Donald Trump has jumped to the top of the Republican primary polls with an acerbic style that runs contrary to established political rhetoric. But when Trump International made the announcement yesterday that it was hacked, the PR effort was by the book.
And effective.
The Donald Trump Hotel chain says its payment data system was breached, potentially exposing customers’ credit and debit card information for more than a year. The chain posted a notice on their website and media coverage like this CBS report shows how to communicate a breach:
- The facts about the breach: malware may have given hackers access to payment information between May 19, 2014 and June 2, 2015
- The exposure: they have “not found any conclusive evidence that the information was taken or misused.”
- Steps taken to correct it: they notified the FBI and financial institutions and hired an outside forensic expert to investigate.
- Recommendations for customers and what it is doing to help: offering a year of complimentary fraud resolution and identity-protection services.
The Donald is in the crosshairs of many, so the New York Daily News and others took their shots, but coverage was once and done. As of now, they appear to have avoided what the IRS, Target and others have done – underestimate the extent of the damage in their initial reports, leading to multiple news reports and keeping the story alive.
PR Matters 