Today’s Brand Damage Control
Posted February 27th, 2007 by Kevin
Every business should have a damage control strategy. Of course, the tactics used only five years ago are no longer sufficient considering the rise of social media. Quickly distributing a press release and burying it in the Company News section of the website (like Yum Brands did as a result of this story involving rats at Taco Bell in NY) does not effectively reassure your customers that the organization is addressing the situation. In the case of the Taco Bell incident, one would think that the Damage Control strategy would have been updated as a result of last year’s E. coli scare, but a visit to both the Taco Bell site and the Yum Brands site failed to address either issue on the homepage.
However, in today’s social media world, individuals might want to start developing their own “Damage Control” strategy. Consider the recent American Idol news surrounding some lurid pictures of contestant Antonella Barba. After watching the show, one would think her focus would be on trying to improve her below average singing chops, but based on pictures that surfaced during the last week (which we won’t link to here), she might have more to worry about, like her entire reputation. Thankfully, social media even chips in to help out individual reputations. Popular American Idol site, Vote For The Worst, has done the research and at least helped Barba prove that she is not the girl in the extremely raunchy images (other images cannot be refuted). However, Vote for the Worst may only have protected her to fulfill its own agenda; keeping the least talented individual on the show, which Barba obviously is.
Clearly, having fans or brand advocates can help not only business, but individuals conduct damage control. What’s your plan?
