Insights

“Strategy” starts with a clear objective, helps clarify a direction and prioritizes how resources should be allocated to their highest and best use (Strategy is never a menu of disconnected tactics.)

“Without a map, every road will take you somewhere.”

People often confuse brand and reputation:

“Brand” is what a company stands for, its compelling value proposition in the market.

“Reputation” is the measurement of how well a company is meeting its brand promises AND the expectations of key stakeholders.

Ignored risks and mismanaged crisis events have become materially consequential to the business.

Crisis is no longer just a PR or legal problem.

“Outrage risks” are the most challenging to manage (vs. traditional quantitative risks.)

One cannot successfully mitigate a high-risk environment or issues with a low-risk, low-impact strategy.

“Messaging” is not a remedy. What you say is important - what you do is more important.

“Legal compliance” alone is almost never adequate – stakeholder expectations are the new standard and almost always exceed legal compliance.

The Internet/social media has “democratized the microphone” and empowered people with highly effective tools to force change and essentially regulate products, policies, practices and behaviors by companies and other organizations.

The public and activists have become the new regulator.