Apr 20, 2009
Brand Damage: How Not to be a Victim
While Domino’s Pizza continues to recover from a tasteless YouTube video, companies should take a clue and think about how to preserve their brand in today’s cyberspace world. Domino’s learned the hard way – its failure to anticipate the negative ramifications of social media caused much reactive, costly and time-consuming activities.
Fortunately, there are ways to avoid or at least minimize cyber victimization before it turns into a verb as in “Hey, man, don’t Dominos my food.” While large, longtime companies are likely to survive brand damage, small and mid-size organizations are much more vulnerable to the power of social media. Marketing experts believe some businesses are only a click away from a crisis premiering in the public domain. Even bleaker is this reality: the absolute worst time to try to build relationships or to start establishing effective communications tools is during the crisis.
Wayne Hill, president of Ohio-based Edward Howard, says the most important first step is a change of mindset. “Many companies suffer from ‘magical thinking’. They simply believe they are immune to a crisis,” said Hill. “If businesspeople took the time to really think about everything that could possibly go wrong – not so much operationally, but more technologically – then their mindset couldn’t help but change.”
Once that shift in thinking occurs, other steps that a company can do to protect its reputation include:
- Know what’s being said – good and bad – about your organization. Surround yourself with people (in-house or outsourced) who have a working knowledge and application of all forms of social media to monitor your organization and to immediately activate communications, including live, as needed.
- Take small steps, such as Internet news alerts, establishing social media accounts or developing a dark web page.
- Ensure that your organization has most, if not all, of the basics of a crisis communications plan, no matter how remedial.
- Develop a crisis communications plan that includes social media elements, media training and messaging. If in-house resources aren’t available, look for a reputable service provider with both crisis management and social media experience.
“People may think they can’t afford to do something about their branding in today’s warp speed travel of cyber news and viral media,” said Hill. “The reality is that people can’t afford not to be prepared, and the basic steps are more affordable than they realize. With today’s 24/7 news coverage, combined with online avenues, information is continuously recycled. Technology lasts forever (see www.digg.com), but every day, companies may see their reputations damaged in minutes.”
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Fundamental point indeed about engaging with one’s stakeholders, especially when the tide turns against your favour. I think one other important point to be learned from this is to own the crisis and have your own official channels and platforms specially constructed to deal with it. Be quick to respond to online brickbats (not all of them, but perhaps the 10 most influential blogs/twitterers?) and be prepared for the long road to recovery.
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[...] DISCLAIMER: If your organization doesn’t understand how social works in its most basic purpose of forming communities and two-way relationships, and/or if your organization is unwilling to take its lumps and address its naysayers, you may be fighting an uphill battle (again, that’s for another post). Just keep in mind that it’s difficult to address a crisis initiated on and perpetuated by social media. Ask Domino’s. [...]
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