The tragedy of Germanwings Flight 9525 is an example of a PR disaster writ largely by its parent company, Lufthansa. How should a corporation or individual react in light of drastically damaging but uncertain facts? It’s not difficult. Here’s how. 1. Have a plan from the get-go. Lufthansa is a commercial aviation company. It is not impossible one of its aircraft would crash. Have a crisis communications plan that can be altered to fit any circumstance (weather, hijacking, pil

When I am called by a firm to write web or brochure copy, it’s usually because the first run through with an internal team yielded a disastrous amalgamation of colorless repetition. Don’t feel badly; this happens even in the best-run law firms, and even with the smartest people. A writer will produce sparkling copy, and then the committee editing begins. By the time the eighth person who has a stake in the product whacks it about, every shred of personality has been merciless

Want to know how to build a brand? Ask Jimmy Nguyen. And you don’t need his auspicious last name—pronounced “WIN”—to do it. If you know Nguyen, you know he is relentlessly positive, a crazy energetic overachiever, loves the color orange, and is a strong advocate for diversity and LGBT rights. And if you don’t know him, you should. Nguyen is a Davis Wright Tremaine wunderkind partner who was often dubbed the ,“gay Vietnamese Oprah” by friends in the legal community. Turns out,

There are a lot of different ways to “do” Twitter. The trick is to find a style that works for you. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is admittedly on the fringe when it comes to Twitter. He tweets a lot about his lunch. Apparently, this guy loves ham and cheese sandwiches. I mean, he loves them. Sometimes he eats two a day. He has possibly the most boring feed of any public figure on Twitter. And yet, it works. As far as his personal brand, he is wildly successful and well-loved.