Food Tops Crisis 'Lightening-Rod' List

A recent survey conducted by CommCore showed that many industries will continue to be under fire in 2016 and beyond. The survey was titled: "From Tylenol to the Latest Cyber Attacks, 30 Years of Media and Crisis Coaching." The questions focused on how media and crisis communication prep has changed over time, what have been the biggest influencers of that change, and where we see the future shaping up. 

Three interesting findings were:

1. The 3 Fs. The likely industries which will be—or continue to be—the biggest lightening-rods for future crises are the "Three Fs": Finance, Food and Pharmaceuticals. The auto industry comes in a close fourth (the survey was taken before the VW crisis hit), and there are no industries that are immune.
2. Social Media. Social media and mobile communications have served as the biggest "game-changer." Because of that, crises can originate and get fueled from just about anywhere. Accordingly, the "response team" should be comprised of members of all departments, not just the CEO with a PR chief whispering in his/her ear!
3. Cyber Security. Our greatest fears of the type of crises have shifted. Gone are the days of worrying most about product tampering, accidents, and ethical lapses by management. Now, what tops the list is cyber security. Most organizations carry sensitive information in the cloud and it's only a question of when, not if there will be a breach. And when it happens, the concern won't be for the organization as victim, it will be, "Why didn't you protect my data?" The response is what makes or breaks an organization's trust and reputation.

See the full survey at CommCore.