As a leader, you’re expected to have vision – not just for opportunities, but for risks too. But what happens when you see something concerning on the horizon, and you're not sure it will materialize? Do you hesitate? You don't want to be seen as that leader, the one who always sounds the alarm,...
When supply and demand don’t align, even the strongest brew can turn bitter fast. You may have seen the recent headlines about the disastrous release of Starbucks’ limited-edition Bearista cup (a $29.95 teddy-bear-shaped holiday tumbler for the uninitiated). The launch of the viral must-have...
As the year winds down (gulp, how?) and we gather to reflect on what we’re grateful for this coming Thanksgiving, it’s natural to count the obvious blessings: growth milestones, successful launches, strong partnerships. But in the world of business, there’s another kind of gratitude. One that is...
Confucius tells us that “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Crisis is the shadow that follows every bold decision and for many leaders, fear of that shadow shapes everything they do. But what if that fear wasn’t just unnecessary, but actively holding your organization...
This time last year, we wrote a Halloween-themed article, “Very Scary Marketing Decisions,” highlighting baffling and ill-conceived advertising and branding blunders, such as: Bath and Body Works launching a line of holiday candles, which included one bearing the design of a “snowflake”...
35 percent. Did I get your attention? It got mine. Only 35% of consulting startups make it to 10 years. Today, I’m proud to say that Kith is part of that 35%. That statistic says a lot. It says that what we do matters. It says that our clients have trusted us through some of their hardest moments....
Like my Kith colleagues, I cut my proverbial teeth in politics. Not as a candidate, but as a campaign staffer and, later, political consultant. Campaigns are great places to train for reputation management and crisis communications because everything is a crisis. The latest mud your opponent threw...
We’re taking you way back in the wayback machine to when I was a little kid in Canada. It was 1991 when Winnipeg-based Old Dutch Foods entered the Ontario market hoping to gain ground but instead faced a salty standoff. Rival Hostess Frito-Lay was accused of buying all the Old Dutch chips from...
If you’ve ever seen the classic Abbott and Costello sketch "Who’s on First?," you know how quickly things can unravel when no one knows who’s doing what. It’s hilarious on stage, but in a real life crisis, that kind of confusion is anything but funny. Think back to the last time you were called...
You may have heard recently that Perrier’s fizz has gone flat overseas. Parent company Nestlé Waters is facing a major environmental scandal after investigative reports revealed years of illegal waste dumping at its bottling sites, including massive landfills filled with plastic, debris, and even...
Many of us found ourselves abruptly working from home during the Covid pandemic. For some, a return to the office did not occur for months or even years. If you were one such person, you may recall the cognitive dissonance you experienced when you found it exactly as it was the day before you...
Let’s talk about precision. In a crisis, speed is critical ... but speed without clarity and accuracy is just noise. When you’ve taken the time to get to know your stakeholders, you understand where they get their information. Even if you just know the age range, you can understand which social...
Is your organization prepared to respond to a crisis and protect its hard-earned reputation? Take our quiz and find out!