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Our client, Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Boston's Jewish Federation, held its annual Pomegranate Society & Friends Event on March 31st to honor Boston's premiere female philanthropists.  Actress Mayim Bialik, who's best known for her roles on "The Big Bang Theory" and "Blossom," was the featured speaker.  Did you know she is a mother, accomplished actress, and has her Ph.D. in neuroscience? Read more about it on Boston.com.

The military has a PR problem on its hands. No, it's not the waning public support for two simultaneous wars. It's a problem on the homefront that must be tackled before all 2.4 million service members return home from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is well-past time for the military to abolish once and for all the "crazy vet" stereotype that follows veterans around when they return from deployment.

The focus of the media frenzy that followed the news that Staff Sergeant Robert Bales had gone rogue and slaughtered 17 innocent Afghan civilians further proved this stereotype is alive and well.  Pundits immediately jumped to all kinds of conclusions about Bales' mental state and whether he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or both.

These discussions are harmful because the public assumes the next veteran they encounter may have PTSD- and may go on a shooting rampage.  Worse, they refuse to hire them or acknowledge their service.

Do many veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD and TBIs? Yes. Have any of them killed 17 innocent civilians? No. Do they come home to lead normal, productive lives? Yes. Bales' potential PTSD or TBI is not an excuse for his actions, nor is it a reason for them.

For the future of this generation of service members, this is an issue the military needs to deal with immediately, and they need some sound PR advice to do so:

- Get out in front of the story. Deleting all references to Bales' service is not the way to do this. Instead, the public needs to hear the details from top Pentagon officials- as soon as possible. Obviously mission safety is the top priority, but it took nearly a week for the DoD to acknowledge who Bales was, resulting in a firestorm of speculation, which allowed the story to take off on its own.

- Counter the bad press with something positive, and on-message. This must be something more than the "Be All You Can Be" propaganda ads we've all seen. They need to tell the stories of real people, successful veterans who are active in their communities, perhaps still serving, gainfully employed and helping others. Since Bales is the only one of the 2.4 million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to commit such an atrocity, this shouldn't be too hard to find.

- Make sure it never happens again. Making the same mistake twice is never good PR, but the military needs to do more than that. They need to ensure that every service member is mentally sound- both before a deployment and during. And they need to ensure that when they come home, there are resources- mental health, employment, housing etc., ready and waiting for them

By Isabel Black, Account Executive at Solomon McCown & Company

We're less inclined to spend and more inclined to save. Our children are more likely to live at home and renting has outpaced home ownership. Tens of thousands of jobs go unfilled while many people endure long-term unemployment; and CEOs are having to run, build and innovate in an atmosphere seesawing between fear and hope. What are we to make of it all?  How has the Great Recession changed us and how have we adapted to the "New Normal"?

Join Solomon McCown & Company and a panel of experts for our 17th SM& Presents Panel The New Normal: Hit Reset as we take a close look at what the new normal means for leadership and business success.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 7:30-9:30 A.M.

Boston Properties' Atlantic Wharf, 290 Congress Street, 2nd floor, Boston

Click here to RSVP or call 617-933-5278

The Great Recession has changed how average consumers & business leaders approach virtually everything these days, from housing and finances to company expansion and employee recruiting. The New York Times has a special section - smartly called The Comeback Chronicles - devoted to how we conduct ourselves in the New Normal. Well worth reading!

President Obama responded perfectly Friday when asked by a reporter, "Mr. President may I ask you about this current case in Florida & the very controversial allegations of lingering racism within our society.  The so called 'Stand Your Ground Law'…  Can you comment on the Trayvon Martin Case, sir?"

Normally, the president becomes annoyed when off-topic questions come upand can even become quite combative with journalists. But, in this case, he commented and his first words set the appropriate tone:

Well, I'm the head of the executive branch, and the Attorney General reports to me, so I've got to be careful about my statements to make sure that we're not impairing any investigation that's taking place right now.  But obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through.

Right from the outset, the President acknowledged the responsibilities of his office and his duty to stay within certain constitutional guidelines.  Rather than leaving it at that, he then pivoted toward a carefully worded statement that humanized him as a private citizen and a parent, justlike millions of his constituents. 

In doing so, President Obama managed to avoid politicizing the case, choosing instead to use the benefits of his office - visibility, respect, leadership - to avoid a potential flashpoint and keep the focus on the personal nature of the tragedy. Although some have tried to criticize the President for likening Martin to the son he never had, those claims were met with skepticism and had a short shelf life in the media.

The President's handling of the Trayvon Martin tragedy shows how much his messaging and communications skills have improved since the Henry Louis Gates Jr. incident in 2009.  In that case, he commented far too quickly, before all the facts were in, and ended up having to backtrack.  This, of course, culminated in the awkward beer summit at the White House.  

This time, President's Obama's language was far more thoughtful. He didn't intensify the issue with the racial rhetoric that some pundits have attempted touse to an effort to create a social wedge issue in the presidential campaign.  In fact, the President didn't mention race once.  "I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this," he said.  Not "every Black parent" but "every parent."

I don't think the President could have handled the question any better.

Watch Obama's entire response here.

Ben Levine is an Account Coordinator at Solomon McCown

Check out SM& Account Coordinator Caroline Pepek's blog post on Root Cause's March 15 Social Issue Talk on healthy aging featuring Lisa Krinsky of the LGBT Aging Project and 2012 Social Innovator.

The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, our client, was featured in the Boston Globe on March 22nd for its Self Advocacy Leadership Series (SALS) program. The SALS program help people with developmental disabilities gain the skills they need to become leaders in their communities.

