Crisis Communications & Reputation Management Group

Bad things can happen to good people, organizations, and companies. It takes years to build a positive reputation – and seconds to destroy it. Crises can come from anywhere at any time. They have the potential to damage your relationships, ruin your reputation, and destroy your business.

Members of our Crisis Communications & Reputation Management Group have more than 200 years’ experience collectively. We apply crisis PR best practices and proprietary tools to successfully manage numerous national, high-profile, bet-the-company crises, including:

• Active shooter situations

• Product recalls

• Global data breaches

• Manufacturing accidents

• Airline, defense, and experimental spacecraft accidents

• High-stakes litigation

• Labor and employment issues

• Public policy issues

and much more

Prevent. Prepare. Respond. Recover. Those are the touchstones we live by as we help you navigate the ever-changing waters of reputation management. With Falls & Co. guidance, you not only weather the storm, but emerge from it with stakeholder loyalty, your reputation intact, and your business preserved.

Our Approach

Fortunately, crises don’t occur every day. But when they do, most organizations don’t have the internal resources or experience needed to quickly ramp up an effective – and continual – response. At Falls & Co., we do.

We feature a Rapid Response Force (RRF) of crisis communications experts ready to engage immediately. They quickly learn your business, understand your situation, and strategize on effective solutions to help manage your issue.

Our Rapid Response Force features seasoned executives with decades of business management and communications experience across scores of industries in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. We customize your crisis team based on the situation, your industry and your business objectives. We pride ourselves on serving as an extension of your team, working in tandem with legal counsel and quickly becoming your trusted advisor. Our Rapid Response Force is always available through our 24/7 Crisis Hotline: 1-855-4-FALLS-24.

Crisis Management Firm Services

Potentially threatening crises and issues aren’t bound to a region or country. And, neither are we. As a long-time member of PROI Worldwide, we give our clients access to the best and brightest talent around the globe. When crisis reach beyond our borders, we tap into this elite group - 80 partner organizations, in 100 cities, across 50 countries.

OUR SERVICES INCLUDE:

Crisis Preparedness Audits

Analyze existing Crisis Plan
Interview senior leaders
Write Assessment Report

Crisis Management & Communications Plans
Crisis Media, Spokesperson, and Communications Training
Tabletop Exercises and Drills
Online Reputation Management
Social Media Management
Real Time Crisis Response

Strategic communications
On-site support
Key messages and materials drafting
Management team preparation and rehearsal
News conference coordination and facilitation
Media relations and management

Post Crisis Incident Review & Analysis
24/7 Falls & Co. Rapid Response Force Crisis Hotline: 1-855-4-FALLS-24.

3 Reasons to Invest in a Crisis Communications Firm

A strong organization and brand reputation takes years to establish. Missteps in handling a crisis – no matter its shape, size, or origin – can destroy that reputation, hurt your business, and require far more senior management time and dollars to rebuild, resources you could apply elsewhere to grow your business.

Crisis preparedness is key to successful, cost-effective crisis management. Developing a sound crisis management structure and crisis plan, and regular training to test that plan, will put your organization in the best possible enterprise risk management and corporate governance position to:

respond quickly
act decisively
preserve your good name
protect your business

The Role of Crisis Communications in Your Business Strategy

Business strategy is the lifeblood of your organization, driving choices that enable you to achieve your key objectives and maintain a competitive edge. It guides your decision-making process and influences everything from hiring practices to product and service offerings to financial planning.

Crisis Communications stabilizes and advances your organization during a crisis by inspiring confidence, earning trust, and engaging your stakeholders. It provides clarity and direction for your employees, customers, investors, partners, and others during uncertain and chaotic times. That’s why a sound Crisis Communications program supports your business strategy and helps lead your organization through challenging times.

Our Work

Many leading organizations trust Falls & Co. as their crisis management and communications firm. We handle all aspects of the organizations’ crisis planning, training, and damage control. For confidentiality reasons, we do not name our crisis clients in the case studies featured below.

Large Defense Contractor Avoids Disaster

Crisis Management Planning & Structure / Tabletop Exercise / Real-Time Counsel / Media Relations

A global defense contractor turned to Falls & Co. for help prior to a high-profile test flight. The test involved new U.S. military technology in public airspace of major population centers.

With the heightened risk, our team crafted an aggressive preparedness strategy prior to the test flight. This approach included crafting a regional crisis plan and project-specific crisis structure. We facilitated a tabletop exercise, and provided real-time response counsel and media relations support on launch day.

