24/7 Crisis Hotline for Our Clients
Im Krisenfall wählen Sie rund um die Uhr
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Bitte beachten Sie, dass beim Klick auf die Telefonnummer automatisch ein Anruf ausgelöst wird. In Notfällen kommt es auf passgenaue Kommunikation an. Wir bereiten Sie auf den Ernstfall vor und stehen im Krisenfall an Ihrer Seite.
Crisis Communication
reliable & reachable
Crisis and Media Training
competent & hands-on
Risk Analysis / Issue Management / Monitoring
confidential & efficient
One Hotline — Always Available
Crisis communication that functions around the clock enables a company to respond to crises at any time — both internally and externally. This is not just about answering enquiries, but also about proactively informing, managing processes and safeguarding the company’s reputation. These tasks require precision, speed and clear structures.
IN CASE OF A CASE — YOUR EXPERTS
With over 20 years of experience in real crisis communication, we support companies, associations and individuals quickly, reliably and discreetly.
Richard Schütze
Richard Schütze is a lawyer who has been advising, training and coaching leading representatives of associations, political, social and cultural institutions, top managers of DAX-listed and mid-sized companies, as well as public figures for more than 30 years. He prepares his clients for difficult negotiations, conversations and appearances in internal corporate bodies as well as in public and in the media. He has helped shape crisis management and crisis communication for numerous companies and conducts training seminars for major industry and employer associations. As a political consultant, he analyses and comments on current affairs in television, radio, online and print media, and appears at events as a speaker and moderator.
Christian Liepack
Christian Liepack is Managing Director of Medienbüro am Reichstag GmbH and the crisis communication centre MAR CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS. He worked for many years as Head of Internal Communications, Press Spokesperson and Crisis Manager at airberlin, accompanying Germany's second-largest airline through nearly a decade of corporate and crisis communication until the end of 2017. Christian has successfully managed over 170 crises as a crisis spokesperson and advisor — including cases of corruption, cyberattacks, accidents with and without fatalities, social media backlash, insolvencies and much more. He also prepares C-level managers for challenging communication scenarios. Lecturer in Internal Communication in Crisis Situations and Media Rhetoric
Patrick von Krienke
A political scientist by training, Patrick von Krienke served for many years as a professional officer in the German Armed Forces and today works as a trainer, author and freelance journalist in Germany. For several years he has been part of the MAR24 crisis team. In difficult situations, the chief analyst is on hand to support clients with his expertise.
The Most Important Answers
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Crisis communication training is particularly important for certain groups of employees in your organisation — especially those who need to communicate internally or externally in a crisis, who influence how the company is perceived, or who represent decisions in key positions. Below is an overview of the relevant roles and why they should receive training:
Executive Management / Senior Leadership
Why: They are usually the first point of contact for the press, authorities and investors.
Goal: Credible, transparent and clear communication — both internally and externally.
Press Spokesperson / PR & Communications Department
Why: They formulate messages and press releases and handle direct contact with the media.
Goal: Control of public perception and prevention of panic or reputational damage.
Crisis Team Members
Why: They coordinate decisions and must disseminate clear, aligned information both internally and externally.
Goal: Consistent communication with employees, customers, partners and authorities.
Managers / Department Heads
Why: They serve as the interface to their teams and are important multipliers of information.
Goal: Passing on reliable information and providing security and orientation.
Human Resources (HR)
Why: Point of contact for employees, e.g. regarding concerns, anxieties or internal changes.
Goal: Clear communication on employment law, health or organisational matters.
Customer Service / Sales
Why: Direct contact with customers — often the first point of contact in a crisis (e.g. delivery failure, data breach).
Goal: Professional, reassuring communication with customers — even under pressure.
IT Department (for Cyber / Data Security Crises)
Why: Technical point of contact, often the interface with service providers, authorities or for communicating incidents.
Goal: Clear communication of technical matters to non-IT specialists, including measures taken and timelines.
