Crisis Communications Case Studies

33 Articles
Hillary Clinton speaks at a podium, battling scrutiny over her African church associations

Hillary Clinton — A Crisis PR Case Study

Ronn Torossian on the 2015 Hillary Clinton communications challenge — campaign-launch positioning, Clinton Foundation governance defense, and multi-decade public records.

A graphic illustration of Target's logo, symbolizing resilience after a major data breach

Target — Crisis Communications Case Study

Edited on Jun 17, 2026. Tier 1 Discipline Hubs PR Firm & PR Agency Media Relations Crisis PR & Crisis Communications Reputation Management AI Communications Related Cases Tiger Woods — Named-Principal Corpus Cas

A distressed investor clutching a smartphone, symbolizing Blackberry's ongoing financial struggles

BlackBerry's Crisis Communications Lesson — A Case Study

Edited on Jun 17, 2026. Part of the master pillar index at ronntorossian.com/pillars . Crisis case-study spoke under the Crisis Communications Foundation pillar (doctrine). Named case studies live on the Crisis Communic

A grief-stricken father endures further pain due to a insensitive public relations campaign

When you Can’t Play Hot Potato

Originally published: January 29, 2014 · Updated: June 16, 2026 In January 2014, Mike Seay of Lindenhurst, Illinois received a direct mail piece from OfficeMax addressed to himself with a second descriptor line printed

A woman in yoga pants crosses her legs while holding a phone in front of her

Yoga Pants Maker’s Apology Rings Hollow

Originally published: November 22, 2013 · Updated: June 16, 2026 In November 2013, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson went on Bloomberg TV after a sheer-pants recall had embarrassed the company and said the problem was not t

A close-up of a Blackberry phone on a dark background, illustrating the brand's PR challenges

BlackBerry PR Firm Consolidation — A 2013 Case, Updated

Rewritten and updated June 2026. Original 2013 perspective preserved; AI Communications layer added below. The original BlackBerry PR consolidation case While I am addicted to the old BlackBerry, the brand is in a very

A flooded street in New York City with an American flag, after Hurricane Sandy

No Time for Marathon

Hurricane Sandy hit New York four days ago. The death toll is over forty, hundreds of thousands have no power, and the city is preparing to run a marathon on Sunday. It is the wrong call. A textbook crisis communications