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When Crisis Hits: The Real Cost of Getting Reputation Wrong
Manage episode 486414255 series 3306745
When Crisis Hits: The Real Cost of Getting Reputation Wrong
This week's Defuse Podcast featured Heather Blundell (CEO, Grayling UK) and James Clothier (Head of Crisis) discussing how reputation management has become essential protection.
Key insights: Most crisis failures stem from human behaviour under pressure, not poor messaging. Female executives face different reputation attacks requiring specific strategies. Social media breaks stories before traditional media responds. Video responses are replacing written statements as authenticity matters more than polish.
Heather revealed that proactive reputation management creates a competitive advantage, not just damage limitation. The conversation covers timing challenges, the importance of an external perspective, and why lawyers often make statements worse by stripping out emotion. They discuss how social media has transformed crisis response - young people get news from Snapchat, stories break on Twitter first, and video content is becoming essential.
The practical advice focuses on being honest, letting the light in, and demonstrating genuine change rather than just promising to "learn lessons."
Heather Blundell’s Biography:
Heather is the award-winning UK CEO of Grayling, a global PR firm, responsible for 200 employees across nine offices.
She has spent more than 16 years as a trusted adviser to some of the world's largest companies and prominent CEOs, guiding them through periods of significant change, disruption, and complex reputation and crisis issues.
Heather is also a regular media commentator in the national media.
James Clothier
James is Head of Crisis at Grayling UK, responsible for leading the crisis and reputation practice, alongside the firm's corporate division.
Before joining Grayling, James spent two decades in senior editorial positions at The Sun and the Daily Mail.
https://grayling.com/
#ThreatIntelligence #CrisisManagement #ReputationRisk #ExecutiveProtection #CorporateSecurity #StrategicCommunications
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Chapters
1. Introduction to Reputation Management (00:00:00)
2. Women's Experiences in Business Leadership (00:05:51)
3. Sexual Harassment Legislation and Workplace Changes (00:10:22)
4. Understanding Reputational Risk (00:17:43)
5. Media Scrutiny and Corporate Perception (00:25:15)
6. Crisis Management in Real-Time (00:34:27)
7. Social Media's Impact on Reputation (00:42:03)
8. The Future of Communications (00:49:29)
9. Final Advice on Authentic Messaging (00:54:22)
43 episodes
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