- Twitter to lose its reputation as a free speech platform?
- IIPM worried about Google Suggest, why is it so?
- Reputation Management Tip for 2012: Brands need to tap into social media search!
- Facebook Timeline and Reputation Management
- Apple Siri gender bias or glitch?
- Google+ vs Facebook – its not over yet!
- The Ethics of Self Promotion Through Charitable Causes (A Case Study)
- Google scraps sidewiki – will you miss it?
- Facebook, the trust factor
- BlackBerry Blackout- RIM’s Reputation Takes another Hit
Archive for August 2010
Few gentlemen bring disrepute to cricket
August 30, 2010 | 
Author Just a few weeks back when we wrote about ‘How Pakistan’s bad reputation is affecting the flood aid’ here you have yet another story involving Pakistan for all the wrong reasons. This time it’s the Pakistani cricket players who are accused of bringing the gentleman’s game to disrepute. The allegations against them are ‘spot-fixing’ in the current England- Pakistan Lord’s Test. This one incident has proved that cricket is marred by corruption and Pakistan players have cemented this belief.
The worst of its kind in cricket’s history, this organized corruption undermines the credibility of the game. This adds more to the suspicion that you are watching a game that is already fixed. There is all kind of noise in the media and public looking to throw any player out of cricket if they are found guilty.
Cricket may be like just another sport, but in Pakistan this game is a passion which often does the diplomacy act to bridge difference and gain mutual respect with other nations. As the country is going through some trouble waters, this latest controversy will perhaps snub the Pakistan team from cricket.
Cricket is going through its worst time as a professional sport. Pakistan, though they have strongly condemned the act and for putting the nation to shame by the players, the country should think about how to balance and who to whip before the member countries decides to isolate them on cricket and otherwise.
Coming back to game, when you know cheating flourish in cricket in all forms, watching a match next time will be absolutely pointless. Cricket governing authority (ICC) should put its house in order before the sport loses its reliability. Nothing destabilizes the integrity of any sport other than the feeling that what you are watching is in pure sporting drama.
Marks & Spencers in Salad Salt Shocker
High street retailer Marks & Spencer must be hoping that all their excess salt will help preserve their image as recent reports have found that the retail behemoth sell 7 out of the 10 most salty salads in town.
Health conscious people of Britain who rely on high street supermarkets such as M&S for a healthier alternative to the masses of fast food outlets available, and are now learning that their “healthier option” might be anything but. The study of 270 salad dishes surveyed by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash), found only six contained less salt than a packet of crisps. Results also suggested that one-tenth of all the salads had more salt than the 2.1g contained in a Big Mac burger.
This news will probably let the patrons of McDonalds feel a little smug, but what have Marks & Spencer have to say on the matter? Claire Hughes, M&S’s nutritionist, had the following to say…
The Cash study misleads consumers regarding the actual level of salt content in the salads. She added that all the different pack sizes are clearly labelled, and that M&S is committed to providing a range of choices for consumers when it comes to what they want to eat.
So Claire Hughes clearly doesn’t care what adverse effects their ‘healthy foods’ are having on their customers. How concerned should people be though? Cash campaign manager Katharine Jenner said: “Many choose salad as a healthy and convenient lunch, particularly when watching their waistline.
“Rather than feeling healthy, however, they often feel bloated and sluggish, symptoms of water retention which can be caused by the hidden salt in these salads.
“In the long term the health problems are more serious, as salt intake is linked to osteoporosis and high blood pressure. Given the healthy image of salads it’s surprising to find that they contain such high levels of unnecessary salt.”
So… osteoporosis? High blood pressure? These aren’t things that your customers should be worried about, Claire? Your ‘Taste of Asia’ salad has a salt level of 2.81g – that’s almost as much as 6 packets of crisps, and 0.71g more than a Big Mac burger. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends adults eat no more than 6g of salt a day – about a teaspoonful – to minimise the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. People eating an M&S salad are almost half-way there!