When a major malfunction occurred – one that mirrored the tabletop exercise – the new crisis management team quickly decided to end the test flight. The result: no injuries or damage on the ground or in the air to other aircraft.

Global Manufacturer Victimized by Cyberattack

Strategic Communications and IR Counsel / Messaging and Materials / Executive Training / Social Media Research & Analysis

Cyber criminals attacked multiple servers of a well-known global manufacturer. The attack compromised personal data for more than 50,000 current and former employees in multiple countries.

Working closely with legal and forensics counsel, as well as our PROI Worldwide partners, Falls & Co. developed a proactive strategy. The strategy involved reaching out to potentially impacted individuals with a carefully crafted message and options for assistance if needed. We provided strategic communications and investor relations counsel, drafted messaging and other communications materials, provided executive training, translation services, and more.

Results included minimal impact on those affected, limited news coverage, no loss of customers or suppliers, and no legal action.

Consumer Products Manufacturer Faces Product Safety Recall

Counsel / Litigation Support / Messaging and Materials / Social Media / Media Relations / Executive Training

Falls & Co. partnered with multiple outside legal counsel to guide a high-end consumer appliance manufacturer through a CPSC and Health Canada safety recall.

Our strategic counsel included timelines, core message architecture and multiple communications materials, executive training, media relations, customized social media training, and more. Our strategy focused on two key components. First, this was a voluntary safety recall in cooperation with the CPCS. Second, we drive the narrative by aggressively communicating with potentially impacted consumers.

Our work helped maintain retail customer and consumer relationships, drive balanced coverage, preserve the brand’s reputation, and protect the business.

Patent Infringement Case Threatens Global Consumer Products Company

Strategic Crisis Counsel / Contingency Planning / Litigation Support / Executive Training / Media Relations

When a high-profile patent infringement case threatened significant financial and reputational harm, a global consumer products company turned to Falls & Co. for litigations communications support and guidance.

We developed a proactive crisis management scenario for numerous potential legal scenarios. Each scenario was designed to preserve the company’s reputation and restore confidence in the brand and its industry-leading technology.

When a negative multi-million-dollar verdict was returned against the company, we helped senior management execute proactive, outbound communications to all key stakeholders in a timely and effective manner. Stakeholders heard about the legal development from the company first. This strategy helped establish the appropriate interpretation and tone of perceptions.

Media coverage included the company’s context and was balanced. As a result, nearly all retailers and customers stayed confident in the brand and remained loyal to the company. Preserved confidence and loyalty yielded negligible business impact.

Space Tourism Pioneering Loss

Strategic Planning & Counsel / Crisis Planning / Tabletop Exercise / Contingency Planning / Executive Coaching

An experimental vehicle designed for space tourism was about to embark on a test flight. A supplier of a major component on the vehicle worried that an unsuccessful flight could damage their reputation and unrelated core business.

Faced with a compressed timeline, Falls & Company designed a strategy to fully prepare the senior management team for multiple potential scenarios that could arise from the test flight. We established the company’s first Crisis Management Team (CMT), plan, and structure. We conducted a Tabletop Exercise; facilitated executive training; and put in place comprehensive media and social media monitoring and analysis.

The actual test flight malfunctioned and one person died. All major news outlets around the world covered the accident. The actual event closely mirrored the exercise scenario, which helped guide the CMT actions.

We provided on-site counsel before, during, and after the test flight. At no time leading up to or following the accident was the supplier company’s name mentioned. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruled that human error caused the accident. The client’s reputation and business were preserved.

Crisis Communications & Reputation Management FAQ

Who constitutes your Crisis Communications & Reputation Management Group?

Our team draws on firmwide expertise:

Crisis management counselors
Corporate senior communications officers
Public Affairs and government relations officers
Investor relations officers
Business journalists
Media Relations Specialists
Design and digital specialists
Social content strategists
Search engine strategists
Marketing and advertising strategists

How are you compensated for crisis support?

We work against an up-front fee deposit using our regular rate structure. We provide a weekly accounting of hours and costs. Our clients remain in control of the budget.

Why Falls & Co.?

We pride ourselves in supporting our clients through the toughest times and when they need us most. We put ourselves into your mindset as trusted advisors and action partners. Our unparalleled results lead to return engagements and referrals. Simply put, our client service focus and 24/7 availability set us apart.

Crisis Communications & Reputation Management Firm