Category: Crisis and Reputation Management

As colleges and universities respond to crises on a daily basis, management of those crises often requires a different, more nuanced approach...

Corporate America’s strategy for handling ransomware isn’t tenable for the long-term, as the U.S. government views this as a national security threat..

By planning for problems that are likely to pop up and how to mitigate them, organizations will be better prepared to combat those issues when they arise...

Institutions are at growing risk for financial, reputational and operational harm because of long-standing cyber vulnerabilities across higher ed...

Now is the time for a proactive, strategic approach to protecting your business, non-profit or university from the cyber pandemic that has surged with the increasing popularity of remote work and the growing sophistication and boldness of cyber crooks. Regardless of your level of cyber security, here is a four-point plan for what you can do now to protect and prepare. ..

What do the American president, the French president and a Chinese ambassador all have in common? At first glance, not much, but all three were recently targets of a French-speaking Twitter group recognizable by their profile pics of a bald Lionel Messi: they call themselves “Pessi.”..

Smart businesses will spend next year embedding fully new structural changes, being more inclusive, and adapting to a new work mindset. While COVID-19 left an indelible mark on us all this year, 2021 will bring different, possibly greater, but certainly connected challenges...

As we have discovered over the past few months, the construction industry has shown that staying open safely during the COVID-19 pandemic can lead many sectors—from energy to transportation—to continue serving the public...

It is important for organizations to understand that while the pandemic has tested their resiliency like never before, their long-term viability depends upon the consumers who will ultimately judge them on their ability to effect real change...

During these unprecedented times, it is essential that the public and private sectors work together in building the post-COVID-19 reality. Italy will value such exchange now more than ever...

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge in certain parts of the United States, restaurant and retail sectors are caught in the middle of a political and public health tug-of-war. While tactics to safely reopen stores and restaurants continue to evolve, discussions are turning to how to adapt to phased reopening orders while building consumer confidence and coming up with new ways to secure financial viability. With uncertainty abound, how are restaurant and retail businesses charting the future?..

Governments and the travel industry will both need to earn trust through the actions that they take to revitalise tourism in the wake of COVID-19. That was the central outtake of an APCO Worldwide webinar, held in association with The Ambassador Partnership, that examined the pressures, priorities, parameters and practicalities of enabling tourism to recover and making mass travel feasible again, with differing timelines and considerations for every country in determining the steps required and when they can be applied...

APCO Worldwide’s team in Paris recently published a study on the CAC 40 CEOs’ communication strategies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten CEOs have particularly distinguished themselves as leaders during the crisis...

With the world hitting reset and states reopening, this is a seminal moment to ask, “what if?” What if outcomes that once felt far beyond the transportation industry’s reach are now in sight?..

The food industry, from farms to restaurants to retail to the tables of consumers, has been upended by COVID-19. This has resulted in a forced shift in the supply chain and could change how the world produces and consumes food well into the future...

For potentially eligible companies, it is critical to understand all of the options available and to move as efficiently as possible to apply for and receive the funds which they are entitled to, and to position themselves for relief under future stimulus packages...

For organizations, the economy and our communities to thrive when we come out of this global crisis, we must plan now. There are steps that organizations can take to help establish a stronger foothold, so we all come out of this stronger. ..

Resilient organizations must act now to establish their foothold to come back stronger, recognizing there will be varying degrees of coming back...

Intelligence from APCO Worldwide’s proprietary COVID-19 Response Index (CRI) show that brands such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Pepsi are underperforming in consumer online conversations despite having pushed out messages of reassurance, hope, and health...

Following the admissions scandals at some of the nation’s most highly-regarded universities, including allegations that athletic coaches received payments to admit students who had little or no experience, the universities took many of the right steps that a crisis consultant would recommend...

Vision and values are a covenant with external stakeholders. They are the promise made, and C-suite leaders need to ensure that the company’s vision and values are a corporate hallmark not an Achille’s heel during a crisis...

High expectations and the eroded control of the corporate narrative have joined forces to create a new category of enterprise risk: Social Risk. Companies who integrate social risk into their strategic planning will earn the license to sustainably operate in this new landscape...

With nationalism on the rise globally, including China, foreign multinational companies need new guidelines to manage crises in China’s new era. ..

To quickly respond in a credible and effective manner, communicators must change their approach to crisis management. They must proactively utilize research capabilities to gain accurate, actionable intelligence on the issue at hand as well as the expectations of key stakeholder audiences...

The World Economic Forum continually demonstrates that we don’t wait for progress—we create it. The world will look to the outcomes of the World Economic Forum as a milestone in global progress. Let’s set the stage of a new agile world...

Earlier this summer, CNBC released their annual report, America's Top States for Business, which serves as a scorecard on state economic climates. For the second year in a row, North Carolina ranks highly, falling fifth out of all 50 U.S. states. But does reality in North Carolina match perceptions of the state?..

APCO's Worldwide’s Crisis Management and Litigation Communication team gears up for 2017...

At this time of change, proponents of "future investment" must balance diverse stakeholder interests, negotiate generational disparity and navigate an evolving media environment. This is a prime moment for Japan’s PR industry to redefine its role as arbiter and communicator...

Given the fraught political and social times we’re living in today, brands are stepping up to take a stand on issues seemingly more than ever. This is primarily due to consumers becoming more informed, louder and organized to put pressure on brands – all through the ubiquity of engagement on social media platforms...

A new survey from APCO Insight reveals some interesting trends on the U.S. public’s perceptions of the power of social media...

Contrary to conventional wisdom on crises being generated from external factors, only 20 percent or fewer of crises start from people or forces outside the organization...

Jo Kimble responds to The Times' "Big Brands Fund Terror" story...

To minimize the reputational damage that legal filings or arguments can cause, a company’s legal and communications counsel must work closely together...

APCO founder and executive chairman, Margery Kraus spoke about ending corruption on a panel at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting...

Jim Moorhead, a crisis communications expert and member of our IAC, shares three things companies can do to adapt to the President Trump twitter environment...

In this politically charged atmosphere, how does a company take on an issue like immigration successfully? Our research indicates that companies can be most effective on immigration if they make the business case for their action or use their business expertise to address the issue. ..

In 2017, many large corporations will face a delicate balancing act. ..

On Tuesday, Starbucks announced it would close 8,000 stores for racial-bias education training May 29...

Traditionally advocacy has been seen as government relations where registered lobbyists walked the halls of Capitol buildings advocating for special interests. Today, advocacy is about building a movement. People want to get involved and make change for the issues that they care about...

We opened up APCO’s vault of reputation research to examine which factors are actually defining and driving perceptions of the aviation sector...

2018 was a long year. Many global businesses are ill prepared for an increasingly challenging global regulatory environment, to respond to complex social issues and especially to geopolitical threats and political uncertainty. But those that are better prepared, will be better insulated from unforeseen global shocks...

As the global business and political communities prepare to turn the page to 2019, APCO’s team of global experts took a closer look at trends in areas key to businesses and our clients...