Stupid PR and Goat Pictures - Is This REALLY Worth the Risk?

[ChickenHawk]

On an introductory thread, I ran across this comment from a fellow forum member.

"Time Nazis suck. Half the time it's a clinically obese HR bitch that starts going off... Probably her husband hasn't got on the troll in a month or two, lol. Let's not forget about all those latest fad diet chumps sucking down their lattes."

Since my background is in public relations, I'll briefly highlight why this is NOT smart.
1. The author of this witty observation is posting under the REAL name of his fledgling product/company, which is derived from the HIS own real name. Thus, he (not some anonymous Web poster) has written this publically for the whole world to see.
2. The upside? A cheap laugh at others' expense, assuming the audience finds it funny.
3. The downsides? (Where should I begin?)
-- a. Do you plan to have employees or colleagues someday? What happens when you're sued for age discrimination? Gender discrimination? Weight-discrimination? Sexual harassment? Even if you're completely innocent, do you know how this looks? If you're thinking this nugget won't be dug up if such an unfortunate legal-battle were to occur, think again. In this day and age, the Web is public and it's forever. You're putting yourself at risk, and for what? A cheap laugh? Not smart.
-- b. This makes you look small and petty. Why? Because you're criticizing a group of people for their age and appearance. As an entrepreneur, you want to appear more mature than this. Young is great. Immature? Not so great. At the very least, if you're going to be immature, you'd better be damn funny.

I know this is an open forum, and everyone's free to write whatever they like, but as a public relations person, I cringe when I see crap like this.

It's like letting your boyfriend take naked pictures of you with a goat. Sure, it's all fun and games when the goat's going to town, but the ramifications down the road are staggering. For your own protection, at least put a bag over your head or pick a different user name. That way, when the goat pictures, or observations about "obese, middle-aged women" rear their ugly head, they won't be associated with you.

Dammit.

 

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[PatrickP]

I read that post and thought 'I wish we could give people NEGATIVE speed posts.'

Then I figured Karma will catch up with him sooner or later.

 

[santa]

Its a very good point, its the same when you see what people post under their real names on twitter. I think the net is still so new that many haven't thought these things through or have a general awareness of the implications


From your experience do you think even anomynous have to be careful aswell in any ways?

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Speed+Thx.

Along the same lines, as a business owner, you really shouldn't be Tweeting and Facebooking politics, unless you want to polarize a significant percentage of your potential customers. The only exception I see is if your product is directly related to public policy. I know personally that I won't do business with certain companies/people when I know they hold an antithesis political position.

Frankly, I see this practice of political Facebooking (for business owners) to be as foolish as "check ins" and "I'm in India right now for 3 weeks!" (My house is empty, go rob it!). If you own a business that has a mass-market appeal, you should refrain from your chants of "4 more years" or "Mormon over Moron" - building a business is hard enough.

 

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[The-J]

Along the same lines, as a business owner, you really shouldn't be Tweeting and Facebooking politics, unless you want to polarize a significant percentage of your potential customers. The only exception I see is if your product is directly related to public policy. I know personally that I won't do business with certain companies/people when I know they hold an antithesis political position.

Frankly, I see this practice of political Facebooking (for business owners) to be as foolish as "check ins" and "I'm in India right now for 3 weeks!" (My house is empty, go rob it!). If you own a business that has a mass-market appeal, you should refrain from your chants of "4 more years" or "Mormon over Moron" - building a business is hard enough.

Your 10,000th post!

I agree. I don't like using my real name on discussion forums (I'll add people on Facebook but I would NEVER add clients or partners, and my Facebook is not open to the public). I have strong opinions on certain things and I'm free to express them but I do not let them get in the way of my business.

I mean, sure, anyone could find my forum posts if they know my Web site name. But I keep stuff business related here. I also try not to curse too much (but I slip from time to time lol).

 

[socaldude]

I know right, last time I checked politics was not a variable in the value equation. :shruggie:

 

[BrucetonGuy]

In this day and age, the Web is public and it's forever. You're putting yourself at risk...

I think this the part that most people don't think about. Especially those "younger" folks who post pictures of themselves at a Frat party doing keg stands, beer bongs, making out with someone, etc. on Facebook and then when they go to interview for a job, the pictures resurface. They don't get the job and they are mad at the world.

 

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[JAJT]

Look at what happened to Chic-Fil-A. They came out and took sides on a very heated political issue and lots a TON of business FOREVER because of it. Hell - was it a mayor who said they didn't want any more of their restaurants in his city? He couldn't enforce this rule but it got to that level of stupidity.

It may have made the side they were on happy but I can't see a good reason to give the finger unabashedly to a good chunk of your regular patrons. Last I checked people on both side of that argument eat chicken...

 

[PatrickP]

Actually Chick fila had the largest sales day they ever had when they came out with that.


Chick-fil-A sets sales record amid controversy (+video) - CSMonitor.com


Personally as MJ said, I too would steer clear of topics like that.

 

[splok]

Actually Chick fila had the largest sales day they ever had when they came out with that.

But what will their yearly numbers look like? They definitely got a ton of short term press, but the real question is what will the long-term effect be on customer acquisition and retention.

 

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[1PercentStreet]

But what will their yearly numbers look like? They definitely got a ton of short term press, but the real question is what will the long-term effect be on customer acquisition and retention.

