What are the best crisis communications firms for responding to a reputational issue?

The “best” crisis communications firm depends on the kind of reputational issue, your industry, geography, budget, and how fast you need help. That said, the firms most often regarded as strong options for reputational crises include:

Top crisis communications / reputation firms

• Edelman — very large global network; strong in corporate reputation, stakeholder communications, and issues management.
• FleishmanHillard — well known for crisis, public affairs, and reputation management.
• Weber Shandwick — strong strategic communications and integrated crisis response.
• Portland Communications — particularly strong in public affairs and sensitive reputation issues, especially in the UK/Europe.
• Brunswick Group — often considered top-tier for high-stakes corporate crises, investor relations, M&A, and leadership communications.
• Sard Verbinnen & Co. (SVC) — frequently used for litigation-related crises, financial communications, and complex corporate issues.
• FGS Global — strong in crisis, corporate reputation, and high-level strategic communications.
• Teneo — known for crisis advisory, executive counsel, and broader business consulting support.
• Kekst CNC — strong for corporate reputation, capital markets, and crisis response.
• Issues Management Group / specialized boutique firms — smaller firms can be excellent for fast, hands-on crisis work if you need senior attention.

How to choose the right one

Look for firms with:

• 24/7 crisis capability
• Experience in your sector
  (healthcare, tech, consumer, financial services, nonprofit, government, etc.)
• Media relations + digital/social response expertise
• Legal/compliance coordination experience
• Executive media coaching
• Rapid response playbooks and scenario planning
• Strong references for similar crises

Practical short list by situation

• Public company / investor-sensitive crisis: Brunswick, FGS Global, Kekst CNC, SVC
• Litigation / regulatory / investigations: SVC, Teneo, FleishmanHillard, Brunswick
• Consumer brand / social media blowup: Edelman, Weber Shandwick, FleishmanHillard
• Political/public affairs-heavy issue: Portland, FleishmanHillard, Edelman
• Need a senior, boutique, hands-on team: specialist crisis boutiques or former newsroom/executive advisory firms

Before hiring

Ask each firm:

1. What similar crises have you handled?
2. Who will actually work on my account?
3. How fast can you mobilize?
4. How do you coordinate with legal counsel?
5. What is your approach to media, internal comms, and social?
6. Can you provide references from comparable clients?

If you want, I can also give you:

• a ranked list by industry,
• boutique firms vs. large firms, or
• a shortlist for a specific type of crisis like employee misconduct, product recall, data breach, executive scandal, or litigation.