Wednesday
December 31, 2008
I just took a look through my statistics for the year and have compiled a list of the most popular posts here on No Turn On Red. Looks like the real-time information provided by retailers via Twitter was the breakout topic that I wrote about this year.
Happy New Year to all my readers. May we all be surprised and see 2009 turn into a brighter year than we are all expecting! Thanks to everyone who visits, reads, and shares information from this blog. I do appreciate the readership!
Thursday
September 4, 2008
Wanted to take a moment and thank some other bloggers who have linked to some of my posts over the past few days.
Lorrelle On WordPress offers a very extensive post on ways that blogs and social media are most effective during a time of disaster. In the post, Blogs Offer Communication, Information, and Connections During Disasters, there is a great rundown of the different ways in which social media was used well in advance of and through Hurricane Gustav. Beyond that, there’s a very interesting look at the evolution of social media and technology since Hurricane Katrina. Very good, detailed post with some great information and resources.
The Business section of Blogs.com has a rundown of what various bloggers are talking about, in regards to the economic and financial impact of Hurricane Gustav.
Finally, Reputation Notebook is also looking at the role social media is playing in the crisis response from corporations. I agree with Mark that the role of social media within corporate communications is going to continue to grow. A crisis, like Hurricane Gustav, shows how important social media can be to an effective corporate communication policy.
Wednesday
September 3, 2008
More announcements from retailers offering assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav:
Best Buy, with eight stores in the affected region, has announced that customers can donate to the American Red Cross through all of the stores nationally through September 30, 2008. The retailer will also match donations up to $1 million.
Home Depot has announced it has donated $300,000 to the American Red Cross, in addition to $500,000 that the retailer donated to employees who were affected by the storm.
Finally, Target has announced a variety of relief efforts. They’re donating $300,000 in product relief packages assembled by volunteers and delegates from the Republican National Convention. The retailer has also given the American Red Cross access to their store in Convington, LA for use as an emergency operations center, and are allowing the Salvation Army to use a vacant store in Dallas, TX to store supplies.
Tuesday
September 2, 2008
Lowe’s has released a statement regarding the impact of Hurricane Gustav on their stores and outlining their relief & recovery efforts:
As of Monday afternoon, Lowe’s had approximately 30 stores closed in coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, and more than 70 total stores under its command center watch in the Gulf Coast region.
“Lowe’s command center is in full activation and we are expediting as much emergency product into affected communities to help customers recover when they return home,” said Larry D. Stone, Lowe’s president and chief operating officer. “In addition, Lowe’s employees from other parts of the Southeast are on standby as part of our Storm Recovery Teams that will allow Lowe’s to reopen stores as soon as it is safe to do so. These teams can also relieve affected Lowe’s employees so they may attend to their own homes and families.”
In addition to the trucks of supplies they have staged and are shipping to the Gulf Coast, the retailer also announced that all of their stores nationwide (1,575) will serve as official cash donation sites for the American Red Cross and will match in-store contributions.
Tuesday
September 2, 2008
New Orleans has a great mix of local and national retail brands that I think is an example for many other urban areas. Last year, I got to get down to New Orleans and really enjoyed, among other things, the Riverwalk Marketplace. The national brands co-existing with local stores was a nice balance to see With Hurricane Gustav having moved on shore and away from New Orleans, retailers will be allowed back in to the city, on Wednesday, in order to check on damage and assess their properties. I hope there is a speedy recovery for everyone involved in the storm.
As discussed over the weekend, many retailers prepared well for this storm in order to reopen their stores in the wake of the storm. USA Today has more on the post-storm plans in their article, Businesses eye quick recovery effort after Gustav. Home Depot has many trucks staged and ready to roll into the affected area and Walmart really highlights all of the things that they learned in the aftermath of Katrina that made this preparation better, which in turn should make the recovery smoother and quicker.
Speaking of Walmart: In this article regarding the 1200 evacuees that found themselves in Hanceville, Alabama, there’s a good note about Walmart’s local response to the situation:
“Wal-Mart Distribution Center called and asked what we need,” Kilgo said. “They brought a huge truck load of supplies, including drinks, snacks and cleaning supplies.”
If you have any more information on retail-related recovery efforts, please let me know.
