Conscious UnClippering: 5 crisis commandments to remember

Who needs a PR consultant when you can buy a Darth Vader mask at the local five and dime and call it a day?  I’d call this a not-so-subtle effort to, ‘Consciously UnClipper’, wouldn’t you?  It’s a shame, they seemed like such a nice couple…

In any case, I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the degree of creativity achieved in the disguise here and wonder, ‘Do you think she had this old thing lying around the house or was it a post-scandal purchase?’ Not that I blame her, I mean, a girl’s got to get to Starbucks.  Regardless, I think perhaps the wrong person is wearing the mask, but I digress.

Who am I kidding?  I could get some good mileage out of a two-way visor myself these days but, for now, I’ll stick to highlighting the PR lessons to be learned from one of the most embarrassing crises of 2014.

5 Crisis Commandments

1. Discrimination and disrespect against race, gender or sexual orientation cannot be tolerated or condoned, especially at the executive level.

2. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Yeah, I’m talking about your mistress.

3. No comment is THE WORST comment. Briefly acknowledge the situation at hand and explain how future situations can and will be prevented. Silence fuels speculation.

4. Show remorse.  A sincere and timely apology can go a long way.  Apologize early and often.

5. Lay off social media.  Instagram isn’t for everyone. Good rule of thumb, if your bf is old enough to remember sharing a party line, it’s probably not worth arguing about social media with him.  Or talking at all.

*Note:  Each and every individual should understand the fundamental principles of crisis PR because they are applicable in virtually every situation in every aspect of life.

Something tells me that we haven’t seen the last of these visors either.  Slap a logo on that puppy and you’ve got one of the most ingenious PR giveaways of all time.  Somewhere in the world the managers of Paula Deen, Mel Gibson, and that whale of a Miami Dolphin are scrambling to get their hands on some masks.

And I’ll take one in black.