A Lesson from the DiGiorno Disaster

By now, pretty much the entire world has heard about DiGiorno's major flub earlier this week. Long story short, earlier this week, survivors of domestic violence stepped forward to share their stories on Twitter using the hashtag #WhyIStayed. Apparently DiGiorno's Community Manager saw the trending hashtag, but didn't take time to explore what it was about, because this happened: (Go ahead. I'll hold while you groan in horror.)

As Adweek points out, "It was a boneheaded mistake, to be sure, similar to snack brand Entenmann's famously regrettable decision to tweet on the hashtag #notguilty, failing to realize it was trending because Casey Anthony had been aquitted of murdering her daughter.

In Entenmann's case, the brand responded by simply abandoning Twitter for years, leaving their account as a scorched-earth monument to poor decisions. DiGiorno has, so far, taken the more mature and difficult approach. Since last night's #whyistayed tweet, the brand has been responding to dozens of Twitter users offended by the post. Each response has been personalized and is clearly sincere, which is a nice reprieve from the usual copy-and-paste approach to dealing with bad PR in social."

THE LESSON  There's an age-old tidbit of wisdom that reminds us that the best form of medicine is prevention. The same holds true for PR. The best form of PR is avoiding a crisis entirely. We're doing business and socially engaging in a world where time is of the essence and the whole world can have eyes on your brand's message at any given moment. The margin for error is minuscule, at best.  Mistakes do not go unnoticed, they get shared -- fast. For Community Managers, there is an increasing presence to be on top of everything 24-7. To be there the moment something goes viral and figure out a way to make it work for the brand.

As we delve further and further into a real-time marketing world, we're going to see more and more of these real-time screw ups. Hurry and hysteria do not a solid, worry-free strategy make. I propose we all take a breath, take a beat and take a tidbit of advice to heart...

Silence Is A Response: A Brand Lesson in Crisis

When I was little (okay, pretty much from ages 5-17…) I had a recurring run in with the parental law, so to speak. I always wanted the last word. More often than not, getting the last word came at a price. I knew there would be repercussions, but the temptation was just too strong. And so I jumped, mouth first, into the proverbial fire time and time again. Last week I watched a lot of brands follow in the footsteps of my 5-year-old self. They rose up on the anniversary of 9/11 to get a word in, to seize the moment, to chime in on tragedy. I’m not talking about the stories of horribly misguided advertising. I’m talking about the brands, however well intentioned, that felt it necessary to say anything at all. The butter brand, the laundry detergent, the car dealership vowing they will “never forget.”

There is no question that social media has become a critical conduit for disseminating information in times of crisis. It could even be argued that social plays a valuable role in bringing the nation together in the midst of our most difficult moments, allowing people to process and grieve as a collective community. For marketers, however, the wild card remains the appropriate role of brands in the crisis conversation.

There are people who will argue that brands are people, too. I argue that brands are brands. Brands are comprised of people—individuals who each experienced their own form of loss that day as our lives, country and world as we knew it, were suddenly divided into Act 1 and Act 2.

Though much of the sentiment expressed by brands across social seemed genuine, their actions left me with an unsettling feeling. Wedged between quirky photos of cat memes and 10% limited-time offers, many brands were daring to distill one of the most life-altering days in American history down to 140-character blips and a trending hashtag.

Tragedy is not a commodity or a social currency. It’s not something to leverage, tap into or harness in the name of ROI. It’s not a “like” generator or something that makes your brand more relevant to your consumer. What I want brands to know is that it’s okay to take a step back sometimes. It’s okay to take a time out. Tragedies aren’t a time for self-promotion or proving a point. They’re a time for people.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. It’s all about context. Was it appropriate for American Airlines to share a post on Facebook reflecting on 9/11? Of course. Was it in good taste for marathons around the country to express their sympathies about the Boston Marathon bombings via Twitter? Absolutely.

So how do you know? When is it appropriate for brands to take to social—and when is it better to stay respectfully silent? Here are a few guideposts for assessing if, when and how to respond in a time of national tragedy:

• Is this a conversation space you’d typically participate in? In times of crisis, it’s especially important to ask whether your contribution as a brand is really adding value to the conversation. Do we need our paper towels or cereal of choice to chime in with condolences on Twitter? Probably not. In the midst of a crisis, try not to let the good sense of any normal day get swept up and carried away in the emotional flurry of the moment. Give yourself (and your employees) permission and time to grieve on a personal, human level, then evaluate whether this is a conversation space your brand would normally participate in. If the answer is no, perhaps the better plan of action is to step back and let those who own that space on a day-to-day basis take the lead.

