The controversy surrounding this debate is a great lesson in crisis communication.

The quick reversal of statements made by the Komen Foundation after considerable backlash implies that the decision to make the statements in the first place was not fully thought through. If a corporation publically announces any intentions, the intent behind the announcement and the reaction the announcement will generate should be thoroughly considered. Good PR means that a corporation can communication effectively and without reservation.

On the other hand, the Komen Foundation’s realization that the brand has been tarnished by this decision indicates that the foundation understands the importance of maintaining a brand image. The role of PR is pointless if a corporation’s brand does not correlate with its audience. Angering or displeasing your following can be the downfall for any organization.

PR is more than just the free flow of information between business and client. It is the direct reflection of a business as a whole, and communicating the values and beliefs of that business is an essential to success. As the Susan G. Komen Foundation has demonstrated, sending out the right message the right way is the key to good PR.

It’s likely that you have a story to tell and may not even realize it. Many businesses have stories about their progress, new programs, expansions or cool new ideas of how to get things done.  Journalists, bloggers and even your Facebook fans love to learn what you have planned.

Communicating often – whether to your employees, your customers or your future customers – pays consistent dividends.

One of our clients recently remarked, “I had no idea what we were doing was even remotely newsworthy.’’ The comment came after she was profiled in the most highly sought after trade magazine for her industry.

Stories worth telling net business results, either with direct impact to the bottom line or a priceless boost in credibility.

We are experts in developing and promoting businesses’ stories.  So if you don’t know your story yet, let us help.

Top-notch columnists just don’t leave prime spots at newspapers – at least not in the old days.

Mike Thomas in 2008 (ORLANDO SENTINEL FILE/ May 6, 2008)

For more than a decade Sentinel reporters have either raced for the door or been shown the door as the once-mighty newspaper desperately tried to protect its bottom line. Its former owner, the Tribune Company, was slow to adequately adapt to the digital age and did a mediocre job of listening to its customers by slashing local news, leaving governments uncovered and trying to make up their shortcomings with redesigning or repackaging the paper every year.

The paper constantly cut unique news content, trading it for wire stories and features produced in faraway cities thinking the customer would not notice. Just recently the paper gleefully announced it was combining more sections, further irritating its customer. I watched recently on Facebook as a couple of former staffers announced they would soon be dropping their subscriptions.
Back in the 1980s, former Sentinel journalist, now Disney Vice President Craig Dezern used to lament that the paper was too focused on stuffing ads in the Sunday paper. I remember him calling it “Petey Product.’’ Now, one of the only sane reasons someone would

buy the Sunday paper – other than to look for clients’ stories – is to hopefully save a few bucks on the grocery bill. Extreme couponers scouring for deals are helping keep the paper alive.

Nowadays, the Orlando Sentinel is only a shell of what it used to be. The strong copy desk has long since been dismissed, which is why you see more typos than an old reporter with dyslexia.

Anyway Mike – welcome to life after the Sentinel. You’re about 10 years late to the party.

Just ask the Burger King.

The King was dethroned recently, after his wacky, teen-targeting commercials weren’t pulling in customers. Sales for Burger King are down 6 percent in the first quarter. These ads were replaced with the California Whopper, a serious image twist touting fresh and favor-full ingredients.

It’s all about the change in the market. You can see the “Whole Foods effect” in all the top advertising campaigns; McDonald’s, Subway and even 7-eleven.

Sorry King, we like your commercials full of silly antics, but they certainly did not have us in the drive thru.

This past weekend, the media rushed to call Hurricane Irene a once-in-a life time storm – a major hurricane that would race up the eastern seaboard and wreck havoc on all along its path.

In many ways, Irene lived up to its billing. Just ask the millions of people still without power or the good citizens of Vermont who are still sopping up the damage from massive flooding.

Yet the same media that staked out weather teams ready for wall-to-wall coverage did not appear satisfied with the multi-billion dollars of destruction. As soon as the storm cleared the U.S. border, many news organizations switched quickly from forecasters predicting gloom to news writers asking why the gloom and doom didn’t meet the forecast.

