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- #CommsChat on internal comms during the Covid-19 crisis
- #CommsChat on employees as the gatekeepers to brand reputation
- #CommsChat on the use of video in internal communications
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- Digital dieting: getting the right balance of tech in our lives
- The impact of GDPR on the PR industry
- Crisis comms, definition and best practice
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- Transcript
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August 20, 2013 Transcript of this week’s #commschat on brand crises and reputation
Last night we discussed the issues facing brands who have suffered serious crises or continue to be involved in scandals.
We had a huge number of tweetchat responses to our queries, with contributors discussing brand crisis, the qualities a brand needs to recover, damaged reputation and the importance of internal as well as external comms.
Here are a few highlights from the debate:
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@RachelCDailey blackberry denied the existence of iphone, anyone who cant acknowledged competitors cant handle competitors -
@Maxim_PR Leaving customers without usable phones and lack of comms during period – you don’t think that was wrong?
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@jenandersson1 T3 ethical behaviour and#csr very strong pillar of reputation building. Very important to integrate throughout business
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@Maxim_PR T4: Brands need to be genuine to recover from a poor reputation – demonstrate that things are changing, that customers matter
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@EmilyJHowells think of tesco horse meat! “what burgers taught us” admit fault, be open and honest, set direction move forward & achieve it!
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That’s another
#commschat over for this week. Apologies to followers who weren’t interested. -
@CommsChat damaging to be linked to business that puts people at risk, esp for likes of Benetton has people at heart of brand#commschat -
I normally agree with the contention that a crisis is an opportunity. But some just aren’t.
#commschat -
@CommsChat all depends on how they handle the aftermath, what an investigation reveals#commschat -
@themybigtoeco@CommsChat spot on. All mixed in with a big dollop of bravery (at least on the part of the bod leading the team!)#commschat -
there’s one more topic to cover – To what extent do crises like the Rana Plaza factory collapse impact a brand?. Thnx
#commschat -
@CommsChat sorry to hear that hope you are ok.#commschat -
#commschat think of tesco horse meat! “what burgers taught us” admit fault, be open and honest, set direction move forward & achieve it! -
Listen folks – I’ve just had some very upsetting personal news. Can I trust you guys to give it your all for the last 8 mins?
#commschat -
@CommsChat honesty. Admit past mistakes and say they want to put things right. But they have to be honest about that as well#commschat -
@CommsChat RIM invented the smartphone category. But now it’s been overtaken. Don’t count them out in other areas, though.#commschat -
@jgombita indeed – i think their forthcoming demise is v sad. I also think they wrote many rules comms pros now take for granted#commschat -
@CommsChat Humility. A passionate desire to listen. And a sense of wanting to never (ever) repeat past failings#commschat -
@CommsChat ability to confront issue, commitment to quality/improvement and clear direction#commschat -
Before I depart
#commschat, pointing out that Blackberry has contributed HUGELY to local economies, startup sector, R&D & (uni) education. -
T4: Brands need to be genuine to recover from a poor reputation – demonstrate that things are changing, that customers matter etc
#commschat -
@CommsChat transparency and honesty are important; invest in engagement; find a core value with deep roots on which to build#commschat -
@CommsChat need 2 go offline so you can revert to being all#commschat British-style reserved/attack CDN Blackberry’s reputation.#commschat -
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@CommsChat what about ‘Brand Beckham’? personal life allegations now just a blip for media, sponsors and public#commschat -
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@CommsChat it needs to be able to recognise failings and show how moving forward, getting better, changing#commschat -
Whoops topic 4, I meant –> What qualities does a brand need to have to recover from poor reputation?
#commschat -
You know it’s just me doing my bit to undermine Canadians’ reputation for being meek and mild
@CommsChat@SandyLindsay…. 😉#commschat -
Lets look at topic 2 – What qualities does a brand need to have to recover from poor reputation?
