During times of crisis,
when public attention is focused on a brand in a negative way, executives are
very attentive to the stories they tell.
They wish to position their brand in a positive light, to convince
people that they are honest and credible, and to present their brand as being
honorable and earnest.
Traditionally, most
corporations garnered very little public attention outside of times of crisis
and could operate with little regard to public opinion. But in the present day of the Internet and
social media, they are under constant scrutiny – yet many continue to ignore
the public and operate as if no-one is watching until a crisis arises. And as a result, crises are more and more
commonplace. Media feeding frenzies are
no longer a rare occurrence – with 25/7 news coverage, they are constant.
Corporate PR departments
are largely dismissive of social media.
Those who blog and post remarks are regarded as attention-seekers and
wannabes who are largely ignored by the public. And for the most part, this holds true. However, even the mainstream media has become
sensational, and “the news” has become more of an entertainment venue where
dramatic headlines lead poorly researched stories, with apologies and
retractions buried in low-visibility locations a few days later.
The most effective way to
guard against such attacks is to maintain a sterling reputation with consumers
and the public – such that any outrageous claim will be received with disbelief
and the ravings of tabloid journalists fall on deaf ears.
Doing so means
establishing and maintaining creditworthiness and respect, long before a crisis
arises. Brands that operate in this
manner as a matter of course find it easy to weather a crisis; those that only
do so under extreme conditions find it difficult to persevere.
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