Click here to read more.

It was the moment every nonprofit strives for: Everyone was talking about their cause. When Invisible Children's "Kony 2012" video went viral, Twitter, Facebook and myriad other social and traditional media networks were flooded with the call to #stopkony. Experts almost immediately began to draw PR lessons, analyzed the implications for nonprofits, and tried to understand the campaign's success, even as the criticism grew.

When something gets this big -- the main video received a record-breaking 100 million views in six days -- a backlash is inevitable. Some thought it over-simplified an incredibly complex issue; others believed the information was outdated. Ties to evangelical Christian groups began to emerge. Things became more complicated when BBB Wise Giving Alliance, an accreditation site for nonprofits, revealed it tried for six years to convince Invisible Children to undergo a financial and governance review, but Invisible Children never complied.

Invisible Children smartly responded to critiques on Twitter and through another video, and soon set up an excellent crisis response website. But it still got worse.

Ten days after the video's March 5th debut, Jason Russell, the filmmaker and organization's co-founder, was arrested in San Diego after roaming the streets in his underwear, screaming at cars, pounding his fists on the sidewalk and shouting incoherently, due to exhaustion and sever dehydration. His wife explained that the video not only brought a lot of good attention to the issue, "it also brought a lot of attention to Jason -- and because of how personal the film is, many of the attacks against it were also very personal, and Jason took them very hard." Mrs. Danica Russell urged people to keep the focus on Africa, but how could they? The story had taken a new turn.

In the end, how much does the backlash matter? People are still talking about Kony 2012 and watching the video, but gossip about Russell continues to eat into the conversations. Invisible Children provided a strong online crisis response, but for many the organization's credibility is weakened. Most unfortunately, the backlash could have been significantly diminished if Invisible Children had been better prepared.

Although it's incredibly rare to receive even half the attention Kony 2012 earned, here are some steps all organizations can take to help prevent a PR crisis after a social media success:

1. Do it well. Kony2012 captures a compelling story in a reasonable amount of time (30 minutes). It took almost a decade for Invisible Children to produce the film. If you're going to take a public stance on something, follow their lead: take your time and do it right. But be prepared for the questions and critiques by taking an honest look at what you left out or over simplified. Testing how your messages will be received through a focus group will also help.
2. Make sure your house in order. In the world of social media, you can become famous almost instantaneously. When you're suddenly the most prominent expert, you'll also face sudden and intense scrutiny and demands for transparency. If you intend to draw attention to your organization, make sure it is ready to be shown off.
3. Remember: Heart of gold and nerves of steel. It's understandably difficult to have the whole world look at you, over-analyze your project, and in some cases demean the work you've poured your heart and soul into. For Jason Russell, it was too much, and his episode added an unnecessary level to the debate on Joseph Kony. Before you try to become the face behind a cause, make sure you're ready for the attention -- good and bad -- the goes with it.

Tooth decay is the most prevalent chronic disease in children aged five to 17, yet it's almost 100 percent preventable if children get the right treatment early.

To fight this disease, DentaQuest Institute, our client, along with St. Joseph Health Services and Children's Hospital Boston developed the ECC Initiative to connect parents with clinical and educational resources as the first line of defense against a preventable chronic condition.  The initiative was featured on Providence NBC 10 on March 20.

Click here to watch the video.

I'm not sure if Greg Smith watches Mad Men, but there was something about his NY Times op/ed, "Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs" that seemed terribly familiar. Having just rewatched Season 4 of the AMC hit in anticipation of its new season's debut later this month, I thought one thing when I saw the headline in yesterday's Times:  tobacco.

For the uninitiated, the show's ad agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Price, faces a devastating blow when its biggest client, Lucky Strike, moves on to greener pastures.  To stop speculation across about the agency's immediate demise, the show's hero, Don Draper takes out a full page ad and pens an essay in the New York Times entitled, "Why I'm Quitting Tobacco."  Sound familiar?

In the show, the essay serves as an ad for the agency. Kind of a you-didn't-leave-me-I-left-you-and-tobacco-is-bad-for-you-anyway-aren't-we-hip-to-notice sort of statement. In real life, Smith writes about the "toxic" culture at Goldman, and how the company no longer values anything - like serving its clients - above making money. It's fair to say that few imagined Goldman Sachs to be a testament to altruistic virtue, but the idea that the company exploits its clients, referred to internally as "Muppets," for profit is quite another.

After four years of consistent bad press, is it possible for Goldman to recover?

Maybe. Like its former employee, Goldman should take a page from Don Draper.  "You always said, 'If you don't like what they're saying about you, change it,'" Don's right-hand woman, Peggy Olsen, reminds him in the show. Thus far, Goldman has yet to level any kind of response that will change the conversation. An internal memo, making good use of such game-changing terms like "disappointed," "assertions," "values," (and citing a poll by Goldman's own employees that it serves clients well) is not exactly going to change minds.

What Goldman needs to be daring. Many times in a crisis situation, we urge our clients to respond quickly with a statement and keep their heads down. The media interest will wane. This is not one of those situations.

Why not take out its own full-page ad in the New York Times? Surely there's a great story to tell about a Goldman employee who has served his or her clients faithfully from the start. Put that employee on a billboard. Goldman can't afford to stay silent. It has to make a statement. It has to quit tobacco. The world is ready for its pitch on why Goldman is still a great company. We'll pour a scotch and get ready. That's, after all, what Don would do.

Anne Baker is an Account Executive at Solomon McCown. For more on crisis communications, follow @crisisbostonpr