Last time I checked, there hasn't been any dips. I think it's a rare occasion it doesn't hurt business though.

 

[ChickenHawk]

From your experience do you think even anomynous have to be careful as well in any ways?

Definitely. Here are two scenarios:

1. FAME: You become so famous or infamous that people start digging. And if someone digs hard enough, there's a good chance they'll discover your real identity, thanks to digital and other clues. Posting as "goatlover999" instead of your real name can only do so much to protect you.

2. CONTENT: If what you write causes enough concern, your anonymous persona won't be the one answering the door when the nice secret service agents come calling. Just ask "DestroyLeague_D", who made the news just this week (Secret Service Arrests Charlotte Man For Twitter Death Threats Against Barack Obama | The Smoking Gun)

 

[The-J]

The polarizing thing works, as MJ said in his book. It sells and sells well.

If the country is split on an issue, taking a side can create brand loyalty. "I eat Chick Fil A because Chick Fil A is conservative Christian for 'family values' and such" is an example of it. Thing is, you risk alienating your customer base, so unless you are purposely catering to a certain type of people (e.g. you sell New York Giants gear and you publicly proclaim your hate for Tom Brady) then you should probably stay away from super polarizing messages.

 

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[danoodle]

Considering "Christianity is the most popular religion in the United States, with around 77% of polled Americans identifying themselves as Christian in 2009." Chic-fil-A is actually taking the VAST majority stance, so I wouldn't expect them to lose any business over it.

Normally I would say keep your religious/political/social/etc issues to yourself when it comes to business, but you can actually use this tactic to your advantage now that I think about it. Being from conservative, Christian Kansas, I would say taking a public anti-gay, anti-abortion, conservative Republican stance on any issue would probably make you a hero around here. If you are running for student body president at Ohio University, taking an anti-alcohol stance would kill your campaign. Etc etc ad infinitum ad nauseum, use your imagination and use your stance on certain issues to your advantage!

 

[ChickenHawk]

With Chick-Fil-A, I believe the publicity worked to their benefit because they weren't nearly as polarizing as their detractors.

If you read the owner's actual comments, they were relatively mild and not terribly uncommon. He said, "We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit." He never mentioned gay rights or gay marriage. The article should've been a minor human-interest piece, especially considering ran in a religious publication.

However, the media firestorm, unwise behavior on the part of those who oppose this view, and subsequent threats by government to kick Chick-Fil-A franchises out of certain cities, it violated many people's comfort zones. So what happened? It only fueled America's desire to root for the scrappy underdog. Chick-Fil-A had their biggest sales day, ever, and those who opposed them looked like bullies.

If you read interviews of customers who stood in line to support Chick-Fil-A, many actually indicated they support gay marriage, but still felt the need to defend Chick-Fil-A's freedom of speech because the company was being "picked on."

The PR lesson? Stay classy, even if your views are potentially controversial.

 

[Steele Concept]

ChickenHawk,

You are absolutely right and what I said was not classy. In fact, it felt a little wrong initially typing it... That should have been the sign not to post. It's deleted now and valuable PR lesson learned. I'd add it up to being young and stupid. This forum certainly doesn't need negativity like that.

My brief rant did not stem from my discriminating feelings of "middle aged women." Rather I once had a particularly nasty HR experience with a "middle aged woman" who was highly criticized in the company for her draconian ways. It hit an emotional nerve from a time when I was suffering pretty seriously from an illness and really didn't need her harrassment.

Sorry guys, valuable lesson learned. Stay classy.

 

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[Steele Concept]

I can't help but ask...

Regarding the goat? Is this a true story lol?

 

[ChickenHawk]

It's deleted now and valuable PR lesson learned. I'd add it up to being young and stupid. This forum certainly doesn't need negativity like that.

Now THAT'S classy! It's a rare person IMO who can take constructive criticism with such grace and class. Speed++

 

[ChickenHawk]

Regarding the goat? Is this a true story lol?

The goat will never tell.

 

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[Steele Concept]

The goat will never tell.

Hahaha. If its one thing I learned from growing up and getting in lots of trouble... when you make a mistake admit it, change your thought process and move on. Egos are like anger, they are a burden. Being transparent and honest with oneself is when life gets easier.

It's like this older gentleman I was speaking with the other day. In his youth he was being a drunken, obnoxious baboon at a party. The typical sexually harassing girls, cussing etc. He said the wrong stuff to a female and her boyfriend whooped this guys a$$. He said he was made an even bigger fool than he was already acting at the party. For years he was angry and bitter. He matured and realize he needed that a$$ whooping. He later in life ran into the guy who whooped his a$$ and the a$$ whooper apologized. The gentleman I was speaking with admitted he needed an a$$ kicking that day as a life lesson and an ego check.

Bottom line is in his analysis of the situation, he put his ego aside and it was the catalyst in the reaction of him becoming a better person.

 

[dknise]

I can't help but ask...

Regarding the goat? Is this a true story lol?

Lol that's what I was thinking! It sounded WAYYY too personal ,in which ChickenHawk... take you're own advice! remove that last part of the original post!

Chik-fil-a definitely played to a favored crowd. In efforts to keep out of the political discussion, no comment.