Protecting The Corporate Brand: What To Do About Online Attacks

A bit dated, but this WSJ article can prove to be timeless in an age where aggravated customers can vent their frustrations to the world by simply pressing "submit comment"

Internet has drastically increased the potential damage to a brand or a company's reputation. Frustrations with a company's practices, products and service that once were confined to relatively small circles now reach complete strangers around the world. With a very low cost of entry, disgruntled customers, workers and former workers are free to post messages, create Web sites and blog about grievances. Advocacy and special-interest groups use their Web sites to stage attacks on companies and rally support for their positions. And all of it is often archived, searchable and printable.

The potential harm from such attacks should not be underestimated. They can damage a company's reputation, hurt sales and scare off potential -- and current -- employees. Investors may flee, and partnerships may be put at risk.

1.Companies need to monitor the Web for criticism and be able to move quickly on matters that could hurt their reputation or brands. Such monitoring should cover not only corporate, professional and industry Web sites, but also grass-roots sites, such as blogs and bulletin boards.

2.Companies should examine their current practices in dealing with grievances, gripes and concerns. Researchers have consistently found that the manner in which a company attempts to remedy a complaint and how the company interacts with dissatisfied stakeholders can either temper or exacerbate the conflict -- even when the company can't provide the outcome the stakeholder desires.

As a result, companies should limit heavy-handed responses such as threats of legal action to areas in which protective measures are more justifiable -- such as preventing financial disclosures, or discussions about strategic and proprietary information. They should also develop clear employee guidelines for when -- and when not -- to blog, post messages or generate other Web content.
3. At the most successful companies, dedication to fair processes percolated through all levels of the organization. Companies should train managers to understand the risks that attacks can pose to the brand -- and to appreciate the dangers that unfair treatment can pose.
4.Once a brand-damaging attack appears, companies should try to address it directly, and quickly, going directly to the site where the criticism originated. They should also drive the discussion in a way that displays the company's dedication to fairness and tries to restore a sense of justice for those involved.