Spent nearly half of this week ensuring that a certain issue wouldn’t appear in the media for a  client of my crisis PR agency, and happily I can report – nothing was published. As such, I thought to share an excerpt from my new PR book: “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations”:

Life Happens: Manage Crises Immediately: Problems Ain’t Going Away on Their Own,

and You Can’t Outwork Them – “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” —Henry Kissinger

Working in PR is often like working the ER night shift on a 100-degree summer weekend. You never know what’s going to happen next. Product recall. Sexual harassment. Not wanting to rat to the police. Involvement in a shooting. Bankruptcy. Corporate merger. Affair with a secretary. Fraud. Government investigation. Protests at corporate headquarters. We have worked through all of these situations and more with our clients. I’ve helped major corporations, small businesses, and celebrities get through a fair number of troubling times, from financial scandals at a Fortune 100 company, to countless indictments and accusations, to arrests at New Jersey construction companies, to trials and legal proceedings for celebrities like Lil’ Kim, as well as average Joes.

One key lesson learned from these experiences is that even though there are times when you can get away with burying your head in the sand, a crisis that brings media attention isn’t one of

them. Drop what you’re doing and address crisis situations as they happen; it’s impossible to sit behind a computer and “outwork” catastrophes. Your entire business, or your whole life, can be changed by one article or one rumor, true or untrue. And that can leave a permanent negative hit to your company’s reputation. The old scandal may appear at the top of your Google search results for a very long time; even if you use a great search engine optimization campaign, bad news can be found, and will forever live online. Worried? You should be.

“It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” —Warren Buffett, investor

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a crisis PR firm.

In real time social media, there isn’t much room for a mistake -nor time for review of every comment when engaged in a conversation. Giving an intern with little perception of the major business threat at hand can be detrimental to a brand.

Here posted on the prestige Barney’s New Yorks Facebook Page we can see that accidentally an intern posted to 168,037 fans about his accounting exam that they didn’t do well on either.

Another important thing to keep in mind with social media and digital pr is don’t wait for your first Facebook crisis tocome up with an escalation plan.

A well run social media campaign requires leadership from social media professionals, like 5WPR who can spot the pitfalls and avoid crisis pr situations.  Why leave your brand’s reputation to chance?

For more information on Ronn Torossian or 5WPR, be sure to stay connected!

Front page news in Europe is that Former Metropolitan Police chief Sir Paul Stephenson has joined a crisis PR agency. Stephenson resigned following allegations of his police force being involved with alleged phone taps with The News of the World.

Might be a first that a police chief joins the public relations world – but I am sure it wont be the last, and his new role will have him counseling crisis clients for a firm whose employees according to their press release does everything from “cyber and information security, IP and brand protection, human rights and anti-corruption compliance, financial crime, health and safety, pandemics, medical and evacuation support, geopolitical and business intelligence, cultural and negotiation specialists, due diligence and investigations and wider security.” All of those are necessary skills to succeed at a crisis PR firm. More on him at: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24036848-former-met-chief-gets-crisis-management-job.do

Stephenson was humble about moving on – when asked about regrets, he said: “That’s for fairytales. You do what you think is right, you stand by it and you move on.” “I don’t know of anybody who’s been in a leadership position as long as I was who won’t have a record of doing some fantastic things and some things they wish they’d done better.

Anyone who claims otherwise is in fantasy land or lying.”

Working in crisis public relations, it’s a non-stop fire drill. Remember:

• Be prepared for a crisis by thinking about all possibilities before they occur.
• Online reputation management/online crisis PR matters tremendously – Google search results are more important than one negative story
• Requires instant attention

A police chief will know that in the world of crisis, this isn’t an option:

“There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” Henry Kissinger

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a NY Public Relations Agency.

Digital media such as twitter, Facebook, etc. offers a tremendous amount of opportunity – as well as a tremendous amount of risk.  With instant exposure, some utilize the exposure to their advantage and others fail miserably.  Hence two high profile celebrities with vastly different digital experiences – Chris Brown & Kate Upton.

