145 – Reputation Management with Bill Coletti

Bill Coletti is a crisis communications and reputation management expert, with more than twenty-five years of experience managing high-stakes crises, issues management, and media relations challenges for Fortune 500 companies and global political campaigns. He is the founder of Kith: a crisis communications and reputation management firm that is at its best when working with established corporations disrupted in the age of disruption.

Bill previously co-led the Global Risk Management and Crisis Communications Practice for Hill+Knowlton Strategies and has provided senior counsel in crisis management, corporate communications, and reputation defense to clients including AT&T, Cargill, The College Board, Target Corporation, American Airlines, The Home Depot, American Express, and Xerox, as well as major universities and NGOs.

Bill Coletti

Top Takeaways: Reputation Management with Bill Coletti

Crises Communication Practices for business and individuals
Crises response, crises planning and crises training
There are periods of time when you show up in the bright lights of public scrutiny
When things go viral in a negative way
“Bad Publicity” is no longer positive for your popularity
There is a long tail when it comes to negative publicity
People are generally forgiving, but your reputation stays on the internet
Society is very forgiving, but you must ask for forgiveness if a mistake is made
We need to be careful- mics are always live, take responsibility when mistakes are made
From an organization standpoint, sometimes the best move is to distance from the situation
It’s not always fair and it’s not always right, but organizations are bigger than any one individual
First mover disadvantage- the first to get caught receives the most scrutiny
Desensitized due to frequency
First and foremost- personal growth outside the eyes of the media
Step 1 when mistakes are made – recognize the mistake that was made
Step 2 when mistakes are made – determine your public strategy (usually apologize)
Step 3 when mistakes are made – articulate a plan moving forward
Start with an intentional strategy to avoid crises