J.C. Penney Cheats Google

Shady SEO tactics create a reputation crisis

While it can certainly net you temporary gains, in the long run it doesn't pay to be dishonest. Retailer J.C. Penney is a perfect example, having been outed by The New York Times this week for using "black hat" SEO methods to unfairly raise its rankings in search results. A quote, from the Times article, by David Segal:

There are links to JCPenney.com’s dresses page on sites about diseases, cameras, cars, dogs, aluminum sheets, travel, snoring, diamond drills, bathroom tiles, hotel furniture, online games, commodities, fishing, Adobe Flash, glass shower doors, jokes and dentists — and the list goes on.


Some of these sites seem all but abandoned, except for the links. The greeting at myflhomebuyer.com sounds like the saddest fortune cookie ever: “Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn’t here.”


When you read the enormous list of sites with Penney links, the landscape of the Internet acquires a whole new topography. It starts to seem like a city with a few familiar, well-kept buildings, surrounded by millions of hovels kept upright for no purpose other than the ads that are painted on their walls.

So far Penney spokespeople are denying responsibility, but unless the organization is 100% sure its hands are clean the smart crisis management move would be to cop to the mistake sooner rather than later.  The mistake might have been an all-too-common one: trusting that your alleged SEO expert was using "white hat" techniques, and not knowing the difference yourself.

My advice to the retailer would be to humbly and apologetically admit its lapse in judgement, then publicly describe what it is doing to have the problem links removed and how the issue will be prevented in the future. While Google may issue its own punishment, saving face in the court of public opinion will help limit reputation damage and the loss of sales that could follow.


The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Answering Questions

Active crisis communication always pays off

In the past, when all hell broke loose, regular sources of information could be hard to come by, unreliable, intermittent and downright infuriating; a phone number with a taped message on the other end, a sliver of advice, half-heard from the radio or a massive queue ending in a very flustered customer service operative.

While this can still unfortunately be the case in a lot of instances, a number of recent cases have demonstrated that savvy organizations can use social media channels to keep people informed, disseminating crucial information, answering panicked questions and doing their credibility a whole world of good.

As this quote from a post on the SocialMedia-Forum blog states, new technology is making it easier than ever to communicate during crises. This is important because one of the largest dangers of crisis management is losing control of your own story by leaving an information gap. With the speed of communication expected by today's public and media, allowing too much time to pass without any type of information or statement being released is asking for rumor, innuendo, and probably your detractors or competitors, to fill in the details.

Even if you do not have enough information to explain the situation, a simple holding statement will usually afford you time enough to craft a full message. After that, it's the simple, but time-consuming, act of reading and responding to inquiries with a particular aim at answering questions, fixing problems and correcting misconceptions.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Protocol Counts

No matter how talented your team is, crisis management is not something done best on the fly. While obviously some improvisation is necessary, it's important to create a plan and follow through. That's why, as Risdall McKinney PR president Rose McKinney wrote in a recent article, "protocol counts." A quote:

Protocol counts. If there’s not a communications protocol in place, you need to quickly establish one – and stick with it — so that the crisis response team can be effective.  Determine who needs to be involved, determine the facts of the situation including the timing, determine who will speak, determine the order of communications (any victims, employees, board, customers, media) and the channels available to reach fundamental audiences.  Agree to the protocol and then share it with everyone so there is no confusion about who’s doing what and who’s talking to whom.  This is especially helpful for front-line employees who may not know how to handle a phone inquiry, reporter in the lobby or even an e-mail that they get from a friend.

Remember, every employee is a potential spokesperson for your organization, especially these front-line employees, who will be the first point of contact for anyone looking to get in touch with your organization. Whether responding to a standard phone call or warding off an ambush interview outside the office, everyone must be aware of the crisis communications plan and stick with it.


