When a business faces a crisis, it can use a variety of crisis communication tactics, but changing its name may not be the best option.

On today's episode, we'll examine if changing a business name will help if that name has become too much of a reputational liability. Plus, examples of successful company name changes following crises, as well as examples of where the name change may not have worked as expected. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Facebook Changes Name to Meta: Mark Zuckerberg announces company rebrand as it moves to metaverse
• My new website: IndestructiblePR.com 

--

Your next crisis will happen where everyone can see it -- on social media. 

Discover how to plan ahead and get the crisis communication templates you need to have the right response at the right time. If you are a communicator in need of a crisis plan, you need to check out Indestructible Online. 

Listen + Subscribe on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

© Molly McPherson 2021 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Public relations campaigns can work wonders when it comes to generating awareness and interest in your business, but they can also be expensive without any guarantee of success. 

Geofence advertising may offer an effective PR boost that’s more affordable than traditional forms of advertising. Jeff Swartz, the founder and CEO of Ethic Advertising Agency, shares how it works and why it could be the next big thing in PR campaigns today.

Mentioned in this episode: 

• 9 Reasons Why Advertising Doesn't Work eBook 
• 
  

Listen + Subscribe on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

© Molly McPherson 2021 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Actor, writer, and director Ben Affleck recently went on a promotion tour for his film The Tender Bar.

One line from Affleck's over two-hour interview with Howard Stern went viral, causing even bigger problems for him and the filmmakers.

To repair the damage caused by his comments regarding his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, Affleck must spend the rest of the publicity tour in damage control mode. 

In this episode, we discuss three key lessons for anyone preparing for an important media interview. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Ben Affleck Addresses Response to Howard Stern Interview and Talks About Batman & George Clooney, Jimmy Kimmel Live, December 16, 2021
• Ben Affleck on Dealing with Paparazzi and His Divorce From Jennifer Garner, The Howard Stern Show, December 14, 2021 
• Ben Affleck Tried to Drink Away the Pain. Now He’s Trying Honesty, New York Times, B. Barnes, Feb. 18, 2020, Updated July 27, 2021. 

Need help preparing for a PR crisis?

Click HERE to download your copy of the Crisis Communication Rapid Response Checklist. 

Listen + Subscribe on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

© Molly McPherson 2021 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

The key to managing a digital crisis is to unlock the cause of the crisis in the first place. Critical data and information can be found in conversations and traffic on social media and websites. 

Zack Condry, President of Everest Communications, knows how to interpret this information and strategize how to use it to manage the situation. He specializes in developing and executing digital communications strategies to help organizations tackle critical public affairs issues, major crises, regulatory obstacles, and reputation management challenges.

Zack shares his take on what happens in the background of a crisis. How the data and sentiment can help shape your response.

PLUS, he shares one Indestructible PR tip to help you stay in control during a crisis.

Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

© Molly McPherson 2021 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

The story of Alec Baldwin in the aftermath of the tragic shooting death of Halyana Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust" is worth following if you follow public relations and crisis communication.

From the first news stories from the Albequeque filmset to the "pop-up" press conference Baldwin held on a busy road in Vermont, we have been following Baldwin's media interactions over his involvement in the tragedy. 

Baldwin's latest public relations strategies were revealed in his sitdown interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopolus on 20/20. 

Jody Fisher, a veteran PR guy and former radio reporter, joins Molly on the epsiode. In addition to his over 20 years of experience as a publicist in NYC and national markets, Jody is the Vice President of Public Relations at Austin Williams.

He has worked on both sides of the newsroom assignment desk. He recognizes a good story when he hears it - like Alec Baldwin's current situation. 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

The actor Jake Gyllenhall knows all too well that bad publicity may not be the best publicity when your name is trending because you broke up with a girlfriend more than ten years ago.

Having this ex-girlfriend record a song about the breakup and then upload a 10-minute video to YouTube is the sort of negative publicity that will never disappear. Especially if the video has over 17 million views.

The Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde once said, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

In this episode, determining whether this statement is true and which factors determine when negative publicity is too much for a brand to handle. 

Mentioned in the episode:

• Taylor Swift - All Too Well: The Short Film - YouTube 
• Episode 94: How to Apologize During a PR Crisis: Why Ellen DeGeneres Kept Quiet (And Why You Shouldn't)
• Episode 101: How to Admit Your Mistakes: The Ellen DeGeneres Apology 
• Instagram Live with Jody Fischer discussing Netflix and Dave Chapelle
• Indestructible: Reclaim Control and Respond with Confidence in a Media Crisis

PLUS, one Indestructible PR tip that keeps your reputation solid during the crisis.

Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

© Molly McPherson 2021 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Media trainer Warren Weeks joined me in a webinar to discuss the top mistakes he sees many spokespeople make and how to fix them.

Our episode discusses how to overcome these common media interview challenges straight from the webinar.

Make sure you don't damage your reputation by saying the wrong thing during a nerve-wracking conversation that will likely live online for years to come. 

Learn three techniques prepared speakers use during a media interview.
 
 ---

Listen + Subscribe on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

© Molly McPherson 2021 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

A media interview could lead to one of three outcomes:

1. You nail it.
2. You get through it. 
3. Your poor performance creates its own crisis. 

Knowing how to prepare for a media interview increases the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Listen to a few of the mistakes we found in recent media interviews and livestreams to learn how to succeed in your next media interview.  

• The guffaw that turned a serious message from a member of the U.S. Cabinet into a joke. 
• Don't call your own press conference on a whim on the side of the road, like Alec Baldwin. 
• Make sure the news you share on the Today Show is accurate and does not infringe on trademarks. 

Mentioned in the Episode 

• 115: The One Word That Will Stop a Crisis Dead in its Tracks 
• 158: How to Respond Publically to a Tragic Event of YOur Own Doing: Ten Steps to Control the Narrative During a Crisis 
• Alec Baldwin, wife Hilaria, speak on-camera for 1st time about 'Rust' shooting.
• Dave Hollis Live Instagram, October 30, 2021

--- 

Need help writing a crisis response for your organization? 

Click HERE to download your Crisis Communication Rapid Response Checklist, a 10-point plan that guides you through communications, especially when it comes from within your organization. 

Listen + Subscribe on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

© Molly McPherson 2021 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

If an employee causes a crisis for his employer due to actions that go viral, the company needs an immediate response. 

Case in point, Southwest Airlines pilot, who used the phrase "Let's go, Brandon," a euphemism considered to be a vulgar phrase aimed at President Joe Biden, over the plane's PA system.  

On this week's podcast, the best PR response for a rogue employee who makes bad news for your brand. 

Learn the immediate steps communicators can take to manage reputation by dissociating the brand from the actions of the employee as quickly as possible.

1. The plan  
2. The statement 
3. The internal communications 

PLUS, one Indestructible PR tip that keeps your reputation solid during the crisis.

-
-
- 

Need help writing a crisis response for your organization? 

This episode provides a 10-point checklist to guide you through communications when a crisis arises, particularly from one you caused.

Click HERE to download your Crisis Communication Rapid Response Checklist, a 10-point plan that guides you through communications, especially when it comes from within your organization. 

Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

© Molly McPherson 2021 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Making news for the wrong reasons is simple. Just screw up publicly, and you're on your way to going viral. 

Bad news spreads fast, especially on social media. 

To make a positive story newsworthy, you have to cut through a lot of noise to become a leading authority.

Discover how to make your story newsworthy and become famous the right way. 

My guest on the podcast is former television journalist Kristi Piehl. She is the Founder & CEO of Media Minefield and the host of the Flip Your Script Podcast. 

Kristi shares how to think like a journalist to make your PR pitch land.

Want to learn how to manage the bad news?  Click HERE to download your copy of the Crisis Communication Rapid Response Checklist. 

Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

© Molly McPherson 2021 

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/
  
  

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson