Virtually all business leaders think about the reputation of their organizations at least once a day … with good reason. They are in high-risk situations, guiding the organizations through the economic chaos at the same time that digital media is exploding, making the task of maintaining and enhancing reputation especially difficult.
As reputation management has become the No. 1 communication priority, more top communications officers are reporting directly to the CEO to allow quick reaction to emerging crises. A May 2009 survey by Weber Shandwick found that 58 percent of chief communications officers now report directly to their CEOs, as opposed to 48 percent a year ago.
They are dealing with a new world: Bloggers post rumors as facts. Everyone with a cell phone is a cameraman. A single video posted by a low-level employee can cause vast damage to a company’s reputation.
In this world, chief communicators may already be in a crisis they don’t recognize if they have not completely updated their crisis monitoring and response programs for the digital world.
To help our clients and friends, Werth is offering a complimentary workshop on “Crisis Communications in the Age of the Internet,” scheduled for 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 18, at the Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Road, Columbus. A continental breakfast will be served and there will be opportunity for networking beginning at 8:00 a.m.
We encourage everyone to take this step toward preventing online reputation damage. For more information, call 614.224.8114 or visit www.paulwerth.com/trouble
