Crisis Response

Challenge

The world was stunned by the sudden passing of musical superstar Prince. The news of his death made global headlines for several days. Complicating this situation was the fact that he left no will to provide direction for his estate. Would-be-heirs came out of the woodwork, while Prince’s recognized family members and business associates all had their opinion on how our client should manage the estate. Our court appointed client asked Padilla to help manage the media onslaught so its experts could focus on how to manage the estate.

Insight

The Padilla team immediately recognized that our client, despite the high public profile, should treat this case like any other estate matter. Maintaining business expertise and effectiveness during a crisis/media circus is critically important because one day the headlines will fade and longstanding customers will want the organization to function as it has historically.

Idea

If communication was handled correctly, this high-profile case would give the organization a stellar  opportunity to maintain its reputation as a business of the highest integrity, even as other parties involved were trying to make headlines.

Solution

The Padilla team and our client played “quarterback,” managing more than a dozen legal, promotional, entertainment and business advisers. We helped our client stay out of the circus by communicating only what needed to be communicated and not responding to speculation, sensationalism or controversy. Our team created clean, simple messaging and prepared our client’s spokesperson to handle media from around the globe. We kept a tight watch on the situation through extensive social and traditional media monitoring.

Results

Padilla’s efforts helped the client navigate an ocean of issues without becoming the center of the controversy. While other organizations have been criticized for how they conducted themselves, our client emerged as a highly respectful financial institution, capable of handling the high profile and complicated cases.