AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Fukushima nuclear disaster. Penn State University after Paterno and Sandusky. Aruba following the disappearances of Natalee Holloway and Robyn Gardner. What do all of these things have in common?
Business leaders who embraced the digital era to navigate complex crises, and the team of crisis experts who supported them, led by Jeff Hunt.
Hunt’s new book, Brand Under Fire: A New Playbook for Crisis Management in the Digital Age, goes behind the scenes of these crises and many other notable events to share best practices from the business leaders and the counselors who solved them. It illustrates why it is essential for leaders to insist on collaboration between boards, legal teams, communications directors, and the C-suite, and ultimately implores those in charge to re-examine their beliefs about effective crisis management and change their approach to preparation.
“Crisis” is all relative. What might be insignificant to one business could devastate another. Brand Under Fire outlines what every business and communications leader must know about surviving their crisis in today’s nanosecond news cycle and in the court of public opinion:
- The five key principles of effective crisis management
- The six stages to a crisis
- How to leverage the information vacuum to your advantage
“Brand Under Fire is a must-read for any C-suite officer, particularly with the new realities of the digital age significantly amplifying the threat,” said Thomas D. Bell, Jr., chairman of Mesa Capital Partners and former chief executive officer of Young & Rubicam. “Jeff Hunt has been tested in some of the toughest crisis situations, from his earliest days in Seoul, Korea to later experiences in Mexico, Latin America, and Europe. When it comes to effective crisis management, there is no substitute for experience in the trenches.”
The book draws on Hunt’s varied experience in the corporate world, higher education, and both college and professional sports.
“Everyone in business will face a crisis. But in the digital era, you need a new playbook. Here it is,” said Larry Scott, the PAC-12 Conference Commissioner.
The book also highlights innovations in communications, product safety, business procedures, and research that resulted from significant crisis, and that have effectually changed entire industries and improved public safety.
Before reading Brand Under Fire, business and communications leaders are encouraged to take a 10-minute assessment to baseline their readiness for a crisis, and then re-assess after reading.
Business leaders are also invited to follow Brand Under Fire’s Conversations in Crisis, where Hunt analyzes newsworthy crises in real time.
About Jeff Hunt
As a partner and co-founder of PulsePoint Group, Jeff Hunt specializes in crisis management and preparedness, branding, CEO communications, reputation management, and social media strategy. PulsePoint, proudly part of the global consulting firm ICF, helps organizations succeed by embracing change in the digital era.
During the course of his 25-year career, he has worked with DuPont, IBM, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Dell, Nike, Whole Foods, and many other companies. Jeff has lived throughout the world and navigated many cultures on behalf of clients. Prior to co-founding PulsePoint in 2009, Jeff was president of Cohn & Wolfe, a global public relations firm formed following a merger with GCI Group. He has also served as CEO of GCI and Read Poland Associates. He spent 18 years at Burson-Marsteller, ultimately serving as chief operating officer for Europe, with responsibility for 16 offices throughout the continent. He also established the firm’s presence in Korea and Mexico.
Jeff Hunt is available for speaking engagements, continuing education programming, consultations and assessments pertaining to crisis management preparation and execution in the digital age.
@BrandUnderFire