Blog

Jan 31, 2025

When Crisis Happens

The irony of having to share a presentation on Public Relations efforts to those wanting to learn more about the industry on the same day of a national tragedy was not lost on me. I woke up this morning with my normal routine: 5:30 am alarm, make a cup of coffee, come back to bed for 20 minutes to check emails and watch national news.

The stories coming in about the tragic collision involving an Army Blackhawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane in Washington D.C. were gut wrenching. As were the recent stories of the fires in Los Angeles and every other story we see on the news involving crisis and devastation.

As I presented to a room filled with business owners, public relations and marketing professionals, we pivoted a bit to discuss crisis public relations. In crisis situations, even if your company or organization is not involved, sometimes we have to take a different approach to business practices until… (there’s not a conclusive answer – just until it feels right) using awareness and empathy as our drivers.

Here are a few elements to consider when implementing public relations during a crisis:

1. Reassess: We know that our marketing efforts need to embody sales messages and entertaining content which include our social media content. Take the time to review any messaging being published and confirm it aligns with the current environment. Messaging that would never seem offensive, in times of crisis can be seen as highly-offensive.

2. Be Personable: If you’re pitching to news outlets – understand that news outlets are running full throttle during times of crisis. If the pitch isn’t timely, WAIT and adjust your timeline. If it is timely, show concern for their hectic schedules and let the journalists know you are there to work with them and make their job as easy as possible.

3. Be Genuine: Don’t just post about a tragedy for visibility. Sometimes it’s better to be silent for a few days than to post. Be genuine. Be thoughtful. Be sincere.

The goal is to approach these situations with sensitivity and compassion. We live in a time where podcasts, social media, blogs, email marketing and other marketing elements are automated or scheduled. Protect your image by ensuring your messaging is appropriate during a crisis where your target audience is directly or indirectly impacted. Today, sadly, we were all impacted as we watched the tragedy unfold and American families grieve.

Testimonials

  • I applaud MC PR & Marketing for providing our organization with Public Relations assistance to build media public pressure to make changes. It worked! We were on every major TV network, publication, radio station and podcast. They are experts!

    • S. Field
  • “We are so thankful MC PR & Marketing was referred to us. The agency got our branding 1000% right! We love everything they did for our company and look forward to our continued partnership.”

    • Anna Brown – CEO
  • We’ve worked with several different agencies and MC PR & Marketing as THE BEST! They are extremely responsive to our needs and have helped us drive traffic into our business in a short amount of time AND sustain that traffic.

    • Meaghan Sandoval
  • I have worked with Maria Chrissovergis and her team since early 2017.  They do an excellent job in creating content that is meaningful to our prospects. Maria has a keen sense of how to drive a public relations campaign and has been extremely successful in getting us published multiple times. We have recommended MC PR & Marketing to several business colleagues and will continue to do so.

    • Karen Zander, Broker at 97 Park
  • Plain and simple, Maria and her team at MCPR Agency will make you look great!  For Glenn Layton Homes, it’s so important for the clean architectural design of our homes to be reflected as our brand and without a doubt that’s what MC PR & Marketing provides for us.  They keep us updated on current trends and ensures that our brand is consistent in all marketing efforts. Everything from our social media content, advertisements, press releases, brochures and of course our beautiful magazine has that same clean and elegant flow.  They’re so easy to work with, quick turnaround and they make your brand look good in the process.

    • Katrina Watkins, Sales and Marketing Broker
    • Glenn Layton Homes
  • MC PR & Marketing did an amazing job getting started on marketing my medical practice!  The staff is incredibly creative, attentive and detail oriented.  Their level of knowledge and customer service is second to none!  I always feel like I’m their most important client!  Their recent marketing campaign proved to be very successful for my practice and we received several leads – proven ROI!

    • Dr. Stratis Lagoutaris
    • Podiatry Associates of Florida
  • Maria Chrissovergis and team has helped Artisan Homes tremendously in all areas of our PR and marketing ventures. Along with aiding in design elements of our website, marketing collateral material and visual branding. MCPR has helped us in spreading the true meaning of Artisan Homes to The Florida Times Union, Amelia Island Chamber, Residentnews.net and more to come in 2018.

    As one of Northeast Florida’s premier local home builders, we greatly appreciate the assistance and expertise from MC Public Relations and Marketing and look forward all future projects together.

    • Scott Dennis, President
    • Artisan Homes
  • I can say, 110% certainty, that Maria, Jennifer, Anastasia and the rest of the MCPR team are patient, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable.  Their guidance helped me take my online and social media marketing to the ‘next level’, and without their help, I can honestly say that I would have been lost.  Highly recommended!

    • Mike
    • Tampa
  • Recently I had a competing builder visit one of our models and he loved our magazine.  He asked how come they didn’t have something like this and I replied, because they don’t have MC PR & Marketing! Being a boutique custom home builder, it’s necessary to have a team that gives you every essential part of public relations and sometimes on a moment’s notice.  I can’t tell you the times I’ve sent a request late one day and find the beautiful results waiting in inbox the following morning.  This is the kind of quality service you can expect with MC PR & Marketing. You couldn’t ask for a better agency to partner with.  

    • Katrina Watkins, Sales and Marketing Broker
    • Glenn Layton Homes
  • …Our experience working with MC Public Relations & Marketing has been nothing short of phenomenal.  From discussing branding and marketing strategy, to sales training and event coordination, every element of our campaign was handled perfectly, so much so that after going “live” in April, we signed our first three clients before the end of the month. Maria and her team are an essential, integral part of our continued success (sometimes we forget she’s not an actual employee of Aria Homes!), and we are grateful for her keen eye, expertise, and unwavering commitment to our growth and success.

    • Irina Johnson, President
    • Aria Homes

Let’s tell your story together. Web design, brand development, social & traditional marketing, we live for this stuff!