Holtz Communications + Technology

In this FIR Interview, co-host Shel Holtz talks to Christian Gunning, director of Corporate Communications for Boingo, which provides WiFi service in airports across the U.S. On Saturday, April 10, an email meant to be used as a test was inadvertently sent, sometimes repeatedly, to Boingo customers. The company’s social media manager saw customers talking about it on Twitter, leading the…

In yesterday’s post, I took issue with critics of a marketing campaign that directed those who saw the ads to the company’s Facebook page. If the company knew what they were doing—that is, they were being strategic—and the campaign achieved its goals, then it was a smart move.

One of the comments to the post, from Ed Lee, pointed to the Nestle dustup of the last…

Warning: Lost post follows

Back in 1995, “Snow Crash” author Neal Stephenson teamed up with his uncle George Jewsbury under the pseudonym Stephen Bury to produce a potboiler titled “Interface.” The premise: A presidential candidate suffers a stroke and has a chip implanted in his brain. The chip features a wireless connection to feedback from thousands of watch-like devices distributed to a representative sample…

In an interview on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” broadcast addressing Toyota’s PR woes, a crisis management executive dismissed the notion of a company quickly admitting when it has done something wrong.  Eric Dezenhall, CEO of Washington, D.C.-based Dezenhall Resources, responded to a question from host Rebecca Roberts:

Roberts: ...when a consumer base needs some compassion and needs some hand-holding, as you say, that conflicts with…

In the countless battles between communicators and corporate attorneys over what to say in response to reputation-threatening situations, the lawyers’ advice to say nothing (or little) usually prevails.

The result is often disastrous for the organization, but CEOs and senior leaders presume that mitigation of legal risk is of paramount concern. Industry pundits often agree, arguing that corporations are legal entities, requiring…

We hear that most companies still haven’t jumped on the social media bandwagon and we roll our eyes in dismay and maybe even a little contempt. But there are reasons companies resist getting engaged with communities. It can be seriously perilous.

Look at General Motors. The magnitude of the company’s problems have inflamed peoples’ passions; our emotional reactions to its situation—and how GM responds—will forge…