Brands and bad publicity

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Recently, a local comedian, Erick Omondi, was arrested by the Kenya Film Classification Board compliance officers in conjunction with detectives from the Director of Criminal Investigation for contravening the law in producing the show “Wife Material.” While it was in its second season, the show has garnered online attention, receiving both positive and negative reviews. Thanks to the publicity, more online consumers of local and international content are becoming more aware of the show.

Thousands of miles away, the British Royal family has had its fair share of bad publicity after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex exposed that they faced racism from some members of the family. This emotive issue elicited memories of the late Princess Diana and her struggles within the royal family. So what is the royal family to do about the bad press?

Not all bad

Researchers from the Stanford Graduate School of Business found out that in some instances, negative publicity can increase sales when a product or company is relatively unknown, simply because it stimulates product awareness. In fact, we have witnessed local and international artistes using personal scandals to increase viewership of their content or right before they launch something new. They use bad press as a form of indirect marketing. In such a competitive industry, any publicity, negative or positive, turns out to be quite valuable. This seems to confirm that even though negative publicity may fade with time, once one stops trending, the increased awareness still remains relevant to influence increased sales. The research also seems to suggest that new entrepreneurs may have nothing to lose when it comes to publicity; whether positive or negative. To them, they can risk intentional bad publicity since eventually they will benefit from being seen. For some however, negative publicity may kill a brand especially where food, healthcare and security matters are concerned. Big brands have more to lose. A culture or reputation built over the years can crumble with negative reviews unless serious damage control is done.

How to turn things around

Missteps are sometimes unavoidable. We face more demands and expectations from consumers who are more aware of the quality of products they spend their money on. Our business ventures may suffer backlash much more frequently in these times due to the power of social media and large numbers reacting to what seems right or wrong. Clients, competitors and just anybody can nowadays just tweet whatever makes them unhappy.  Sometimes we may be tempted to counter without much thought, creating reactions that add more wood to the fire. Such reactions make our companies and business ventures vulnerable to harsh responses and labeling.

Bad press is not the end of the world. To deal with bad publicity needs high level tactfulness. Even though there isn’t an existing one-size-fits-all way to deal with it, here are some useful tips that can help navigate through the bad press.

Collect feedback from your audience

Take the bad publicity as an opportunity to learn about your areas for improvement. Own up. It is becoming increasingly difficult to walk away from a bad move. Go through the reviews and get to gauge what makes your clients unsatisfied. It could be a one-time situation or the problem may have been brewing for quite a while. Find out what makes clients and investors skeptical about your business. By acting on these areas in particular, you build the confidence of your clients that their views are taken into account. You may ask for feedback from clients whose issues you have taken the responsibility to address. Each problem solved helps to recover your reputation.

Clarify misinformation

The world is swimming in fake news. When your company faces false rumours and allegations, do not sweep them under the carpet. False allegations are damaging to your brand. Let the world know that whatever is going around is false. You may even choose to publicly share the truth side of it. This separates the rumours from reality and upholds your reputation. It also helps to improve your online image. This will maintain your loyal clients, pull more to you and increase sales at the end of the day.

Rebrand

Make your brand more customer-centric. Bad experiences offer valuable lessons. To tap into these lessons, get a talented customer service team. Let them listen, solve issues or offer troubleshooting mechanisms to clients.  Let your company become a problem solver for its clients. Show them that you are committed to give the best quality in town. Humanise your company by sending “Thank you” notes, write sincere but professional letters to assure clients that the company takes responsibility, share lessons of failures, show and appreciate company staff — the people behind the work, and allow them to be brand ambassadors. In addition, package your products or services in a way that they tell a story. Sell your brand.  At the end of the day, the consumers are the ones with the true power. Consumers can end your YouTube channel in a matter of minutes or discredit your services and word will go around like wild fire. If you have a good name out there, the better.