Got crisis? Don't bother us with more than one at a time, please

It is marketing conventional wisdom: when it comes to brand awareness, there is only room for two or three leaders in any product category. All others are pretty much disregarded - people just can't seem to make sense of or remember so many product choices.

Similarly, is our ability to focus on too many crises at a time limited?  That is what an article in yesterday's New York Times says.

There’s no obvious link between an American bank, a British oil driller and a Japanese car maker. But the reputational struggles of these three global giants suggest one lesson that won’t be lost on shrewd corporations: the court of public opinion — led by the political class and including the media — appears capable of coping with only one villain at a time.

The reporter (no byline, a Reuters story) came to this conclusion by examining media coverage of Toyota, BP and Goldman Sachs in recent months.