York Times. The company paid him well into six figures, and paid for his trips around the world. He should have kept his feelings to himself and expressed them with his company behind closed doors. On the other hand, Goldman Sachs responded well to the situation by letting their employees know that they are part of the team as well. In future PR for Goldman Sachs, I would advise them to make sure their employees are comfortable, so nothing gets blown up in this manner.

Prep10

If I were deciding for Ketchum, I would have warned them that they could be setting themselves up in a trap. We've all seen the commercials where people think they're eating a 5 star steak dinner, and it turns out to be WalMart brand and other similar items. We never know if those are truly accurate. For all we know, they could be actors. So I would have advised that they opted out of this event.

As for the invitations go, they should have only told them that it was free food. Not specific meals. If you make them expect something and receive something else, that isn't good and starts off negative. But if you tell them only that it will be free food, they start off eating at a neutral state of mind.