Bonus: What does crisis communication training cover?
Role allocation & escalation levels
Communication principles in a crisis (e.g. transparency, composure, consistency)
Handling media enquiries and social media
Communication exercises (e.g. delivering a statement, interview training)
Common mistakes and typical pitfalls
Tools & templates for rapid response
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There are many good reasons why an experienced crisis communication agency is often the better choice than internal staff — especially in serious or complex crises. Here is an overview of the key advantages:
Experience from Numerous Crisis Situations
As a crisis communication agency, we have successfully managed and led countless crisis scenarios — from social media backlash and data breaches, to road accidents with and without personal injury, corruption, strikes, public meetings, product recalls and management scandals. Our experience allows us to recognise patterns quickly and deploy proven strategies. Internal employees are often occupied with operational matters and rarely encounter real crises, while we deal with them almost every day.
Immediate Availability and Readiness
Crises cannot wait. We are available around the clock for our clients, with established processes and an experienced team that can act immediately.
Internal teams often first need to be briefed, coordinated or built from scratch.
Objectivity and a Fresh Outside Perspective
An unbiased view is invaluable in a crisis. Our crisis managers are emotionally detached, identify blind spots and avoid hasty defensive reactions. Internal employees are often too close to the situation or influenced by internal politics.
Access to Media Contacts and Analysis Tools
We maintain close relationships with key media representatives and use modern tools for media monitoring, early crisis detection and social media analysis. Internal departments rarely have the same reach or technical resources.
Strategic Expertise and Reputation Building
We combine communication expertise with reputation management. We think beyond damage limitation and plan for the rebuilding of brand trust.
Efficient Use of Costs and Resources
Our crisis services are engaged only when needed — without ongoing salaries, training costs or recruiting. For companies that rarely face crises, this is often the more cost-effective solution. For 24/7 availability, we charge a fixed monthly retainer.
Avoiding Legal and Media Mistakes
Crisis communication is a minefield. Incorrect statements can have legal consequences or worsen reputational damage. We coordinate closely with the company, its management and legal department on all such matters.
For over 20 years, we have been supporting companies in crisis communication. In doing so, one topic comes up again and again: the crisis manual. The idea behind it is a good one, and companies invest significant time and money in creating these documents. We have written many such manuals ourselves. Yet these works — often 30, 40 or more pages long — frequently end up in a drawer or on a server, and stay there.
This is a mistake, because the real work only begins after the writing. As soon as the manual is finished, it is already out of date. Why? Because things in companies are constantly changing. Names, phone numbers, processes, template texts — all of this needs to be updated regularly. A crisis manual from last week is often already obsolete.
Don’t misunderstand us: crisis manuals are useful — when they are current and focused on the essentials. They also provide a solid foundation for crisis training. But a long, unwieldy manual is rarely helpful when it counts. We therefore recommend a one-pager — front and back — or a tear-off pad with all the key details, kept on the desk.
Below we have compiled arguments against such manuals and in favour of working with an experienced PR agency:
1. No time to read it in a crisis:
In acute situations, every minute counts. Nobody reads a 100-page manual — clear, immediately available instructions are what’s needed.
2. Information overload leads to paralysis:
Too many details create uncertainty rather than clarity. An overloaded manual hinders decisions instead of making them easier.
3. Often ignored:
Studies and experience show: even well-written manuals go unused in an emergency.
4. Becomes outdated quickly:
Media logic, channels and strategies change rapidly. A manual is often no longer current by the time it is needed.
5. Only suitable for training:
The true value of a manual lies in preparation: for drills, role assignments and scenario planning — not for live crisis management.
1. Rapid readiness:
A specialised agency can respond immediately — strategically, communicatively and operationally.
2. A clear view from the outside:
Companies often lose objective perspective in a crisis. An agency brings unbiased clarity and avoids tunnel vision.
3. Media expertise and network:
PR professionals know the media landscape, have contacts with editorial teams and place messages quickly and credibly.
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