#commschat -
-
RT
@amandacomms I think we have – invest in conversation not necessarily reputation but has helped during crisis#commschat -
Exactly >> RT
@CommsChat: yes, think that also opend the gates for press to attack RIM. Prior theyd been a bit of alovebrand#commschat -
@SandyLindsay yes good isnt it. Thats cos@jgombita & I limberd up by arguing abt reformation & dissolution of monasteries first#commschat -
@CommsChat …when fighting to overturn West Coast Main Line contract was testimony to that#commschat -
@sandylindsay Depends who’s taking part! Prefer it when it’s not quite so spirited…#commschat -
@CommsChat I think we have – invest in conversation not necessarily reputation but has helped during crisis#commschat -
@CommsChat yup virgin trains -built rep through#custserv &#EmployeeEngagement when lost wc mainline public support won it back#commschat -
Wondering if
@greenbanana felt RIM’s 2011 UK “outtage” damaged (now) Blackberry’s “reputation” as much as@Maxim_PR does.#commschat -
@CommsChat bodyshop has survived a more competitive ‘smellies’ market in recent years, is it product, rep or both?#commschat -
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@commschat If they invested in their reputation we might not think of what they went through as a crisis?#commschat -
@Maxim_PR@jgombita@MarycLong yes, think that also opend the gates for press to attack RIM. Prior theyd been a bit of alovebrand#commschat -
I think the retail sector was impacted, positively or negatively
@CommsChat re: response to Bangalore factory tragedy.#commschat -
@jgombita@MarycLong I think I’m right, you think you’re right. What’s the point in arguing? In the UK, rep was def damaged#commschat -
anyone think of any co’s who invested in their reputation & either seen that protect it when crisis came or made no difference
#commschat -
@Maxim_PR I don’t buy that. And yet another “agree to disagree” non-persuasive, cop-out person. Sigh. c@MaryCLong#commschat -
@kate_reyn@CommsChat Agreed, has to be a fundamental part of the business ethos, from the top down and instilled as a culture.#commschat -
@jgombita That’s when their reputation was severely damaged. We’ll have to agree to disagree.#commschat -
Ethical values/simple honesty have never been more important. Social makes it impossible to hide behind smoke screens of old.
#commschat -
RT
@Maxim_PR If a brand spent time building a positive reputation by being ethical, they shld be better thought of durng a crisis#commschat -
T3 ethical behaviour and
#csr very strong pillar of reputation building. Very important to integrate throughout business#commschat -
@Maxim_PR you are pointing to the October 2011 outtage?! I thought you meant more recent events, not two years ago…..#commschat -
T3: If a brand has spent time building a positive reputation by being ethical, they should be better thought of during a crisis
#commschat -
Post
#commschat scroll to end of Extraction Byte: Mining Social PR Elements from the Masters of Disaster Commandments http://maximizesocialbusiness.com/extraction-byte-social-public-relations-elements-8064 … -
@CommsChat a3 huge importance – even more so with social media. Orgs genuinely have to care and do right thing.#commschat -
@jenandersson1@CommsChat consumers are more fickle than ever, does brand loyalty really exist with products like this?#commschat -
@CommsChat hi all. Interesting#commschat tonight and if you’re starting on the ‘e’ word count me in! -
which brings me neatly to topic 3 – To what extent do morality and ethical values play a role in reputation? and does it matter?
#commschat -
@jenandersson1 Very true – can’t really have a good reputation if you have a poor product#commschat -
RT
@jgombita Things can be “imposed’ on a company, or they can be self-inflicted. e.g. Financial malfeasance#commschat -
@Maxim_PR what Blackberry customer was left without a “useable” phone?! Simply was not an updated model. You are kind of dramatic#commschat -
@Maxim_PR eeek! Sorry@CommsChat missed that instruction. But product is part of reputation building too. Hard to differentiate#commschat -
is building a reputation all in vain if you cant keep up or compete
#commschat -
@CommsChat not really clear what Blackberry stands for.#commschat -
But arguably at the start, RIM positioned itself as the nice guys in the handset market.
#commschat -
That’s not what I said
@Maxim_PR. Things can be “imposed’ on a company, or they can be self-inflicted. e.g. Financial malfeasance#commschat -
@jgombita@CommsChat Leaving customers without usable phones and lack of comms during period – you don’t think that was wrong?#commschat -
Agree with everyone saying that BlackBerry got left behind in product development but
@CommsChat did say it wasn’t about handsets#commschat -
2/2
@Maxim_PR@CommsChat But to imply its “reputation” was at fault. Huh? What great “wrong” did it do? Value lessened, not rep.#commschat -
@CommsChat Evening all. Apple’s brand strategy is much stronger; it’s all about the consumer & making tech easy to use#commschat -
@CommsChat I’d put it down to bad briefing and arrogance#commschat -
@maxim_pr RIM/BlackBerry lacked agility/speed to market, so got left behind. 1/2#commschat -
@jenandersson1 TOTALLY agree! But as@CommsChat said it wasn’t about handsets, thought it was best to talk reputation#commschat -
@CommsChat I imagine he was briefed to outlaw competitors by means possible and this is what came into the spokespersons mind#commschat -
@Maxim_PR@CommsChat agree re reputation but product also not competitive#commschat -
@jgombita@amandacomms different ways of handling the comms depending on the situation – agreed#commschat -
@RachelCDailey &do you think arrogance existed in their communication strategy pre-crisis. Or rather, earlier in their crisis#commschat -
@CommsChat Yep, but think BlackBerry damaged its reputation some time ago. Possibly too late to salvage.#commschat -
@amandacomms@Maxim_PR it also depends on whether your company/employees “caused” the crisis or whether it was inflicted on you.#commschat -
@CommsChat Apple brand is much stronger. Everything they do says they’re cool. from design to easy use.#commschat -
@Maxim_PR and presumably, even if business up for sale, poor comms now cld make sale less, more staff redundant, etc#commschat -
RT
@kate_reyn if that did happen you’d nd to think abt internal comms &sending signals to potential buyers that the co has value#commschat -
@CommsChat they denied the existence of iphone, anyone who cant acknowledged competitors cant handle competitors#commschat -
@commschat that’s going to affect share prices, customers, retailers etc. Would say it’s essential to communicate with them all#commschat -
@CommsChat if that did happen u’d nd to think about internal comms and sending signals to potential buyers that the co has value#commschat -
rather than the pros and cons of one handset over another.
