There used to be a saying that “there is no such thing as bad publicity”, but in the Internet age, that couldn’t be further from the truth. With a plethora of review sites, and the ability to share a negative review or a news story on a social network at the click of a button, a bad review or bad PR could go viral and leave a business desperately floundering for survival.
Small business owners can often struggle to cope with public criticism, and will often react badly to it. Knowing how to handle unhappy clients and being proactive at resolving issues is vital in PR if a small business is to overcome its shortcomings and turn itself around.
Likewise, big companies are also prone to creating bad PR and sometimes in an instant. Just one ill-timed, insensitive, out of context or badly thought out message is often shared by thousands of Twitter users in seconds; that can lead to front page news – and for all of the wrong reasons.
As an example, US fashion label, American Apparel thought it would be a good idea to offer a 36-hour Hurricane Sandy sale to its customers, something that didn’t go down too well with Twitter users. The media were quick to pick up on the story and soon most major papers featured an article asking whether or not the promotion was in good taste. A spokesperson for American Apparel later made it clear that “they would never try to offend anyone or capitalise on a natural disaster”. That’s obviously not what the public thought!
This example of negative publicity did get American Apparel’s name in the news, but many would-be buyers took a dim view of the company. It might have gained American Apparel some extra sales in the short term, but if the Twitter response was anything to go by, it would have cost them in the long term.
That is why positive PR is more vital to a business than negative PR. Negative PR might gain some extra interest on a short-term basis, but positive PR will build a foundation that will build long-term customers and loyalty.
It doesn’t matter if your company is large or small; every business is capable of being responsible for PR gaffes that could – without excellent PR – see a brand permanently damaged. That is why an experienced PR agency is vital to all businesses these days, especially in the Internet age when a PR gaffe can be round the world in minutes.
Small business owners can often struggle to cope with public criticism, and will often react badly to it. Knowing how to handle unhappy clients and being proactive at resolving issues is vital in PR if a small business is to overcome its shortcomings and turn itself around.
Likewise, big companies are also prone to creating bad PR and sometimes in an instant. Just one ill-timed, insensitive, out of context or badly thought out message is often shared by thousands of Twitter users in seconds; that can lead to front page news – and for all of the wrong reasons.
As an example, US fashion label, American Apparel thought it would be a good idea to offer a 36-hour Hurricane Sandy sale to its customers, something that didn’t go down too well with Twitter users. The media were quick to pick up on the story and soon most major papers featured an article asking whether or not the promotion was in good taste. A spokesperson for American Apparel later made it clear that “they would never try to offend anyone or capitalise on a natural disaster”. That’s obviously not what the public thought!
This example of negative publicity did get American Apparel’s name in the news, but many would-be buyers took a dim view of the company. It might have gained American Apparel some extra sales in the short term, but if the Twitter response was anything to go by, it would have cost them in the long term.
That is why positive PR is more vital to a business than negative PR. Negative PR might gain some extra interest on a short-term basis, but positive PR will build a foundation that will build long-term customers and loyalty.
It doesn’t matter if your company is large or small; every business is capable of being responsible for PR gaffes that could – without excellent PR – see a brand permanently damaged. That is why an experienced PR agency is vital to all businesses these days, especially in the Internet age when a PR gaffe can be round the world in minutes.
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