‘Corporate attack sites’ a real threat published Feb 01   The explosion in media titles and delivery systems such as new media has been a marketing boon for many companies. Marketing and corporate communicators however, need to appreciate that consumers now have more power than ever before to use these media to their own advantage as well… even to the point of being able to embarrass companies whose policies and practices ‘get up their nose’. It hasn’t hit Australia yet but in Europe and United States there’s been a rash of what are called ‘corporate attack sites’ that have been set up by disgruntled customers, employees and activists. Typically the material and content of these sites grows exponentially as those with a grudge find an outlet for their views. Probably the most infamous site is an UK-Web site - www.McSpotlight.org that attacks McDonald’s for a whole range of perceived inadequacies. Another one is www.untied.com that grew out of a simple customer complaint that United Airlines apparently failed to respond to appropriately. A third is www.allstateinsurancesucks.com. At first companies disregarded such sites. But some of them are now significantly impacting on the attitudes of key stakeholder groups. View these three sites and think how your company would fare in a similar situation. The impact on marketers and communicators is huge. First, it shows even the most compelling advertising or PR campaign can be undone by a slip-up at the customer service end of the business. Second, there’s the issue of what to do if a site is developed (McDonalds went the legal route which only escalated the problem and drew more attention to it). The consumer tail can now wag the corporate dog! Question: If it happened to you, which department would your company look to handle its response… marketing or legal?

PR Influences Australian Public Relations Newsletter. Article: Public relations & corporate & brand attack websites. Information Content: Corporate Communications, Crisis & Issues Management