• Take a time out from your regularly scheduled content. Whether or not you decide it is appropriate for your brand to comment on a tragedy, in times of crisis it is typically not appropriate to carry on business as usual. Few things bring on the cringe factor like an ill-timed, pre-scheduled tweet. Give people the space and time they need to talk it out and catch their breath. Your brand doesn’t have to be right in there with them to stand in solidarity beside them.

• Educate your community manager and employees on your brand’s social policy and crisis communication plan. Shortly after the Aurora theater massacre, CelebBoutique.com took the #aurora trending topic as an opportunity to promote its Kim Kardashian-inspired Aurora dress. (See tweet here.) Two weeks ago Kenneth Cole was raked over the coals after making light of the situation in Syria. (See tweet here.) Last week Esquire found itself in hot water after an unfortunate 9/11-related technology glitch prompted a decidedly unapologetic Twitter response from the brand. (See tweet here.) Your brand reputation rests in the hands of the people you put in place behind the technology. Be sure your brand has savvy, attentive social managers on the other end of your digital channels and that s/he feels well versed on your crisis and communication policies. A good social manager is worth their weight in gold. A “not-so-good” social manager is a surefire way to find your brand cast in an extremely negative, extremely public spotlight.

In times of crisis the nation is often searching for answers most brands cannot meaningfully address. What many of them fail to realize is that silence is a response. Often it’s the best response. Know when to use your voice. Know when to use your silence. Your brand will be better for it.

This post first appeared on BrainsOnFire.com

Should brands take to social media to respond to national tragedies?

No doubt...this is a heavy topic. With yesterday's Boston Marathon bombings occurring on the heels of December's Newtown school shootings, it seems as though we've barely had time to catch our breath as a nation before being rocked and blindsided by yet another senseless national tragedy.

There is no doubt in my mind that social media plays an essential role in information dissemination in times of crisis. I could even make a case for it playing a role in bringing the nation together, helping people process and deal with  grief as a collective community. For me, however, the one wild card in the crisis conversation remains the role of brands.

In the wake of yesterday's tragedy, I saw way too many brands take to Facebook and Twitter to issue a response. However heartfelt the sentiment, most of their efforts came off feeling more like a push to get in their two cents and  score some "likes" in the process. In times of crisis the nation is searching for answers that no brand can meaningfully address. What many brands fail to realize is that silence is a response. For brands, it's often it's the best response.

Here are a few other points to think about if your brand is considering using social media to chime in on the crisis conversation...

• Is this a conversation space you'd typically participate in? In times of crisis, it's especially important to ask whether your contribution as a brand is really adding value to the conversation. Do we need our laundry soap or butter of choice to chime in with condolences on Twitter? Probably not. Should companies take to Instagram to publicly declare their sadness? Not so much. In the midst of a crisis, try not to get swept up in the flurry of the moment. Give yourself permission and time to grieve on a personal, human level, then ask yourself whether this is a conversation space your brand would otherwise participate in. If the answer is no, perhaps the best plan of action is to step back and let those who own that space on a day-to-day basis take the lead.
• Take a time out from your regularly scheduled content. Whether or not you decide it is appropriate for your brand to comment on a tragedy, in times of crisis it is typically not appropriate to carry on business as usual. Few things bring on the "cringe factor" like an ill-timed, pre-scheduled tweet. Take a beat. Give people the space and time they need to talk it out and catch their breath. Your brand doesn't have to be right in there with them to stand in solidarity beside them.
• Educate your community manager (and employees) on your brand's social policy and crisis communication plan. Be sure your brand has a savvy, attentive community manager on the other end of your social channels and that s/he feels well-versed on your brand's communication policy. A good social manager is worth their weight in gold. A "not-so-good" social manager and you may find your brand in hot water, cast in an extremely negative, extremely public spotlight. Shortly after the Aurora theater massacre, CelebBoutique.com took the #aurora trending topic as an opportunity to promote its Kim Kardashian-inspired Aurora dress. See the tweet here. As you can imagine, it didn't go over too well.

Ultimately, there is no formula or one-size-fits-all model for determining whether or not your brand should use social channels to chime in on national tragedies. My feeling is that unless your brand is directly linked to the affected industry, conversational space or community, silence remains the timeless, respectful option.