Fame can cover a multitude of sins. And on the internet, fame is where you fall when you get Googled. Search results will, more often than not, determine your guilt or innocence in the minds of many. So, you need to know that when your name is searched, only good things will fill the front page.

Content matters for more than just search engine ranking. Solid, regular content not only gives the ‘net more reason to appreciate you, it gives users more opportunities to find your unique content. People appreciate being given something for free. Solid, unique, and compelling content can be the gift that keeps on giving.

It was supposed to be just another innocently fun episode in the life and times of the cute little GEICO pig, the happy hog who reps the lighter side of the “save you money” insurance. Ronn Torossian 5WPR has written before about how the pig was a solid PR move by GEICO to present another aspect of its product. However, not everyone is happy about what the little ham has been up to lately.

In a recent ad, Maxwell the Pig sits in a car at lookout point, presumably with a date (he’s been on several). The car is broken down and he’s searching for a tow truck using the (hey!) GEICO road assistance app. Pretty nifty, right?

To say that the National Football League has a public relations and image problem is like saying Robert DeNiro is a great actor – an obvious conclusion to draw if you’ve watched the news lately or have ever seen Goodfellas.

The 2013 NFL season kicked off with the shocking Aaron Hernandez murder inquiry and arrest, easily the biggest sports story of the year. Mid-season has been disrupted by the Jonathan Martin/Richie Incognito bullying saga, a story whose highlights include allegations of racial insults, death threats to families, and possibly even accusations of coercion involving coaches who should be responsible for maintaining locker room culture. Not to mention the serious, widespread, and on-going health concern of the NFL — the concussion pandemic. Retired players from yesteryear are suffering from multiple mental diseases and afflictions resulting in premature memory loss, decline of motor skills, depression and even death, sometimes by suicide.

When you are building a brand or making a name for yourself, eventually you will have a rough couple of weeks according to Ronn Torossian 5WPR CEO. Worst case scenario, something from the past catches up with you or an honest mistake gets misrepresented. Suddenly sponsors are dropping off left and right even as others call to renew their contracts. Sometimes the logistics make no sense. Quick decisions are made in marketing departments and boardrooms across the country as a myriad of companies tied to your brand choose their fate.

If only you had a Magic 8 Ball of PR. See, public perception and buying habits can look a bit like a ball of yarn. At first it seems rather uniform, one loop over another over another, but a single pull in the wrong place at the wrong time and you end up with chaos.

It’s been a difficult few years for Carnival Cruise Line. Earlier this year, one of its ships, Triumph, got stranded at sea and eventually towed back to port by four tug boats.  Passengers were quick to share horror stories about their “poop cruise” – five days on a boat without electricity, running water, or working toilets –  a Crisis Public Relations nightmare!  Last year, Carnival’s Costa Concordia ran aground off of Italy, killing 32 passengers. Its Captain “tripped and fell into a lifeboat” that seemingly rowed itself safely to shore while 4,228 passengers were left to fend for themselves.  And just a month later, the Carnival-owned Costa Allegra’s engine caught fire, lost power and “was set adrift in pirate-infested waters in the Indian Ocean.” (CNN)

Actions to placate passengers and assume control of the company’s reputation have been ineffective. Of the Triumph, efforts were everything but triumphant.  The CEO apologized, both at a company organized press conference as well over the ship’s PA system as filthy, weary passengers deboarded.  Surely at the time, this was not music to their ears – not the best travel pr either.  Many of these same passengers then experienced a second stranding by Carnival when the cruise line-hired buses in which they were riding broke down somewhere between Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans. If it didn’t actually happen, we’d think this was a scene out of the latest Zach Galifianakis movie. Ultimately,  traumatized passengers were offered only a refund and $500 compensation, less than cost of the cruise itself.   As for the tragedy of the Costa Concordia, last week, it was announced that the Captain will  be tried for Manslaughter and faces up to 20 years in prison.  No refund or gift certificate can ever heal those wounds, especially for the families of those who died.

Everyone from Facebook to Reddit, to the Washington Post and NY Daily News is talking about a Scottsdale, Arizona, restaurant, Amy’s Baking Company says Ronn Torossian 5WPR CEO.  However, this is a perfect case of how “bad PR” really can be BAD. There is a cliché in public relations agencies and that all publicity is good publicity. That’s not true.

After a particularly horrendous appearance on the television show, Kitchen Nightmares, the owners of Amy’s Baking Company were enticed into a social media war. The fight quickly got heated and spread across the social media spectrum. So epic was the subsequent PR train wreck that the story was picked up by media outlets from New York to Los Angeles.

The British Royal Family has long fascinated Americans and our obsession for them runs deep. As a result, members of the British Royal Family are treated and viewed as A-list celebrities. Paparazzi and tabloids love to follow their every move according to 5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian. There’s no shortage of rumors on the gossip pages nor commentators on scandals regarding members of the Royal Family. Managing the publicity for the Royal Family is a full-time PR campaign – with or without a

28-year-old Prince Henry of Wales, commonly known as Prince Harry is visiting the United States. As someone who already has a reputation for being wild and rebellious, he will undoubtedly be careful to avoid any PR crisis which could potentially embarrass the Royal Family. Ronn Torossian – CEO of top NY PR firm – suggests 3 things that Prince Harry must do to avoid bad publicity.