Brand Reputation Warfare

Companies and their brands are now fighting a new, and at times, elusive small-scale antagonists more and more frequently. The age of social media, while most often looked to as a brand-building tool, has also become the weapon of choice when it comes to attacking brands and their associated reputations by dissatisfied customers, disgruntled employees, or anyone else.

Virtually anyone with a personal computer, a web connection, and an axe to grind can become a major problem for a brand and it can happen seemingly over night. Brand reputation is difficult enough without the constant threat of brush fires of negative public relations issues popping up and spreading quickly. Management still has options in dealing with these situations while not tarnishing the brand any further and perhaps with the chance to actually build the brand even more as a result.

Below are few guidelines for dealing with these issues when they do occur:

Be calm and think first. Even if you are managing a large and well-funded brand, do not retaliate with an overwhelming show of force. Be professional, factual, and listen. Some may initially feel that a barrage of press releases, blogging, and social media responses would immediately be in order to extinguish and suppress the negative chatter online and elsewhere. This may not always be the case, and rarely is in the new socially dominated digital universe. A large brand in the midst of a knee-jerk response that is over-done can backfire and garner sympathy public opinion votes for the 'little guy' and only further their cause and not the brands cause.

Don't get bogged down in red tape. The response should be swift and relevant. If a mid-level P.R. professional in the organization drafts responses that are deemed reasonable and effective, go with it. Don't wait for upper management to go over everything and approve it letter for letter. This goes to the next point, by the way…

Empower members of your organization. This goes for almost any aspect of the organization, but it is especially true when dealing with these situations. People tend to believe other 'real' people who work at a company, and not a person who is lofting around in the higher ranks of an organization. These are often considered the very people who drove the brand to do what has them upset in the first place. When everyone knows and shares the vision and values of the organization, the story is natural and realistic. It is also more believable.

New media perpetuated the issues, use new media to help address the issues. New media is often considered a threat for the very reasons that we are discussing here. Some of this stems from most organizations not knowing what to do. Many have not laid out a contingency plan in the event that this happens, and most do not have the right resources in place to operate a new media campaign. Many companies do not know how to fight fire with fire because they have never used a match before. Be prepared, even if you were never a Boy Scout.

Know who your allies are. Know who really knows what your brand and organization is all about. Utilize them as needed if your brand takes a reputation beating. These are force multipliers that are taken much more seriously that a CEO when a brand needs defending. These people are more credible and believable to the public at large as an outside or third party reference involving the issue at hand. Influencers cannot only help build your brand; they can help maintain it in a crisis situation.

Again, be prepared. Part of preparedness in situations like these is first of all, being a good corporate citizen, and when this is acknowledged, keep it in your pocket to re-iterate when your brand is under attack. Being able to point to these times of brand responsibility can go a long way especially when they are current and relevant to the issue at hand.

New media is a great new force in the marketing world. It, like many powerful forces, can be a double-edged sword. Always keep your sharp to fight back when someone starts taking pot-shots at you from a distance.

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As always, thank you for joining us for this discussion.

Tod O'Brien
Director of Creative Services
One Eyed Dog Productions
www.oneeyeddog.com