Two years back, a client of PR consultant Eric Dezenhall was taking a beating on the Internet. An email alleging the client's feminine-care products contained asbestos was
bouncing around to thousands of people around the country. The rumor was circulated with such fervor that several local news outlets and CNN picked it up, fueling the fires
of negative publicity.
Dezenhall, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Nichols Dezenhall Communications and author of the book Nail 'Em!: Confronting High-Profile Attacks on Celebrities &
Businesses, eventually tracked the campaign back to one of his client's competitors. The competitor was hoping to generate buzz for its own, all-natural, products. Ultimately
his client received a vindication of sorts when the Food and Drug Administration released a statement saying the claims were false.
But by that time, the damage was done. Dezenhall acknowledges it was nearly impossible to eradicate the negative publicity because, well, ideas can live forever in cyberspace.
When presented with dubious information that may or may not be of concern, people are likely to err on the side of caution and pass it along. "Not everyone who forwards email is
an evil conspirator," says Dezenhall. "Sometimes you do it because it's cool."
A New Medium for Voicing Old Issues
That's not to say that all disparaging commentary on the Web is the stuff of less-than-ethical companies looking to get a leg up on competitors. Plenty of folks go online to
voice legitimate complaints, and many companies take those complaints seriously. Activists use the medium to prod businesses into practicing higher environmental standards, better
labor practices, and better treatment of customers.
Douglas Pinkham, president of the Foundation for Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., points out that because the Web allows unprecedented access to business leaders,
corporations are far more accountable for their actions. Pinkham's organization recently released a report called "Cyber Activism: Advocacy Groups and the Internet." Among other
examples of how small, underfunded groups push progressive agendas into cyberspace, the report details how the Rainforest Action Network reached thousands of lumber-industry
executives last year. By tapping a worldwide network of free fax servers, the organization engineered a massive fax campaign protesting removal of old-growth forests that cost
them next to nothing.
Another site, TellCitibank.com, is run by the Social Investment Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit promoting progressive investment projects. The site, launched on Jan.
24, alleges unfair lending practices by Associates First Capital, a subsidiary of the financial services giant Citigroup. Site visitors can voice their disapproval in a form
email simply by filling out basic information and clicking on a link. The email lands in the in-box of Citibank's Chief Administration Officer (Citibank is a subsidiary of
Citigroup.).
One week after the site's launch (at our press time) the site had already received 3,000 hits and generated 130 emails, according to Social Investment Forum president David
Berg. Berg also says he's gotten a request from Citibank to arrange a meeting. Meanwhile, PRN's calls to Citibank's communications office were not returned. Although it's
too early to tell what kind of impact Berg's campaign will have, one thing is clear: The Web opened up dialogue much faster than a traditional campaign could have ever hoped to.
"Twenty years ago we had to go around knocking on doors to raise awareness," he says. "And it was next to impossible to measure feedback."
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth Several Million in Legal Fees
Ground-shattering revelation here: the best strategy for dealing with online detractors is prevention. Pinkham suggests you keep a close watch on sites where complaints could
originate, and respond online in a quick and courteous manner when you find them. Online monitoring services like CyberAlert, Dalahaye Medialink, and PR Newswire's eWatch are
among the services that will alert you whenever someone takes your company's name in vain.
Also, it's a good idea to devote lots of home page space to identifying your company's position on social and political issues that may be of concern to your customers. On the
internal side, you might use the company intranet to motivate employee activism to help counteract those who allege profits are your only preoccupation. Showing you've actively
dealt with an issue before it explodes onto the Internet may help minimize damage once it does.
When you come across a Web site or email that trashes your company, you first have to decide whether it behooves you to respond. The more vitriolic the content, the more likely
it is that doing so will add fuel to the fire - and empower the detractor to trash your company further. Asmita Shirali, an attorney specializing in Internet law with the
Cleveland-based firm Jones Day, says you need to know the difference between speech that's protected by the First Amendment and malicious speech which could be damaging. If
someone says your company is a horrible place to work, that's his or her protected opinion. But if someone starts spreading rumors that your company is going bankrupt - and
potentially influencing investor opinion and company image - you may have legal ground to stand on.
For example, Shirali cites how the footwear company Skechers' stock took a tumble when a teen posted false rumor about the company going bankrupt in a highly-trafficked chat
room. Also, if someone registers misspellings of your trademarked company name as URLs and proceeds to pan you, they may be responsible for trademark infringement.
Getting higher-ups involved in damage control is another great way to counteract or preclude negative publicity on the Web. Invite people to email your CEO directly, or have
him or her host regular chats to provide a forum for your company's detractors to be heard. If you do ultimately pursue legal action, do so cautiously. A "cease and desist"
letter sent to the opposition will often end up posted on the activist's Web site, playing you as the Goliath to the detractor's David (PRN, July 24.)
As always, have a contingency plan in place that scrutinizes every conceivable way your company can be attacked on the Web, and solicit the opinions of PR people, lawyers, and
IT folks. Maintaining a positive image online will only become more important - and more difficult - as the medium becomes a more prominent place for content, commerce and
communication.
(Berg, 202/872-5319; Campbell, 415/247-0265; Dezenhall, 202/296-0263; Pinkham, 202/872-1750; Shirali, 216/586-3939)
E-Literate?
When Bridgestone Firestone faced its ultimate PR nightmare a few months back, Ford Motor Co. (which was woefully tethered to the mess) missed a golden opportunity to use the
Web for damage control, according to Colin Campbell, CEO of the San Francisco-based viral marketing firm Qbiquity. Campbell says traffic to the Ford Motor Co.'s Web site was up
800% at the peak of the crisis as people flooded the site to learn how to replace defective tires. Ford could have emailed customers with particulars of the recall before
they were forced to go to Ford's site. And by encouraging customers to forward them to others, Ford could have counteracted the public perception that they were complacent in the
face of a major crisis.