Brand 911: The best way to handle a crisis

Two weeks before their scheduled release, episodes for the third season of House of Cards, a popular political drama from online broadcaster and streaming service Netflix, jumped the gun on their true release date on the said platform. Netflix was able to pull out the episodes out in an instant, but not fast enough to thwart worked up social media. Netflix apologized to the series' excited and perplexed fans, and followed up with a witty tweet: "This is Washington," it said. "There's always a leak."

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Online gaffes far worse than Netflix's technical glitch have happened in the last few months. Just last December, for instance, Hollywood was shaken by an elaborate hacking of email exchanges among the executives of media empire Sony weeks before the release of The Interview, a controversial satire of the North Korean government and its despotic leadership.

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Trifling or massive, marketing gaffes should be dealt with in the simplest and sincerest way possible. Often, the way to go is for the company involved to apologize humbly, admit to its oversight, and acknowledge that it could have done something to prevent it.

Most blunders result from a company's failure to observe and monitor trends before crafting its messages. For instance, social media trained the spotlight on Entenmanns, a bakery, on July 2011, but for the wrong reasons. Entenmanns used the #notguilty hashtag, one that was used to condemn the verdict of the high profile trial of Casey Anthony, to position their baked goods as sinful treats. A tide of angry replies and comments came its way. But to the company's credit, it issued a succinct but heartfelt apology, briefly explaining what happened and expressing remorse over the lack of sensitivity.

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Lastly, the company should offer a meaningful, proactive solution moving forward. It can create a public series of initiatives to enforce change. If customers were complaining over the Internet about automated, off-tangent messages, the company should start responding to queries with personal, real-time feedback. No other proof of sincerity can be as concrete as taking action.  

Spiro Baltas and his team of experts at Gotham Brand offer cutting edge solutions for boosting and protecting brand image. Visit this site to learn how to manage social media brand presence.

Infuse ideas they can use: The new strategy in brand building

Entertainment used to spell success in brand building on the Web until people realized that the Internet is not only a medium for finding something amusing but also for sharing pertinent information and sparking meaningful conversation.

 

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Content marketing---delivering news, expert advice, and other ideas that can empower the consumer---has then become a potent tool for communicating a brand's values and core message. To maximize its potential to engage consumers and increase sales, it pays to strategize with branding experts, like Spiro Baltas and his team at Gotham Brand, and get started with these tips:

1. Focus on the quality of information. People surf the Internet not necessarily to find something to purchase but to gather information and share whichever they find useful to them and their loved ones. The more usable the ideas are and the more engagingly they are told, the more people will talk about the brand and buy it.

 

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2. Disseminate content to as many channels as possible. Out there is an almost infinite range of platforms, both online and offline, to educate consumers on the product or service and its benefits.

Brand presence in blogs and social media is a must, but strategic planning must be carried out to ensure the content matches the capabilities of the online platforms on which it will be posted. Meanwhile, content intended for delivery in forums, conferences, and other offline events should be versatile enough to cut across demographics. Whatever the medium, it's imperative to supply newsworthy, original, and relatable content.

 

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3. Strive for proactive content. What's viral nowadays is information that saves lives, makes life easier, and gets people to partake in a shared cause or experience. The best online articles and multimedia projects are those that invite discussion and debate, and solve problems while or even before they can happen.

Content marketing is one of the latest trends that brands can peruse to get ahead. Give your strategy an edge with the help of Spiro Baltas and his team of experts at Gotham Brand. Visit this site to find out how.