Only the media could create so much noise and then turnaround and complain that the noise was too loud for the result.

Hurricanes have been – and always will be – unpredictable. You never know what path they will take or how hard they might hit their target. Unfortunately, the same can be said for many members of the media.

The take away: Prepare as best you can. Whether with hurricanes or media relations, it is best to have a firm plan in place for when the storm hits your business.

Recently McDonald’s rolled out a down-sized French fry portion and added apples to every kid’s meal. Burger King just announced a new ad campaign focusing on fresher and healthier food options.

Both of these chains are refocusing their messages to mom. Now, mom bloggers are regarded as key influencers with the ability to spread news quickly. According to the BSM Media, moms are the family decision makers for everything from food products to cars and electronics, spending trillions each year.  Another study revealed 96 percent of moms value the recommendation they find on blogs.

In an age of social media, as marketers we have to embrace non-traditional media, because some mom bloggers have more readers than city newspapers.

In short, mommy dearest is a force to be reckoned with.

For most of the past month, consumers, big businesses and small businesses held their breath while our so-called leaders debated raising the national debt ceiling. Some in Congress saw this debt ceiling debate as an opportunity to take a stand, make points and play politics with the stability of the U.S. economy.

Payback time has arrived. Our leaders are awash in bad PR. One of the leading rating agencies – Standard & Poor’s – has trimmed the U.S. gold standard AAA credit rating. Financial markets across the globe are taking a beating.

A credit rating is just an opinion, but perception is reality. The new reality for the U.S. is that our leaders can’t be trusted to make financial decisions in a timely and prudent manner. So we all suffer.

The communications lessons are many. Words and boastful stands without actions and results to back them up can be damaging. Sometimes empty promises damage brands, and sometimes empty promises damage entire economies.

After announcing a 60 percent price increase to consumers via a company blog, Netflix has since remained stunningly silent on the issue. But Netflix users have grown loud, blasting Facebook and Twitter with angry rants directed at the company. According to CNET, pages have since formed with titles like, “Cancel Netflix” and “I used to love Netflix until they decided to rip me off.” Angry tweets announcing subscription cancellations are trending on twitter. Thousands of comments have been posted to the company’s blog. Netflix has not responded to a single complaint.

As communications professionals, we should be just that: communicators. In the midst of consumer disappointment, don’t ignore the power of social media. Embrace it as a source for immediate interaction with customers. The simplest response could make all the difference, allowing you to retain customers despite upheaval.

As we reminisce about freebies and star-studded specials it’s important to consider the lessons we’ve learned from the queen of talk.

Communication – After 25 years, and countless awards and nominations, Oprah knows how to connect with her guests and audience through the art of communication. Her ability to make people laugh, or bring them to tears is a testament to her ability to connect and appeal to millions.

Be transparent – Honesty was key with Oprah, not only for herself, but for her guests as well. She made sure anyone appearing on her show played by that rule or she would call them out without a second thought. Through her transparency she became more relatable and trusted.

Be personable – Oprah was constantly opening up her life to her audience. Whether it was about her hair, weight or her troublesome upbringing, her ability to share details about herself engaged her audience even more.

Suspense is everything – The word Oprah just stirs up a buzz. Down to her “Secret Show” finale Oprah knew how to generate attention and intrigue.

The power of a review – Oprah was famous for showering her audiences with extravagant, red-carpet gifts. If she happened to mention one of your products, that product would soon fly off store shelves. On the flip side, if she happened to criticize your product, hold on for a heck of a dry spell.

A.      Deny

B.      Blame the media

C.      Say it was someone else

The correct answer in communications is D. None of Above.

Rep. Anthony Weiner was caught tweeting a photo of his underpants to a young woman and admitted to flirtatious online exchanges with several women. He took all the actions of someone who thought he could outsmart the public. For days he claimed he had not sent the racy photos and that he was hacked, before finally coming clean in a garden-variety tearful apology.

Why not just start with the truth – the story cycle ends quicker that way.

PHOTO COURTESY OF REUTERS