This week, Chris Brown yet again seemed in need of a crisis PR agency as he caused controversy on Twitter after his Grammy performance – After tweet topics such as #wifebeater and #RIPChrisbrown, and negative tweets from celebrities including Michelle Branch, Brown lashed out with at his critics with strongly worded tweets, including a final “F You.” A few minutes later, Brown attempted to delete all evidence of his Twitter-tantrum. Of course, once it’s out, it’s out – and while it can be buried with SEO campaigns it can’t be completely erased. Think before you tweet. (More on this in a story I was featured on by Mashable at: http://mashable.com/2012/02/17/celebrity-publicist-social-media/ )

Of course, the cover girl of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue – Kate Upton could be deemed a digital media superstar.  Only a year ago, Kate Upton was a relative unknown – until a YouTube video of Upton doing “the Dougie” at a Los Angeles Clippers game went viral. Nearly 4 Million views later (and 200K plus twitter followers), she has secured a lucrative modeling career. With the simple video she is a self-created Internet sensation – and went almost overnight from being unknown to Number 2 on a list of the worlds 99 top women compiled by Askmen.com.

If she was forced to rely on the traditional gatekeepers she never would have made it –  Sophia Neophitou, editor of the English style bible 10 and a creative force behind the Victoria’s Secret shows said “We would never use” Ms. Upton for a Victoria’s Secret show. Neophitou said her look is “too obvious” to be featured in the high profile production. “She’s like a Page 3 girl- like a footballer’s wife, with the too-blond hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy.” Similarly, Ivan Bart of IMG Models said everyone at IMG thought he was crazy for signing her.

Of course upon so many viewers of her videos came high-profile celebrity dates including Kanye West and the New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez which opened more doors with the gossip coverage. “People told me I couldn’t be fashion, that I’m just an old-fashioned body girl, only good for swimwear,” Ms. Upton said. “But I knew that I could bring back the supermodel.” “What can I say?” she added. “I’m relatable.”

Ms. Upton is a self-created PR sensation – and if her modeling career isn’t a success, rest assured (strictly for her professional skills of course), she’d have a bright future at a Public Relations agency in digital media.

Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, a leading NY PR Agency.

Some random thoughts, and recommended reading courtesy of Ronn Torossian of 5WPR:

• You don’t say ? Public Relations stunt ?

http://www.wetpaint.com/jersey-shore/articles/jersey-shore-pa-admits-invitation-to-jwoww–snooki-was-pr-stunt

• How a U.S. PR firm cleaned up Rwandas image:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/how-a-us-agency-cleaned-up-rwandas-genocide-stained-image/article2322005/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2322005

• “Building Public Relations in Saudi Arabia”:
  

http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/offbeat/article571486.ece

• Susan G. Komen takes the necessary step of hiring a crisis Public Relations agency:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/susan-g-komen-foundation-takes-steps-to-rebuild-trust-after-pr-fiasco/2012/02/04/gIQAdljRqQ_story.html?tid=pm_pop&tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost

• Public relations industry have a need to redefine the meaning of Public Relations:

http://www.thedrum.co.uk/opinion/2012/02/06/why-modernise-definition-pr-prca-chair-corbett-explains

In my recently released book, “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations “, I define Public Relations as:  Great pub•lic re•la•tions \’grāt p˘ub’l˘ık rı˘-lā’sh ens\ n pl: 1. helps make the impersonal personal. 2. bridges divides. 3. creates excitement and builds equity for businesses, personalities, politicians, and others. 4. manages crises and catastrophes. 5. about telling stories, having conversations, and making impressions. 6. needed by any business—or anyone with a pulse, for that matter.

I welcome your thoughts and feedback in comments here, at twitter @rtorossian5wpr or via email at rtorossian@5wpr.com