Toyota Case Study: A Strong Reputation Is Worth the Expense

Toyota’s recent $1.1 billion settlement of a class-action lawsuit regarding faulty acceleration issues with millions of its vehicles might seem like a major concession, but it will likely help the automaker put a tumultuous period in the past, shore up its reputation, and focus on a brighter future.Read more

Learning from Dyn’s Crisis Response

Last week, Dynamic Network Services Inc., a web-technology provider, suffered a massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that resulted in some of the top sites on the internet being disrupted, including Twitter, Netflix, PayPal and Spotify. An investigation is ongoing. The Wall Street Journals “Crisis of the Week” column asked experts to assess Dyn’s crisis communications response. Shannon Wilkinson, our CEO, was one. Her take: Dyn has embraced the most important quality inRead more

Rebuilding a Reputation: Volkswagen’s Long, Winding Road

With Volkswagen claiming the top auto industry spot in Fortune’s annual World’s Most Admired Companies list and The Economist highlighting the Germany automaker’s global ascent, it’s worth taking a look at the tremendous shifts in reputation the company has experienced over the course of its 75-year history.Read more

Deconstructing Jenna Marbles’ 1 Billion YouTube Hits

As Lizzie Widdicombe’s recent New Yorker article about Vice Media illustrates, YouTube has become the most important social media platform for reaching teens, 20- and 30-somethings. So if you lead a mainstream business, political or philanthropic organization, reading The Woman With 1 Billion Clicks, Jenna Marbles Amy O’Leary’s Sunday New York Times Style article, is illuminating.Read more