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.

Prep9

MSNBC Seemed like they were going to say just about anything to make this a big story. They reached and twisted the situation and blew it up to make it seem like a big deal although it was not. MSNBC wanted to show the Romney had no clue about the daily life of the common man, and from a common sense stand point, does not make sense. Of course he was born wealthy and then became a successful business man, but he is smart, not a low life that does not follow every day life. Of course he knew about touch screen technology. Of I were Andrea Mitchell, I would have handled the situation a little differently. I would not have accused him of being out of touch with daily life, and not aware of updated technology.

Prep 8

The research given is clearly not significant in any sense. Also, because is was based on employees answering questions and guessing how much sleep they have, the accuracy of the study is far from home plate. If I were a Sleepy's employee, I would have advised that the information was not released based on the accuracy of the study. Although the study got them a ton of publicity, it was not necessarily worth it. On the other hand, if I were The New York Times, I would not have a problem publishing this story. Although it is not a great informative story, a lot of people were drawn to the story because of the inaccuracy of it. So in the end, it gets people to buy your paper, and money talks.

Prep7

In all honesty, Nancy Grace has always gotten on my nerves. Just to get this out of the way, (going off topic) she is one of the most annoying people to watch on television. Now back to the assignment, Nancy Grace has always made a living stirring up unwanted drama on television, and has a reputation for pulling strings with what is true. Nancy Grace would be wise to look up all the facts before she broadcasts her opinions on national television. Not only does she embarrass herself, but she drags her employer with her, leaving them to clean up after her harsh opinions.

Slime That Closed a Company. #Prep3

When you think of slime, "that's what the call the stuff the fill meat with" should not be something that comes to mind. The USDA caused everything by calling the safe product "pink slime". If I were a part Beef Products public relations team, I would pretty upset that it was deemed as "pink slime". I do however believe that people who opposed the filler had a fair argument. And because major companies backed away from the product, it was all downhill from there.

If I were Beef Products Inc. I would have asked for the USDA to issue a public apology and let everyone know how and why the filler was safe. And that may have been able to save their reputation.

#Prep1

In 2011 John Galliano was fired from the Dior fashion house for remarks he made in a bar located in Paris. Hateful speech (especially of the topic Galliano was taunting) is a crime in France. Galliano was a designer and director for 15 years, he was at the top of the food chain in France when it came to the art of fashion. All of a sudden it ended for Galliano. A video exposed of Galliano showed him stating "I love Hitler" and "Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be f***ing gassed." For an organization that is in view of the public at all times, this instance is an embarrassment of all sorts. Companies that want to be successful cannot associate themselves with individuals who behave in this manner. I completely agree with the decision made by Dior to remove themselves from the likes of John Galliano.