Usually, when a brand’s top executives are in the news related to executive perks, the average reader will not be inclined to be happy about the direction of that story. This is not the case with General Electric, however. At least this time.
Sometimes, all it takes to create a PR crisis is time. Things change, people forget, and the world moves on. Then, a new generation sees something, perhaps for the first time, and finds a message entirely different than those who have come before. Take, for example, the case of the village of Whitesboro, New York.
Toys R Us has a load of debt. Serious debt. The kind of debt that forces you to make $400 million in interest payments alone every year. And that has the toy company seeking bankruptcy protection.
Motel 6 isn’t often in the national spotlight. The discount motel chain offers inexpensive rooms to travelers who are looking for a comfortable stay with few thrills. Now, though, Motel 6 is in the news for entirely different reasons.
Ride sharing service Uber has faced tough challenges everywhere it has pioneered. Local governments and taxi unions have slammed the company, tried to block it and fought Uber in court. Sometimes Uber won. Sometimes they lost. Sometimes they just kept operating anyway. Now, though, it seems like ride-sharing was winning, by popular demand if nothing else. Uber and Lyft had blazed the trail and taken the proverbial bullets. Now the market had shifted. At least, that’s how things looked. But that may not be the case.
Several members of a Penn State University fraternity have been in hot water in recent months, the subjects of an investigation into the alcohol-related hazing death of a pledge. Now, though, there is a bit of breathing room for the 12 accused college students. A judge tossed out the involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault charges.
Sometimes, when you try to make it right, you make it worse. Take British Airways for example. This past May, the European airline suffered a catastrophic customer service nightmare.
One of the most universally reviled Super Bowl commercials in recent years is not one that’s typically discussed. Sure, most of us spent too much time trying to get Puppy-Monkey-Baby out of our heads, but that’s not the one to which we refer. No, this one had the power to bring the entire big game party to a screeching halt with only three words: opioid induced constipation.
One of the most common knocks against social media powerhouse, Twitter, is the tone of the “conversations” on the app. People can get way out of line. Twitter has cost people jobs, careers, relationships … and, some have said, even more. The company has vowed to go after those who use the platform for hate speech, terrorism, and a host of other angry content.
Not that long ago the critics insisted Tesla could never make a fully-electric car that was affordable for the middle class … and still good looking and enjoyable to drive. Now, those critics are silent, as Elon Musk’s company is taking orders for more than 1,800 Model 3 cars every single day.