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Home » The Famous Blog » Have You Ever Considered Self-Inducing A Social Media Crisis?

Have You Ever Considered Self-Inducing A Social Media Crisis?

February 9, 2012 - Last Modified: March 29, 2014 by Melissa Agnes

Self-Inducing A Social Media Crisis

A very thought-provoking question was asked to me recently from an online friend of mine, @allierambles. Allie asked:

“Do you ever wonder if companies would intentionally start a negative campaign? I mean it gets people talking and we tend to not forget, like the McDonald’s case. Do you think they would risk that?”

(Now, just to be clear, Allie was referring to the recent social media crisis McDonald’s found themselves, unintentionally faced with. It was widely spoken about, trended on Twitter and became a very memorable event in many of our minds. She was not stipulating that McDonald’s intentionally started this crisis – in fact, there are many indications that they definitely did not… but that will be for another post!)

So, the question remains, would a brand intentionally attempt to start their own social media crisis?

Seeing as most people tend to fear the prospect of a crisis (and the fact that this would be very radical behavior), I would have to say, for the most part, probably not. But it did get me wondering. Seeing as it’s said that no press is bad press, would some companies try to leverage and profit from the bad?

And from this, came another thought: Would some companies attempt to launch their competitors into an online crisis, so that they can leverage it and come out the heroes themselves? Perhaps this is a more probable scenario, but still not exceedingly likely.

To be honest, my first reaction to both of these questions was “probably”. My thinking here was that the world is made up of so many different types of people, minds, scenarios… Odds are, somebody, somewhere would think that potentially, one of these could be a good idea.

Now, as much as I may believe it to be a possibility, I also think that it is rather unlikely for this notion to realistically be acted upon, for one simple reason:

It probably wouldn’t work

You’d have to be a mastermind to plot a crisis that looks (and continues to look) so real that it creates havoc. You’d also have to be clairvoyant in order to be able to plot a crisis that is just big enough to create some buzz, but not too big that you lose control. In today’s world of social media, transparency, online advocacy and authenticity, it would be very difficult to pull the wool over an entire audience’s eyes and not have the truth emerge – some way, some how.

Aside from this, it risks the possibility of being an incredibly stupid notion to attempt.

Social media crises tend to pick up a whole momentum of their own. They could go a short distance, or they could go viral. They could have a lasting and damaging impact on your brand, or they could be short lived and easily forgotten. It would be very risky business to attempt to create one and ride it as a publicity stunt. Very risky business indeed!

But then again, I suppose some people find great thrill from risk!

Still, the potential damages do outbid the possibility for advantages, in my opinion anyway. Being discovered in this situation would result in:

    • Instantaneous distrust from your customers and the public
    • A plunge in shares and/or brand credibility
    • A major lesson for others to learn from – what NOT to do

Sure the company would go down in some type of history (so I suppose to some degree, the mission would be successful). Blogs would be written, an example of exactly what not to do would be made – over and over again. And the attempt at the stunt would not be soon forgotten by the public – and neither would their distrust, the mockery they were made of, or the sour taste left on their tongues in regards to the brand.

So creating a social media crisis on purpose?

We’re talking some serious, loss of control, loss of brand credibility, risky business. But the question remains, would it be a risk some companies would potentially be willing to take? What situation would a company need to be in, in order to put their entire reputation on the line, in order to gain some free publicity – especially when that free publicity is of the negative variety?

What do you think? Do you think some companies would, or perhaps have, tried to create their own social media crisis? And if so, do you think the publicity would be worth the risk? I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments section below!

Image © Sergej Khackimullin – Fotolia.com

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Filed Under: Social Media

About Melissa Agnes

Follow @melissa_agnes

Melissa Agnes is a social media crisis manager, consultant and speaker. One of the few in her field, she helps brands and organizations prepare and protect themselves with the right social media crisis plan, and offers on-call emergency crisis management services. Visit her daily social media crisis management blog for more insightful posts on all aspects of social media crises and protecting your brand against them. You can also connect with Melissa on Facebook and Twitter.

