There can be a massive difference in the outcomes of a PR Crisis handled badly and one handled well. In this online world Professional Photographers and Videographers are not immune and must take heed.

Telecoms company Talk Talk and retailer Carphone Warehouse both suffered break-ins to various web site platforms this year, revealing extremely sensitive customer data to include bank account, credit and debit card details. These are being quoted as sophisticated attacks by criminals who have managed to break down sophisticated Web Site security barriers.

The response of Talk Talk was to almost immediately, wheel out their Chief Executive to National Media meetings, without really knowing which of their millions of customers had been affected. Big mistake.

In the case of Carphone Warehouse they quietly locked down the affected sites and immediately investigated. After three days they had worked out what had happened, who had been affected and needed to be notified and finally what needed to be done to put things right.

The difference in the impact of the two strategies was extraordinary.

Talk Talk walked head first into a media and online storm causing widespread panic among customers. They were simply not prepared. The Talk Talk Share Price collapsed and the bill for repairing the damage costing many millions. The impact of the security breach and response and the subsequent reputational damage are likely to linger long in the mind of the Public.

Carphone Warehouse on the other hand were calmness personified (at least on the surface). According to reports the affected customers were quickly contacted and reassured and the media kept largely at bay. After an initial drop in Share Price this recovered quickly presumably because losses were contained and confidence quickly restored.

This is where a PR expert and PR Crisis Containment insurance can prove to be priceless asset when it comes to restoring confidence and protecting reputation.

Infocus Insurance Professional Indemnity policies automatically include PR Crisis Containment insurance.