In a crisis, there’s a real temptation to focus on the here and now. Our instinct is to go into survival mode. It’s hard enough to think about getting through the next 24 hours, let alone to think about what to do once the crisis is over.
Brands
What to be aware of when working with influencers
We’re seeing some lifestyle and travel influencers being called to account for their foreign travels during a global pandemic. Many of us are in lockdown and even at the start of the pandemic people were beginning to tire of seeing…
Does brand reputation matter?
Axios has released the results of the latest Axios Harris Poll 100 survey. It conducted the research by asking U.S. adults to rank companies based on their corporate reputation. The participants were not happy with Facebook, at all. It fell…
Nike and the importance of meaningful brand values
Any team can brainstorm a handful of values and stick them on the company website. It doesn’t mean the brand lives by them. Words are often easy, actions less so. When Nike decided to work with former NFL player, Colin…
The curious case of Wetherspoon’s social shutdown
British pub chain JD Wetherspoon shut down all of its 900+ pub’s social media profiles this week, with the chairman, Tim Martin, citing a variety of reasons. Apart from his general opinion that people spend too much time on social…
The perils of change: lessons from the #KFCCrisis
In February, Kentucky Fried Chicken started working with a new “delivery partner”. Now, usually, most people wouldn’t care about this, but then hundreds of KFC branches closed down temporarily because they ran out of chicken and, well, a lot of…
Can humour be toxic to brands?
There’s a big difference between funny and patronising – this is especially true for brands on social media. Of course, much of our humour is down to personal taste. What one person finds offensive, another may find side-splittingly funny. Being…
Social media crisis management in the age of anger
I don’t know about you, but I didn’t need research to tell me that we’re all a bit angrier than we used to be. But, research we have. BMB recently conducted research in conjunction with The Drum and House51; it…
Is your brand prepared to be attacked on social media?
Social media has revolutionised the way we communicate, but it’s also caused some problems. Issues that shouldn’t touch a brand can become reputational crises within hours. Fringe groups use social media gain disproportionate airtime for views held by a tiny…
How to respond to negative reviews
The subtitle to this post should be: “in a way that doesn’t blow up in your face”. No reasonable person expects brands to be perfect. Mistakes happen, it’s the response (or lack of one) that counts. But sometimes businesses seem…
