What has been a great disaster recovery event from PR perspective?

Question

I am looking for companies that have blundered big time and re-emerged successfully via their PR coverage. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Exxon Oil. They spilled oil from the Valdez and contaminated everything from miles around in Alaska. It is all but forgotten and they are making record profits.

Halliburtin,  They were going to be charged by Congress for impropriety as it relates to their relationship to the Vice President and gaining no bid Federal Government contracts to clean up the oil spills and related fires in Iraq.  

They moved their headquarters to Dubai and still get the contracts, thus becoming a company who is under the jurisdiction of International Law avoiding any criminal pursuit by the Congress.  

The tobacco industry. Phillip Morris.  They encouraged teen age smoking in advertising and have a black box warning and are regularly taxed to pay for local government initiatives.  They paid a settlement to most of the States.  They have advertising campaigns discouraging young people from smoking and they work closely with local governments to provide health education in the area.  

As for Exxon Mobile, they spend millions of dollars lobbying the Congress, this is their PR campaign.  The same could be said for Halliburtin who has smaller offices in the U.S. but no less effective in gaining contracts.