April 27, 2009 -- Malibu, CA -- Using its proprietary Tellem PR Crisis Scale, Tellem Worldwide, Inc. gives the FAA a 4 out of 5 on the scale (entailing the need for government apology and/or causing damage to the brand).  A jumbo jetliner that serves as Air Force One, escorted by a military jet, flew over Lower Manhattan Monday morning, frightening office workers and causing evacuations in what turned out to be a publicity operation approved by a unit of the U.S. Air Force, according to the Wall Street Journal today.

Potential Fallout:

• Possible injuries and even deaths from workers bolting from the high-rise offices;
• Heightened mistrust of the FAA and other governmental agencies that were forewarned;
• Loss of credibility for those close to the president who had to give approval for Air Force One; and
• Public relations in general and the PR people who organized this take another major hit.

Recommended Actions:

• § Termination or suspension without pay of FAA and Port Authority staff who knew about flyover and did not warn New York and New Jersey residents/employees for lack of leadership, compassion and crisis management knowledge;
• § Official apology from all agencies and top leaders involved even peripherally; and
• § Investigation into and revision of notification process for future photo ops.

Tellem Worldwide, an agency with years of experience in assisting companies prepare for and/or manage crises, launched its proprietary "PR Crisis Scale" in 2004 as a tool companies and the media can use to help grasp the depth and ramifications of negative publicity as it occurs and learn the steps required to remedy it.

          Susan Tellem, president & CEO of Tellem Worldwide and crisis expert, says her 30 years in public relations, as well as the increasing ability of reporters, blogs and social media to spread a negative story worldwide, spawned the idea of creating a PR Crisis Scale.  Patterned after the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, the Tellem PR Crisis Scale ranks the public relations aspects of a crisis from 1 to 5, with 5 being the greatest, based on its severity. 

          "Clients always ask, ‘How big is my crisis?'" says Tellem.  "Our Crisis Scale answers that question by ranking the severity compared to previous crises and outcomes."  Tellem adds that by knowing the size and potential negative impact of a crisis, companies and the government can manage their expectations and resources better, thus giving them the best chance to repair an image and win back the public's (and media's) trust.

          Like a hurricane, a PR crisis can increase or decrease in intensity based on subsequent developments.  Some examples of crises and their rankings include:

5 -- Exxon Oil Spill/ New York Ferry (typically death and/or destruction)

4 - American Beef Industry/Tenet hospital sale/Martha Stewart (millions of dollars at stake - reputation in danger of tremendous loss of credibility)

3 - Bread (carb) industry/Supermarket Strike in California/Dean for Governor Campaign (potential for tremendous loss of revenue and difficulty in regaining reputation)

2 - Janet Jackson Super Bowl malfunction/Crocodile Hunter and his baby/Kobe Bryant case (big corporate apologies and/or damage to the brand)

1 - Britney-Madonna kiss/Winona Ryder theft (most celebrity antics unless they involve damage to the brand)

Tellem represented the Santa Barbara DA in the Michael Jackson trial.  Some cases like the Jackson case defy categorization because of the very real damage to the reputation of the celebrity guilty or innocent, the potential for a sharp decline in the power of the brand, compounded by the tremendously vocal fan base and high profile attorneys. 

With divisions in healthcare, food, entertainment and energy, Tellem Worldwide has expertise in broad range of PR crises, from celebrity scandal and healthcare fraud to product liability and wrongful death.  The Tellem staff has been called in to act as experts for both law firms and media, including Entertainment Tonight and C-SPAN.

"When the media needs a professional opinion or a defendant's lawyer wants to protect the image of a client, our PR Crisis Scale helps illustrate the severity of a crisis in the news and its potential fallout," says Tellem.  "With widespread and watchful media on alert, elected officials, celebrities and corporate management can find themselves being tried in the court of public opinion overnight."

Susan Tellem heads the crisis team along with John Tellem, who leads the agency's Entertainment Practice.  For more information, visit http://www.tellem.com/ or email stellem@tellem.com.