Also guilty of flogging high-salt content salads are usual suspects KFC, McDonalds and other supermarket chains Tesco and Waitrose, and the fact that of the 270 salads studied only 6 contained less salt than a packet of crisps, is bound to have customers thinking twice about their diet. As yet though, only M&S has responded with any official statement – and an extremely nonchalant one at that.
So attention, salad lovers. They’re not just salty; they’re M&S salty.
HP reputation – fired CEO gets $28 million to leave
The high profile CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co, the world’s biggest technology company had to step down under a smokescreen set off by a sexual harassment case filed by a lady marketing consultant who was working for him. Mark Hurd, who was connected to 28 board members in 3 different organizations across 5 different industries was one of the most powerful figures in HP and was the architect of the work culture and success of this technology giant. It is ironical that the CEO Mark Hurd was in discussion for a new contract worth about $100 million, when he got marching orders that came with a purse of $28m, one third of the contract value that he was eyeing at that time.
HP said that it ousted Hurd after its investigation of a sexual harassment complaint found he had falsified expense reports and other documents to conceal a relationship with a female contractor who worked for HP. The sudden and shocking departure pf the HP CEO took the stock markets by surprise and HP’s shares tumbled sharply by over 7% as the first reports were flashed. Though HP maintained that the change of guard at the helm of affairs will have no bearing on the prospects of HP, investors opted to take a wait and watch policy.
The Mark Hurd episode became the overnight talking point for many journalists and anxious investors, which in turn left a dent on the online reputation of HP. However, HP was quick to act and ensured its brand protection by removing Hurd. In the coming days, how best the company recovers its lost ground would be of great concern for not just the share holders of HP but also millions of HP brand loyal customers and technology buffs all over the world.
Posted in Company Reputation, Reputation Management | 
Tags: hp, HP CEO, Mark Hurd fired, Online Reputation, sexual harassment case | 
No Comments »
Pakistan’s bad reputation affecting flood aid
Natural disasters usually galvanize mass support like it did in Haiti recently, however the Pakistan floods are not building up as much support as they should. Why? The main reason for this is that Pakistan comes with a certain reputation. The country is known for being a hot-bed for terrorism, for having helped and supported the regressive and violent Taliban; for having harboured the ‘who’s who’ of Al Qaida and so on.
Pakistan’s national reputation if news reports are to be believed is standing in the way of aid to the country. No Hollywood stars or even Bollywood stars are raising the issue, no concerts, nothing being planned.
Shameful indeed, for the vast majority of those affected by the floods aren’t politically motivated and are innocent, peace-loving people.
Further damning was President Zardari ‘s ill-timed visit to the UK and France during the floods. To the rest of the world this served as reproach on the current government, weakening an already wavering reputation. This could very well be the end of Zardari’s political career and his quick visit to flood hit areas has not done anything for his public image.
As I write this post millions are waiting for relief, yet the world seems largely aloof!
How the Spanish tour of the First Lady influenced her reputation
The much hyped 5 -star holiday of America’s first lady in a lavish Mediterranean Retreat when the country was reeling under the worst economic meltdown has had a bad influence in the reputation of the first family. Though the first lady is paying for her own room, food and transportation, the government will be bearing the security costs and support staffers, plus most costs associated with her Air Force plane. Many feel that this foreign luxury holiday came at a bad time as back home Americans are battling with loss jobs and an insecure future.
The webspace has been abuzz with comments on this ill timed get away at the expenses of the tax payer’s money. Politics Daily readers comments like “A little restraint would be appropriate in these tough economic times. It would mean a lot to the American people who pay for all these vacations and outings and would go a long way towards better relations with the people of the U.S. ” are keeping alive the issue as the first lady gets ready for another spell of holiday to Florida and Massachusetts island in the coming days.
The worst thing is that it has come close to the heels of the frock controversy that sparked ‘nude’ race row that spoiled the First Lady’s second state dinner. Michelle Obama’s reputation has been heavily influenced with these controversies that a Google search would come up with results like Spain vacation and state dinner dress in the top slots.
