How to Ruin Your Brand at the Press of a Send Button
Grandma knew the importance of brand management. In Grandma’s days, children were not allowed out of the house with holes in their underwear for fear of the proverbial ambulance ride. Housewives cleaned thoroughly under their beds and chesterfields lest dust bunnies be discovered and whispered about. Business owners were careful not to do anything that could alienate their local customers. Grandma and her compatriots did brand management by instinct, although they called it protecting one’s reputation. Small-town living made brand management a matter of every day survival.
The internet is moving us back to the imperatives of small town living. We are in a global village where reputations can be ruined at the speed of light. The examples are numerous: an instant of road rage, captured on traffic cam, forever brands the corporate executive as a lunatic. An ill-considered comment forever brands the politician as a moron. A funny caption on a Facebook picture forever brands a jobseeker as a problem-drinker. Fortunately, we seem to be taking heed of these brand accidents, and many of us are paying attention to our online footprint.
After years of social media and email debauchery, we are re-learning the value of circumspection. At least, some of us are. Today I was cc’d on an email to a local volunteer about a dispute the sender was having with a recreational sports organization in which they were both involved. The email was angry and inflammatory, verged on slanderous, but anybody who has experience with volunteer-run sports leagues will recognize it as par for the course. What was unique was that the sender elected to cc dozens of other people who were not involved in the dispute – myself included – and signed the email using her professional position as the owner and president of 25-year old small home services firm.
This business owner had done the email equivalent of going out with hole-filled underwear, exposing her dust bunnies, and alienating her local customers. While I’m sure that it was emotionally satisfying in the moment to craft her email and press the send button, it was clear that the sender did not consider the long term impact of her email message. She had just announced to nearly one hundred households in her target market that, as president of her company, she was somebody who was prepared to resort to mud slinging and petty tactics.
And as Grandma will tell you, a reputation once ruined cannot easily be mended.
Tags: branding mistakes, Karen Siwak, personal branding, social media
5 Responses to “How to Ruin Your Brand at the Press of a Send Button”
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Meet Karen Siwak
An award-winning Certified Résumé Strategist, Karen has crafted top calibre career transition packages for thousands of clients. Her specialty is helping people identify and articulate their unique brands and value propositions, and she is passionate about empowering clients with the tools, strategies and confidence to take control of their career search. Read more...
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August 16th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by David Graziano, Omowale Casselle and JKeithDunbar, Karen Siwak. Karen Siwak said: How to ruin your brand at the press of a button (new blog post) http://bit.ly/aaLBMP [...]
August 16th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Karen –
Back during the presidential election here in the US, I somehow was included in an email thread between opposing sides of the issues. I’m not even sure how the original email found its way to my inbox. I was an observer, as I don’t “do” politics in a public forum. It degrades into insults and insanity too quickly. Needless to say, this ongoing “reply all” email thread did just that.
A particularly inflammatory post was signed, as in your example, with a full professional signature. Unfortunately, this signature was as president of a non-profit animal rescue group. Not only did this person stoop to name-calling, she jeopardized donations and sponsorships for her rescue group as well.
At the time, I was on the board of directors for another rescue group and knew too well the impact alienating supporters could have. I took the time to privately email this individual asserting she was completely entitled to her opinion, but it was probably in the best interest of the rescue group she ran to not use her full signature. Goodness me. You would have thought I slapped this woman’s grandmother. She turned on me … using her full blown signature.
Were I a lesser person, I would have posted the thread, the response AND her full identity on my blog, as well as forwarded the insulting reply to every animal lover/rescue contact I had (that numbers in the hundreds) letting them know all about the person behind the facade. I didn’t do it. Someone else might have.
Did she stop to think the ramification of her actions? Did she stop, even I after I gently suggested a different tact? Nope. Know what? My rescue support dollars go elsewhere. I wish her well, but her organization will never get one penny or shred of support from me.
People tend to forget. There are plenty of places out to spend our consumer and donation dollar. All it takes is one stupid move to unravel years of relationship and reputation building.
Excellent reminder Karen. What a shame it even has to be said.
August 16th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Yikes! Great piece, Karen. Extra great because you helped her write an apology.
August 16th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Dawn,
The “professional signature” on an angry email or forum thread is the equivalent of shouting “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!!!”, and it is an ego trap that seems to catch many of us at one time or another. Congratulations on your mature and considered handling of the situation. I opted to choose the same approach, and sent a private email pointing out the impression that the mass-distributed message had made. While my business woman initially responded angrily and defensively, by the end of the day she recognized the error of her decision, and is the process of making restitution. A well-timed and sincerely worded apology will go a long way to undoing any damage, and hopefully reputations will emerge in tact. It’s a shame that it had to come to this, though. As Grandma used to say, act in haste, repent in leisure.
Thanks for sharing your story!
August 16th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Thanks Naomi! The business woman in question reached out to me, and I am just providing feedback and editorial assistance on the apology that she already intended to write. It’s nice when a story like this has the potential for a happy ending of sorts.