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{ 31 Responses }

  1. Hajra says:
    You know this sounds like any publicity being good publicity. Well it might work for some time now, because somehow we the public enjoy a little bit of controversy. And someone gets the "free advertising" that comes with it. But, then how long the customers fall for that trap. Once they see you make a habit out of it, they tend to get the feel. But then again, if the controversy gets a little bit out of hand, then the crisis might get a little over board and then you are for a downfall. Wouldn't you agree?
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      I most definitely agree, Hajra. It's definitely a fine line and a rocky road. Not one I see any value in taking, personally - I'm more one for positivity though. And although we, as consumers, may enjoy a little controversy, we most definitely do not enjoy being made a mockery of, or being manipulated for the wrong reasons, which is exactly how the majority of us would feel if we ever found out that a brand we believe in pulled such a stunt. Definitely not worth the downfall! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me ;)
  2. Spatch Merlin says:
    I don't think creating a social media for the sake of publicity is worth all the risk. Once distrust is felt among customers, its hard to gain it back. Yes, the publicity is increase but the reputation is decreased.
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Very wisely said Spatch! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me :)
  3. Rhys says:
    Personally, I'd think this would be foolish. Rep management is hard enough when things are going great. When they're not then it's not fun!
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      You're right Rhys! Rep management IS hard enough on the good days, and it would be foolish - for multiple reasons! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me :)
  4. Travis says:
    I think manufacturing any kind of publicity in any kind of underhanded or devious way is a bad idea. It always comes back on you. There is no such thing as a secret, it will come out, and you will look bad. Something you never want to do is have your customers stop trusting you.
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Absolutely Travis! You're correct - there are no secrets in today's technological and social world. It WILL always come back - and when it does, good luck! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
  5. Shane says:
    Perhaps not induce a full blown social media crisis but I think courting controversy through social media can do wonders for a small business trying to be heard over their established competition. I think the way you handle the fallout can help define you as a business and is often what people remember.
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Finding a way to stand out and be heard through all the noise is a must if you want to be noticed. This is true. But there's a difference between the negativity one induces by self-inducing a social media crisis, and the thought-leader title one can provoke by finding ways (even if controversial at times) to stand out, be different and get noticed. Controversy is what comes when you stand firm on your beliefs and push boundaries. And that, in most cases, is a positive thing - which is what makes it different than taking a negative approach to a publicity stunt! Love your comment Shane, thanks for sharing!
  6. RebeccaB says:
    Hi Melissa, I think businessman should never take the risk. It's not worth a try! I have seen people do this and end up destroying their names.
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Thanks for the comment Rebecca, and I absolutely agree! It interests me that you say you've seen people attempt this concept, I'd be very happy to learn more about these attempts, and possibly use them (anonymously of course) as inspiration for another post, or even a white paper. @mention me on Twitter if you'd be interested in sharing your stories and experiences. If not, no problem, and I appreciate the comment! Melissa
  7. Pritam Nagrale says:
    A thought provoking point, but I do think there is a twist to it as well. Competitors often take down your products if they are performing. but social media crisis and that too self willingly is something I believe companies won't be even thinking of doing ! Though I like your point maybe we will see social media crisis services soon.
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Hi Pritam, Thanks for the comment! Perhaps you have a point, but I think that with the amount of companies in crises these days, if it's not on everybody's mind yet, it will soon be. As for the social media crises services... they already exist! It's what I do!! ;-)
  8. Pritam says:
    The point is very valid but here is the thing a bigger picture. For the past 3 years, all I have heard about is facebook and social media vs Google and to be honest if you are in the news you're customers would come to you. First it was Mark zuckerburg being the fastest millionaire, now it is the $ 100 Billion IPO, similar with Google one after other they are launching things, the privacy issue, the court cases etc. I do agree with you partially, I think corporate people won't intentionally do it, but I would assume that competitors would like to bring one of my performing product down with hoaxes and bad word of mouth. What is bad worth of mouth ? the most effective piece of marketing yet in any community, FB and google just beef it up with making it online !
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Well, there's billions of different types of people out there, so Im sure someone somewhere (as I stated in the post) is, or has, considered - if not has tried to - launch their competitor, or themselves, into a social media crisis, for whatever reason. But, like is said here, negativity breeds negativity, and once they are found to be guilty of such a hyaenas act... well odds are, thats it for them! Hopefully for you, your competitors won't act on any ill-conscious thoughts they may or may not have ;-)
  9. Allie says:
