Ella Bee PR deals with controversy through honest and open communication • 03.09.10
Last week was wild! Client, model and good friend Dawn Montgomery had to deal with mounting pressure from both national and local media outlets as a result of a controversial ad from Akoo, a clothing line by Atlanta rapper, T.I. In a matter of days, more than 300 news articles were posted online about this issue. Everyone from CNN to Bossip.com were commenting on the story.
The best way to deal with any crisis or controversy is to tackle the issue head on-avoid the “no comment” approach. Having a skilled crisis communications team is not easy and it takes planning BEFORE an unfavorable situation occurs. Any organization, business or public figure not prepared to deal with crisis is constantly at risk. Risk management, issue anticipation and crisis communication programs should be a part of any public relations strategy.
But, let me be clear. Crisis management does not mean that an organization or its public relations team can manage outside influences-but what we can manage is the response.
Anyhow, check out Dawn Montgomery’s response amid this controversial billboard ad for the clothing line, Akoo:
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