Online Crisis & Reputation Management Case Studies: Dr Pepper, Topman, ConAgra, TNT Express

1. MANAGING ISSUES ONLINE Some Case Studies

2. Brand sites are part of a much bigger landscape Forums, blogs, media & review sites, social media Anyone can publish content & have a voice If it’s relevant to enough people… It will gain momentum AND affect Google results! The Digital Landscape has changed…

3. Media Fragmentation Direct Mail Print & Press Brand Website Forums & Review sites Blogs Media sites Banners Email PPC/ SEO Affiliates

4. Brands in Crisis, Lufthansa

5. Brands in Crisis, BP } Branded PPC }Social Properties }News Sites } Videos (non-brand) }Brand .Com

6. Some Case Studies…

7. Dr Pepper – Facebook Campaign

8. Facebook campaign – A competition which allowed Dr Pepper to hijack fans status updates replacing them with ‘funny’ alternatives e.g. “what’s wrong with weeing in the shower?” Problem occurred when the status “I just watched 2 girls one cup and was hungry afterwards” > a pornographic film reference The recipient was 14 years old and her Mother became aware of the update Campaign

9. Social Activation Mother posted frustrations on Mumsnet & asked members for advice Post received1300 replies Mumsnet users moved out of the forum & became activists in the social space

10. Official statements were distributed, the brand’s approach was to distance themselves from the campaign - pleading ignorance and blaming their agency Reputation Management

11. Response did not satisfy customers Response fails to impact the volume of discussion Consumer sentiment remained negative Impact

12. Reactions

13. For the search “Dr Pepper” The official FB page was the top result. After this all other results on the 1st page were relating to the campaign Effect on SERPs

14. Know your audience Facebook has a user group of 13+ therefore a brand need to be aware that ‘edgy’ content could be viewed by minors. Need for content checking prior to campaign launch If you don't know what 2 girls 1 cup is... Find out! Monitor campaign and respond online Track mentions so that problems are identified early Online response which can help manage SERPS and diffuse crisis Take responsibility & respond appropriately Planning Develop a strategy for managing crisis scenarios Lessons

15. Topman – T-Shirt Design Case Study

16. Issue Topman’s clothing range included t-shirts with ironic slogans General public felt the slogans were offensive and criticised Social media was where the criticism started

17. Response

18. Topman issued an official statement – within 24hrs Apologising Taking responsibility Taking action Thanking Reputation Management

19. Twitter Timeline Women’s rights and pressure groups pick the story up. 14th 09.06. Story Tweeted by influential comedian. RT 200+ times 13.20 First tweet 13th 21.52 266 Tweets referring to Topman and T-shirts 14.31 22.40 Design site created parodies of shirts. RT 271 times Guardian journalists tweet story 11,000+ followers

20. Don’t underestimate the little guy Started by one person with 435 followers Pushed on by pressure groups and individual journalists Active community management & monitoring integral to make quick informed decisions in the face of PR mishaps Topman are pro-active listeners in social media channels Brand clearly deployed a crisis management plan Quick communication links between community managers and key decision makers Reacted quickly & effectively to mitigate Lessons

21. ConAgra-Ketchum

22. Invite influential food bloggers to a prestigious restaurant for a four course meal cooked by a celebrity chef Offer bloggers competition opportunities for their readers At the event – serve bloggers ConAgra pre-packaged foods Campaign - Blogger Relations

23. Blogger Reactions Trust of Readers “My readers are loyal because they trust me, if at any time they feel I have become unauthentic, I will have lost a reader if not many” Embarrassed “I want to deeply apologize to my winner and her husband, my children’s beloved paediatrician. They were expecting an amazing meal and a true experience at the hands of famous Food Network chef they were fans of and were left with a really foul taste in their mouths.” Insulted “I’m NOT their target consumer and they were totally off by thinking I would buy or promote their highly processed frozen foods after tricking me to taste it”

24. Media Reaction Due to the influential nature of the blogs there is crossover into mainstream news outlets. This is a far greater platform on which the brand is exposed As more people read the article it is more likely that the article will go viral on Twitter

25. Social Reactions

26. Be honest No one likes to be duped especially bloggers Its a relationship so create a two way conversation that mutually beneficial Research bloggers Learn bloggers likes and preferences Had they researched they would have seen many invited bloggers opposed additives and frozen meals Respect their time For most bloggers its not a full time job so their time is precious to them.... Respect this. Lessons

27. Manage TNT’s online reputation during fulfillment of iPad & iPhone. Provide a round the clock customer service through social channels and a programme of monitoring, customer outreach & engagement, crisis planning reputation and SERPs management

35. Twitter: @1AndyWood, @deliagolds Blog: blog.freestyleinteractive.co.uk, andywoodsblog.com Facebook: facebook.com/freestyleinteractive Website: freestyleinteractive.co.uk