=var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)[/url][url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenweeksmedia?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAAmw7MBaSJP_4G4cxHgH7NO-vOZn8s72no&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_detail_base%3BDcTvpW0kRCusQO6QmYeqtg%3D%3D&licu=urn%3Ali%3Acontrol%3Ad_flagship3_detail_base-actor_container&lici=oJTv8dbhTrCr0J1WeNOV4A%3D%3D]=var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)[color=var(--color-action)]=var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)Warren Weeks[/color][color=var(--color-text-low-emphasis)]• 2nd[/color][color=var(--color-text-low-emphasis)]Media training coach. Business owner for 19 years. I teach people The Art of the Great Media Interview -- in-person, virtually and through my new on-demand courses.[/color][color=var(--color-text-low-emphasis)]=var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)=var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)8h • =var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)8 hours ago[/color]=var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)Follow =var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)=var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)=var(--artdeco-reset-base-font-size-hundred-percent)Which crisis is the bigger story? The Lisa LaFlamme/Bell Media saga? Or the Rogers outage from early July? Here are a few observations through the lens of Google Trends (which measures web search traffic):

- Each image shows web search data from Canada from July 1 to Aug. 29, 2022
- The top image, which shows web searches for 'Lisa LaFlamme', has a dramatic initial spike, followed by more plot twists than an M. Night Shyamalan movie
- When compared with the term 'Rogers outage' in the lower image, however, the LaFlamme story appears minor in comparison
- When you're leading an organization during a crisis, you want your Google Trends graph to look like a small, isosceles triangle
- The Rogers triangle is close to the right shape but it's way too big. Part of this is because they knocked millions of people offline for an extended period. But you can't discount the impact of the public's anger due to the company's lack of transparency and communication.
- Ultimately, the Rogers triangle ends when the technical problem is fixed.
- The Lisa LaFlamme chart doesn't show a triangle. Instead, it looks more like a really fun slide at a waterpark. Particularly problematic for leadership should be the little mini spikes throughout the two-week period following the Aug. 15 video by Lisa LaFlamme.
- Another bad sign for Bell Media is that the LaFlamme chart ends on an upswing (thanks to the news coverage of the Aug. 27 open letter signed by 70 prominent Canadians calling on Bell to 'make things right').
- The Rogers outage affected millions of people. The lack of transparency and communication further inflamed the public, resulting in a massive spike in web searches, news, etc.
- The Bell Media story is a self-inflicted crisis compounded by poor crisis management. Leadership made a calculated decision about how the LaFlamme termination would be received. It would appear they got it wrong.
- As long as Bell Media sticks stubbornly to its narrative (which the public is not buying), and avoids an unqualified apology and/or the replacement of key executives, there is no end to their crisis in sight.