Have you ever wondered if reputation management is worthwhile? Well, welcome to April 2017. This month is shaping up to be a cautionary tale about why perception is power when it comes to the world of marketing.
First up in this month’s PR nightmares is Pepsi Co. Seemingly oblivious to potential social backlash, the multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation released a commercial with Kendall Jenner featuring the model/reality star breaking free from her strenuous modeling gig to join a protest and potentially solve all the world’s problems by handing an officer a Pepsi. A scenario the internet seemed to agree trivialized the Black Lives Matter movement and pulled imagery from the well-documented Baton Rouge protester.
Next on our list is United Airlines, a company that not only allowed an officer to forcefully drag a paying customer off a flight, but managed to have video released of the incident that put the customer in the hospital. I guess it’s a good month to be a lawyer.
Worth 1,000 words
Arguably worse than the non-stop chatter about it on news stations are the references that have popped up all over the internet. Trolls wasted no time merging the two controversies to make sure the mishaps were not only covered, but also thoroughly memorialized in meme form.
via Twitter
via Instagram
Pepsi responded by pulling and apologizing for the controversial advertisement. “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark and apologize,” the company said in a statement. “We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout.”
The CEO of United Airlines, Oscar Munoz, offered an apology after the carrier’s holding company, United Continental Holdings, stock fell more than 4 percent, knocking almost a billion dollars off its value.
While these well-known brands will most likely financially recover, small businesses are that much more vulnerable to social scandal because many cannot afford to stay in business after a bad quarter (or longer).
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Unfortunately, it can happen to you
It’s not only well-known companies who have the potential to find their brand in hot water. In 2013, an Arizona restaurateur was so fed up with negative online reviews and an embarrassing appearance on Kitchen Nightmares that he posted a social media rant brimming with foul language and caps lock letters that quickly went viral. As you can imagine, it wasn’t great for business. The restaurant officially closed its doors in 2015.
While I hope most local business owners have the wits to keep their cool under customer pressure, there are times when an innocent mistake can become a reputation nightmare.
Moral of the story? Make sure your company, and your livelihood, is protected. If you’re ready to add reputation management to your digital services, contact us at 904.638.7555, or fill out our contact form, to get started.
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