In June, BlueChip attended Australia’s Annual Corporate Reputation Breakfast held by AMR in Sydney. There, we were treated to engaging discussions about how companies can manage their reputation in a crisis – even if that crisis is being played out by one of its competitors.
There has been a spate of recent high profile issues affecting well-known brands, including Qantas, News Corp, Shell and Harvey Norman to name but a few. AMR used some of these examples to ask attendees to consider how they would respond if a direct competitor founds themselves in a sticky situation. And the lesson is simple – don’t be found guilty by association. And by association, I mean just by playing in the same field as the other guys.
Virgin is a great example of ‘what to do’. When Qantas found itself with a bruised brand reputation following the grounding of its planes, Virgin offered stranded customers cheap flights.
On the flipside, Fairfax stayed mum when News Ltd was dragged into the News of the World phone tapping scandal. By not distancing itself from the issue its reputation suffered, as people mistakenly took them to be involved.
So next time your company reviews its crisis communication plan, take a step back to consider how you would react should your competitors be embroiled in a crisis. And don’t forget where most issues are aired and discussed – online.
Email social@bluechipcommunication.com.au to request BlueChip’s online reputation risk management checklist to see how your company shapes up.