    Melissa, First off, thanks for the mention. That just proves to me that commenting can really get people's minds churning. :-) Second, the more I think of it, the more I wonder if a company would leak personal info or behavior of a leader in its ranks. For instance, if it is known that the CEO is sort of a bad boy on the golf course, drinks a little too much and flirts. Nothing horrible, just some CEO fun. LOL. He parties just a little too hard but is actually a pretty fun guy, people like him. Do you think a company wouldn't mind having him in the news? You know, the party guy gets the popular "votes" or dollars. After reading your post, it would be unlikely that a company would tarnish it's products openly (actually Dominoes pizza has a campaign right now where it admits it had bad pizza BUT they are fixing it) but would a company be willing to tarnish it's bad boy for popularity? Stars do it all the time with "leaked" tapes for publicity. ~Allie
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Hi Allie, Sorry for my late response. Interesting points you make! I don't know if the CEO's "bad boy" reputation would actually start a full social media crisis though. It would probably create some buzz, and probably humiliate the poor guy more than anything else! But it's true about celebrities, they do "leak" some strange things for the publicity, and it always works! As for Domino's current campaign, I haven't seen this one yet, but bravo for them! Their campaign is transparent and honest - I always love to see that! Kind of like when McDonald's promoted their new "it's actually good" coffee! It worked great for them! Thanks for the comment, Allie. It's always a pleasure!
      • Allie says:
        Melissa, Thank you for the insight. It really got me contemplating ideas I rarely think about. Not that I would ever use negative publicity, I just love learning about all the in's and out's of the business world; it fascinates me from an anthropological stand point. You know, it is fun watching the media "train wrecks" at times but honestly, they rarely end up with the public behind them. ~Allie
        • Melissa Agnes says:
          Hi Allie, It's definitely fun to reflect on all the many different angles that could be out there. They rarely do (end up with the public behind them), and that just goes to show!
  10. Dave Lucas says:
    Heavens to Betsy! Instead of creating a crisis, just wait and one is sure to come along! :) BLOG ON!
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      No kidding! Especially if it's a type of person/company/business who is that shady - some truth is bound to come out ;) Nicely said Dave!
  11. Elene says:
    Reading your post I couldn’t help thinking immediately about that guy that intentionally treated some of his customers very badly so that the negative publicity will give him more links for his online glasses frames website. His strategy worked for a few years, bringing him higher and higher in Google SERP as more and more people were complaining and posting links to him (in an effort to warn others) and made him a lot of money. Last time I read about him though he was arrested and under investigation. (true story if you want to check it out guy’s name is Mr. Borker). A social media crisis is negative publicity and I definitely don’t think this is done on pourpose.
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Imagine that! What a terrible concept... and to think that it worked for a few YEARS... awful! But, in the end, negativity always loses. Thanks for sharing the story Elene, Ill have to look that one up ;)
  12. Anne-Sophie Reinhardt says:
    It is certainly an interesting question, Melissa. I agree with Ryan though that it would only negatively affect a brand. Even if you get a lot of attention and the company's name is seen in every paper, blog and other news outlets, you won't benefit from it when it is bad news.
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      You're right Anne-Sophie, nothing positive can come from being that conniving. The truth always comes out (especially in today's online world) and when it would, all of that negative press would surely ruin them. Thanks for your comment!
  13. Ryan Biddulph says:
    Hi Melissa, If the driver is negative you will likely get negative results. If a company lacks the creativity and vision to build a high energy, positive campaign, they deserve to go out of business. Same deal for solo entrepreneurs. You might generate loads of interest but once you give up your credibility by fabricating a story, you are done. Finito. Few people will trust you, and the people who like what you did would not be the most model customers or associates, anyway. You simply open a can of worms, over and over, by being dishonest on purpose. When fear is your primary motivator, you are doomed almost every time. Fearful, negative results follow. Thanks for sharing your insight Melissa :) Ryan
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Beautifully said Ryan! Spot on! Thanks for sharing your comment with me!
      • Allie says:
        Ryan, You make such valid points. When you begin with negative you will end with negative. And also fear will breed more fear in the customers, and we all know that is horrible for a business. ~Allie
  14. Dennis says:
    Wow what happened with McDonalds? LOL.. Anyway, I wouldn't doubt it.. Politicians have been doing it for as long as I can remember... They're run by the corporations so who knows.. The internet marketing world lives on crisis.. LOL. If these corporations branch over more into IM, we'll see more social media crisis' than ever before.. Something like "All beef is tainted due to poor feed nationwide" then McDonalds comes out with the All American Veggie burger.. Tastes 99.9% like real beef but without all that bad stuff... LOL.. Wait.. If were eating McDonalds, do we even know what real beef tastes like? LOL. Just kidding but not really.. Great post Melissa. I took it in left field a bit but I think we agree...
    • Melissa Agnes says:
      Hi Denis, You're right about politicians... Although some do SM really, really right (ahem, Obama comes to mind ;) while others just don't get it - so that's a great example there! (Although, I wouldn't suggest for the ones who don't get it to try this tricky and unpredictable notion!). And as for McDonalds... well, we could just go on and on, couldn't we?! Thanks for sharing your thoughts Dennis!

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