Here's how you can proactively prevent PR failures in the future.

Start by conducting comprehensive research to understand your audience, industry trends, and potential pitfalls. Develop clear communication strategies and messaging guidelines to ensure consistency and transparency. Implement robust crisis management protocols, including designated spokespeople and communication channels, to address issues promptly and effectively. Regularly monitor media and social channels for emerging issues and sentiment analysis. Prioritize proactive engagement with stakeholders to build trust and credibility. Continuously evaluate and adjust strategies based on feedback and performance metrics. By taking a proactive approach to PR, you can mitigate risks and safeguard your organization's reputation effectively.

To prevent PR failures, organizations should proactively assess risks, create crisis plans, and train spokespersons. Implement social listening tools to monitor brand sentiment and cultivate positive relationships with media and influencers. Maintain consistent messaging aligned with brand values, prioritize transparency, and address issues swiftly. Learn from industry successes and failures, and conduct regular PR audits to adapt strategies. By focusing on anticipation, preparation, relationship-building, consistency, transparency, rapid response, and continuous improvement, companies can significantly reduce the likelihood of PR crises and better manage issues when they arise.

- Prioritize transparency, communication, and accountability - Implement robust crisis management protocols - Conduct regular risk assessments - Listen to stakeholders and address issues swiftly - Invest in employee training and foster a culture of integrity - Leverage social media monitoring tools - Proactive measures build trust and resilience.

Podría irme a los tópicos, a lo que muchos llaman estrategia y hablar de conocer a tu enemigo como decía Sun Tzu (por cierto, lectura obligada a quien entra en este campo de las RRPP y el MK)y blablabla, pero voy a ir un poquito más allá en el caso del consultor con una mínima experiencia. Déjate llevar por el instinto. Hay veces que una sensación te martillea el cerebro y no puedes explicarla (nolohagas, nolohagas, ...)pero al ser difícilmente justificable, lo haces, y algo va mal, y piensas "tenía que haberme hecho caso". Pues además de intentar analizar el contexto y posibles problemas y preparar Planes B y C y D, déjate llevar por tu instinto...

Who doesn't love a good, old-fashioned SWOT analysis?! After all, it's your business' chance to understand where it should be focusing its resources, both in terms of its strengths and opportunities, but also where it may be vulnerable. By identifying where you could make improvements, where resources might need reallocating, and where weaknesses leave you exposed, you can anticipate problems and mitigate against them, hopefully avoiding a potential PR catastrophe further down the line. When carrying out such a piece of work, the current media landscape should always be considered, and the links to your target audience. For example, ESG is an increasingly important subject in the eyes of consumers and businesses need to avoid greenwashing.

Yo diría para todos pero en el caso de que sea para casi todos, un plan de crisis debería de ser tan obligatorio como Un Plan de Emergencias. Y estar por escrito, y de manera clara, y con los perfiles claramente definidos y las estrategias pre masticadas. Pero no, vamos a hacer como que nunca va a pasarnos nada grave, y si pasa contrataremos a alguien o tiraremos de el chaval recién licenciado o de ese responsable de comunicación con 15 a?os de experiencia haciendo notas de prensa... y con suerte...

Crisis is inevitable in almost every organization. But from my experience, the difference between those who emerge from crises quickly and (relatively) unscathed versus those whose reputation is permanently damaged is that the former start planning their crisis responses proactively - in advance. They start thinking about what can go wrong, have a bunch of situations that they simulate, and have built ~ 80% of their plans BEFORE the crisis happens. Then, when the crisis emerges, they fill in the final 20%.

Drafting a crisis comms plan isn't something any business WANTS to do, because it will be based on the prospect of things going wrong, but it's something every business HAS to do. Stemming from the important task of defining where your business is potentially susceptible, or (at the very least) where improvements could be made, the plan should outline a definitive course of action should these weaknesses result in an incident. A food company might plan against an outbreak of e-coli, an airline against a crash, or a manufacturing company against injury to a worker in a factory; whatever the potential risk, an appropriate spokesperson and the means of communicating with customers and stakeholders must be identified proactively.

Media training isn't something you can or should take shortcuts on because flustered, monosyllabic or inarticulate answers don't make for good content. For that reason, journalists want an interview to go well but they are also a savvy bunch and will instantly pick up on an interviewee who is underprepared. In contrast, a skilled interviewee can control the conversation, ensuring they get their points and messaging across succinctly, without waffling, veering from the subject at hand, or giving away too much info. Techniques such as giving yourself time to think, speaking slowly, and trying to relax can all be practised. Be polite, be honest, be yourself. And never make stuff up. Oh, and there's no such thing as 'off the record'!

Of course I'm biased here... ?? But as I see it, the repetitional risk to any organization when their spokespeople don't know how to interact with the media is pretty substantial. And it's not about repeating boring statements over and over again, or evading questions from the press. It's about knowing how to show your best self; staying on topic; understanding the media landscape; and feeling confident when the microphones are in your face; the cameras are on; and the lights are brightest.

A veces la vida, la profesión y los clientes, nos hacen tomar determinadas decisiones. Pero hay dos líneas rojas muy muy claras, la coherencia con lo que estás diciendo y haciendo, y la dignidad. No podemos perder ni una ni otra, digan lo que digan e invoquen a quien invoquen. En este caso el agua moldeable se ha de transformar en roca, inamovible.

Identify who your organization's spokespeople are (both in the event of a crisis; and during normal operations) and communicate those policies to all of the staff. What I've found with organizations who make their crises worse is that there is often someone speaking to the press without the authority to do so; and of course, journalists love a good, juicy quote.

The best ways to proactively prevent PR failures is to learn from experience. Journalists, spokespersons, companies and individuals in general are so prone to user-error that no matter who the PR practitioner is, sh*t is going to go wrong. The best thing to do is learn from these events, whether you're at fault or if something was caused by events outside of your control. Keep those outliers in mind, and apply them to your PR experiences moving forward.