MWW Expertise: Legal Crisis Communications

LEGAL CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS EXPERTISE

LEGAL CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS MWW EXPERTISE

Partnering with Legal. When it comes to issues and crisis management, a seamless relationship between Legal and PR is of the utmost importance. MWW understands the primacy of Legal’s role in steering internal and external clients through regulatory, civil and criminal actions. We have worked in a supporting role with dozens of national and regional law firms to develop messaging and response protocols to product recalls, complex litigation, “acts of God,” shareholder actions, labor and workforce issues, legislative and regulatory proceedings, and human-made error.

POINT OF VIEW: MWW approaches all crisis engagements with a foundation of traditional reputation management best practices, social media savvy, and a fundamental belief that an agency’s crisis capabilities are only as good as the counselors assigned to your project. The real-time information landscape requires a new level of readiness and a new approach, along with the commitment of a senior team that is practiced, capable and understands how each of your critical audiences can be impacted.

60 SECONDS IS THE NEW FIRST HOUR: We are living in a very different world, where seconds make the difference —not minutes, not hours.

TRADITIONAL MEDIA NO LONGER LEADS THE PACK: Consumers are often ahead of reporters, thanks to mobile devices, Twitter, Facebook, blogs. . .all can carry messaging, inform opinions (accurate or not) and spread rumors instantly. Interim planning/commentary is crucial.

IT’S NOT ABOUT SPIN: In today’s 24/7 media environment, and amid increasing consumer and shareholder activism, transparency is paramount. Issues can no longer be “spun” away.

GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT: Mass cynicism fueled by mishandled crises and the deterioration of public trust in corporate America has eroded the presumption of innocence. It’s no longer acceptable to refrain from comment. Stakeholders demand answers and companies need to be ready to provide them.

MWW, a full-service public relations, public affairs and marketing firm, has more than 25 years experience helping companies to build eminence, strengthen employee engagement and build, manage and protect their reputations.

Our total stakeholder approach ensures that we are reaching your key influencers with the right messages across digital, social, and traditional channels. As an independent agency, we have the freedom to customize individual strategies to each client’s needs and objectives. Because we’re the largest of the mid-size agencies, we combine the resources and comprehensive services of a major national agency with the entrepreneurial spirit, agility and senior-level engagement of a boutique firm.

CUSTOMIZE THE STORY: Firms and clients need to remember that a crisis impacts multiple stakeholders.

Different audiences will be impacted differently and want to know what it means to them.

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LEGAL CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS EXPERTISE

MWW APPROACH CRISIS ACTION PROTOCOL MWW’s proven Crisis Action Protocol methodology focuses on a proactive, stakeholder-centric approach that is scalable and emphasizes process over personnel.

VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT: A thorough analysis of an organization’s/client’s business and industry to determine likely problems and emergency situations, current internal and external communications protocols, existing operational response resources, existing systems for monitoring media/social media and events that could develop into crises, and appropriate crisis team members and company spokespeople.

In particular, it is important to evaluate existing plans for social media readiness and the speed and nimbleness required for effective response in today’s environment.

CRISIS PLAN REVIEW AND UPDATE: Rapidly changing communication and marketplace dynamics mean that crisis plans need regular reviewing and updating to ensure that they address evolving needs, meet the challenges of social media and stay current with internal and external resources.

CRISIS PLAN DEVELOPMENT: Development of a digitally accessible, user-friendly crisis response protocol plan that: • Identifies and vigilantly monitors for potential crisis events • Creates a core crisis team with protocols for its activation/team notification and detailed information on roles and procedures

• Establishes media protocols and news/ social media and industry monitoring measures to ensure advance warning of simmering problems • Pre-assigns spokespeople and those responsible for reaching out to all audiences • Contact info for key stakeholders -- customers, suppliers, investors, regulators, media outside experts and third party endorsers • Organizes key health/safety records, regulatory filings • Contains template standby statements and press releases for quick-turn use with the media TRAINING: Conducts scenario-based training sessions to review plan, assess crisis team and war game crisis scenarios CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS COUNSEL: Provides on-site/off-site resources to complement and supplement crisis communications team

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, CEO TRANSITIONS, SENIOR EXECUTIVE DISMISSALS, site closings, reductions-in-force and sudden Board actions OPERATIONAL BREAKDOWNS AND WIDESPREAD SERVICE OUTAGES CONSUMER SAFETY CONCERNS, high-profile product recalls, counterfeit products, tainted supply chains, food contamination, product tampering and ‘junk science’ CONSUMER ACTIVISM AND NGO CAMPAIGNS stemming from organizations’ environmental, business and employee policies and practices FEDERAL AND STATE INVESTIGATIONS and regulatory activity impacting business operations across numerous industries IT SECURITY ISSUES and data thefts including the financial services industry’s largest loss of customers’ financial and personal information

MWW EXPERIENCE With decades of crisis experience, MWW Group’s crisis professionals, including the industry’s foremost digital communication experts, have assisted a wide variety of organizations across myriad industries is preparing for and managing crisis situations. Example include: ACCIDENTS, INCIDENTS AND “ACTS OF GOD” triggering business continuity issues, property damage, systems failures, injuries or loss of life

For more information, please contact:

Josh Zeitz

Deputy Practice Director/Reputation Management 212.704.9727 | jzeitz@mww.com | www.mww.com

© MWW GROUP, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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