A long and thoughtful piece by Adam Hill in PR Week surveys the threat to brands from blogging and gives prominence to Market Sentinel’s report on how detractors dominate search results for some of the UK’s top grocery brands including Coca Cola and Kingsmill Bread.
So what should PROs do about it? ‘Blogging has never been in anyone’s control, which is why it is so disruptive,’ says Joel Cere, Hill & Knowlton vice-president and head of netcoms EMEA. ‘Consumers, analysts or employees are now able to share their opinions or voice their discontent on a planetary scale. The disgruntled employee or dissatisfied customer could ignite a full-blown crisis, much quicker and on a broader scale.’
Defending corporate reputations in the face of a flood of blogs presents a challenge. But Burson-Marsteller knowledge development director Idil Cakim points out: ‘It is better to be proactive than fearful. Catching a simmering issue before it turns into a crisis would be a lot more cost-effective than responding to a crisis after it erupts.’
PROs can start by identifying the influential bloggers who write about clients’ industries and track what they are talking about, sending them relevant information. ‘Identifying the public opinion influencers is crucial here,’ says Cakim. ‘Not all bloggers are experts on what they write, and they may not have a large following.’