The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Red Cross Twitter Mixup

Strong crisis communication prevents reputation damage

The Red Cross is extremely experienced with social media, having been an avid and active user for years now, so when a rogue tweet went out from its Twitter account at nearly midnight last night, the organization was not caught flat-footed. The Tweet, from Mashable:

According to the Mashable article, the tweet remained online for just one hour before Wendy Harman, the Red Cross' social media director, was woken and deleted the post.

The following morning the offending employee, Gloria Huang, posted accepting blame and explaining her error:

While that was a good start, the social media savvy Red Cross took things a step further, issuing their own comforting and humorous response:

Because the situation was not dangerous or overly serious, the Red Cross' answer was perfectly suited, basically saying, "no harm, no foul," while at the same time acknowledging that something had happened and that it would be prevented in the future, an ideal crisis management response.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Thank You for Suing Us?

Why Taco Bell's crisis management strategy doesn't measure up

Taco Bell's response to claims that their taco filling does not actually qualify as beef was certainly unorthodox, but was it a success? Bruce Bonafede, president of Bonafere communications, doesn't think so, and in an article for the latest Crisis Manager newsletter he tells you why. A quote:

Running print ads with the headline "Thank you for suing us" may have seemed clever to Taco Bell, but crisis response is no place to be clever. It's a place to be honest, concerned, informative, two-way, and prompt. Those are what are called the "five tenets of crisis communications" not because crisis management pro Jonathan Bernstein put them in an article, but because they work.

Taking a less than serious approach to a damaging allegation is just one of several mistakes that Taco Bell has made in its crisis management. Check out the rest in Bruce's article, here.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Crisis Manager Turns 11

Happy Birthday Crisis Manager!

The latest issue marks the 11th year that the Crisis Manager newsletter has been in circulation, and as always it brings expert advice from professionals in communications, PR, and of course, crisis management.

We start things off with an article by longtime friend and contributor Bruce Bonafede, who analyzes Taco Bell's unconventional response to the recent lawsuit which alleges their taco fill does not in fact qualify as beef. Following that is a piece by Tony Jaques, who looks as how corporations can suffer a "touch of the Charlie Sheens," an accumulation of problems that causes every new issue to become a major crisis.

Still not a subscriber? Click here to become one, or check out every issue ever published in the Crisis Manager archives!

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Build Your Army

Treat them right, and customers will do battle for you

The difference between a small hitch and extensive reputation damage is often the effort that is put into building relationships before the fact. Once you understand this, then, where do you begin? Marketing pro Peter Shankman gave his advice in an article for Business News Daily:

It starts with your customers, clients, users, whoever. What you’re doing for them on a day-to-day basis defines how they’ll treat you when you need them. Are you going out of your way to be helpful? Are they buying from you, or from a “big-no-name-store?” Will they get a human being on the line when they need one, or will they go into voice mail hell?

The little ways you treat your customer now will ensure they’re there for you when you need them.

Even though most have fully embraced technology, human touches make a world of difference. Remember, a satisfied customer today could be your most vocal defender tomorrow. Gather that loyal crowd, keep them happy, and you create a powerful crisis management tool.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Barack's No Father-Figure

Obama's leadership is no "how to" class

In hard times, people turn to their leaders. For a business, this means the CEO, in the United States, it is the President.  Even in the midst of a crisis, strong leadership can empower followers and turn things around. Unfortunately, Barack Obama has, at best, had mixed grades in this department, and it shows. A quote, from a USA Today article:

Crisis management expert Jonathan Bernstein says that in times of economic trouble, a president "is the ultimate father-figure for the country, if you will." He adds, "If we think he feels good about how things are going, we'll believe it. JFK was very good at that; unfortunately, Barack Obama is not."

Obama's early confidence and magnetism led the public to believe that his crisis management and communication skills were strong, his attitude unfaltering, but the problem with creating such high expectations is that you must later live up to them, a task he has struggled with throughout his presidency. With a second run at the office fast approaching, Obama must fight to demonstrate his abilities, or he could find himself looking for a new job.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/