Crisis Expert and Author David Margulies Picks Best and Worst Crisis Management in 2010

DALLAS, Dec. 20, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) did the best job of crisis management this year, according to David Margulies, author of Save Your Company, Save Your Job – Crisis Management in the Internet Age.

John Tyner set of a media feeding frenzy when he posted a recording of himself telling a TSA agent "I'll have you arrested if you touch my junk," on the Internet. "TSA director John Pistole handled the issue with great poise using many of the strategies recommended in my book," said Margulies. He expressed concern over the complaints but didn't back down from the need for better screening.  TSA did not overreact to threats of Thanksgiving protests recognizing that people were not going to risk their holiday travel plans. Pistole also took the time to personally apologize to a man with a medical condition who was embarrassed during a TSA screening.

BP did the worst job of crisis management with its handling of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. CEO Tony Hayward placed his foot firmly in his mouth when he told reporters "I would like my life back," as Gulf Coast families suffered from the impact of the spill. Hayward was then photographer sailing on his yacht and called the huge spill "relatively tiny."

"It will be hard to top Hayward's insensitivity, in the midst of a crisis," said Margulies.  "Being photographed on the yacht compounded the problem and eventually cost Hayward his job."

Margulies commended Southwest Airlines for using social media to promptly resolve a complaint by director Kevin Smith after he was removed from a flight because the airline said he needed to buy two seats because of his girth.  "Southwest was monitoring Twitter and responded quickly to Smith," said Margulies. "The airline defended the policy but was able to quickly diffuse the issue. When it comes to social media Southwest gets it."

"Toyota is still paying the price for a slow response to claims of sudden acceleration in some of its cars," said Margulies. "Toyota used social media but did not address the issues quickly enough to avoid a great deal of unnecessary negative coverage."

David Margulies is the author of Save Your Company, Save Your Job – Crisis Management in the Internet Age and president of the Margulies Communications Group.

SOURCE Margulies Communications Group