#commschat -
@Maxim_PR agree with that same elements but have to be treated differently depending on the organisation#commschat -
@RachelCDailey I tend to agree, but the arguement is over the concept of how much belief in an org is set by its reputation#commschat -
@CommsChat personally no. Losing the battle with Iphone for me. I can do so much more on that#commschat -
@amandacomms I agree that the elements should be the same but don’t think SMEs and large corporates can be treated the same#commschat -
A2 Never again, androids are so much faster and capable of more
@CommsChat#commschat -
@CommsChat I wouldn’t say that’s a crisis per se – although it may happen quickly you cd still be strategic and plan#commschat -
Knowing that there was a possibility that the business might not exist in its current form in six months time
#commschat -
@amandacomms Think it matters because if it’s a crisis lasting months it’s harder for smaller companies to allocate resources#commschat -
@CommsChat hi, just tweeting as me 🙂 would be interesting to see some org’s Comms structure within contingency planning …#commschat -
which is a neat segway into topic 2 – Would you buy a Blackberry tomorrow?
#commschat -
@Maxim_PR@commschat does it really matter – the elements of dealing with a crisis are same despite the size, aren’t they?#commschat -
@Maxim_PR well, let’s put the crisis into some kind of context. Say, you’re a phone company and you announce yr potential sale#commschat -
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@commschat Really depends what crisis is? Are we talking general downturn or fire and flood?#commschat -
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@CommsChat Very interested to hear people’s thoughts on topics 3 & 4 in tonight’s#commschat. (Hello, all! Vici from Starbucks here). -
@Maxim_PR but how easy is that when in crisis?#commschat -
A1 think it depends on so many things – what it is, resources, size of crisis
@Communicatemag@amandacomms#commschat -
Hi all I’m Kate from Sanctuary
@CommsChat@amandacomms@Maxim_PR@PamelaWelsh#commschat -
T1: That said, most situations will require some form of comms to some, if not all, audiences
#commschat -
@CommsChat in times of crisis it is often good to keep the normality of the day to day#commschat -
Evening! Size of
#crisis and crisis team often determines how much focus day to day#comms gets#commschat -
T1: Depends on so many factors. How big is co? Is there a comms dept/agency? Is crisis in the public domain?
#commschat -
lack of tweetchat tonight will undoubtedly make me a bit schizophrenic tonight, apologies in advance.
#commschat -
lack of tweetchat tonight will undoubtedly make me a bit schizophrenic tonight, apologies in advance.
#commschat -
so how much day to day communication can you spare when youre dealing with a crisis? A good one for you, maybe,
@amandacomms#commschat -
so how much day to day communication can you spare when your dealing with a crisis? A good one for you, maybe,
@amandacomms#commschat -
-
Hi
#commschat. I’m Rachel, tweeting on behalf of PR agency Maxim. Followers, if you’re not interested, please mute the hashtag for nxt hour -
…when your co in crisis mode how much of yr attention just goes on firefighting – to what extent are you going to ignore comms
#commschat -
@Communicatemag oops, forgot to introduce myself. Pamela, from northwards housing in Manchester#commschat -
our first topic T1 Does focusing on treading water stop you from swimming? In other words…
#commschat -
and so saying, I’m Andrew Thomas. publishing editor of COmmunicate magazine
#commschat
Maxim 
Claire Tennant 
SandyLindsay 
jenny andersson 
CommsChat 
Amanda Coleman 
Emily Jayne Powell 
Martin Deller 
Judy Gombita 
themybigtoecompany 
Thorne PR 
Kate Reynolds 
RachelCharltonDailey 
Vici 
Andrew / Communicate 
Pamela Welsh See what others are talking about "Brittany Golob"
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