However, Michelle Obama is far too popular and should ride this controversy well but as they say all things do add up; and a cross check on the reputation chart will do good at this juncture.
Posted in Celebrity Reputation, Reputation Management | Tags: first lady, reputation, Spanish tour, state dinner dress | 1 Comment »
Why Reputation Management is not Reputation Laundering!
Reading this guardian article – ‘PR firms make London world capital of reputation laundering’ is alarming but then I have a few thoughts about this. For one I agree, PR companies may unscrupulously try to airbrush problems of their clients in every way possible, this is true. But, the one glaring thing about this exposé is that no country known the world over for human rights violation is going to get a ‘squeaky clean’ reputation handed over on a platter. No way!
This why we say – ‘PR is out and Reputation Management is in!’ Reputation management is not about purposely going about altering the reputation, or to put it in a ‘newsy’ way, doing reputation laundering for clients. We attempt and succeed by being an on-going process and the efforts are put in to highlight the positive changes being made by the client.
Reputation management is about pushing negatives down the search engines and is never about erasing incriminating results. Any amount of re-branding is half-done without reputation management backing it all up regularly. We’re here to help tide over the bad rep, albeit in a slow and steady manner. And we believe everyone including individuals, companies or countries, for that matter, need another shot at rebuilding reputation.
I’m sure Germany agrees, though some tags are branded into a country’s skin in the collective psyche of the rest of the world. So, yes African regimes and autocratic governments or even China, Russia, India, Pakistan or even US or UK have the right to re-brand themselves through PR, but it will be reputation management that will finally succeed!
Your Business on Google Places
Six in Ten consumers have confirmed that their decision on where to buy, which hotel to stay and where to travel is purely based on the experience of others. So does your business have a hold on its online reputation?
Google’s two ways conversation for business reviews on its Google Places is an extension of your business to respond to online reviews. As a result, business owners can retort to both negative and positive reviews for their businesses which are left on their Google Places profile.
One of the best things about Google Places is its ability to allow average or small business owners to control their reputation online. Unlike before when customers and clients leave feedback, comments and reviews in website and business owners had no way to respond to those reviews.
Google’s John Maguire states
Engaging with the people who have shared their thoughts about your business is a great way to get to know your customers and find out more.
Google Places allow business owners to deal with their reputation in a better way because this allows them to respond to reviews both positive and negative with same perception as the reviewer. Business houses have to take ownership of their listing; many businesses do not maintain ownership of their Google Places listing which results in damaging their reputation and their business while the business owners remain ignorant.
“A gift for you”, will the blood diamonds stain Naomi Campbell’s reputation for good?
Naomi Campbell has been summoned to appear in court on Thursday by the prosecutors of the Charles Taylor’s trial for crimes against humanity. The prosecution at the Special Court for Sierra Leone at The Hague claimed that Taylor gave a “blood diamond” to the British supermodel during a 1997 trip to South Africa.
Ms Campbell had stated in April that she “never received a diamond” – and refused to talk any further about the allegation. Later she told the chat show host Oprah Winfrey she feared for her safety if she became involved in the case.” These two contradictory statements made by the super model have dragged her into the case trial.
The story states that Campbell was given the stones at night following a 1997 dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela. “A Gift for you” is all what the two gentlemen who gave her the diamond said. When she realised it was not a few dirty looking stones, but real un-cut diamonds, she handed it over to her friend, whose name she hasn’t disclosed.
Taylor’s trail began in Hague in January 2008. He is accused of supporting rebels in Sierra Leone’s in 1991-2002 civil war. The Liberian Civil War, which was one of Africa’s bloodiest, claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and further displaced a million others into refugee camps in neighbouring countries.
The boiling feelings of the inhuman activities are prone to affect the reputation of the super model which is not new to controversy. Will Naomi Campbell be able to come out clean and will her reputation finally affect her work? The world has to wait till the court appearance on Thursday.
How important it is to reply to the reviews?
Replying to reviews on your website is an important part of your online process. It is time that business small and big should start thinking about this seriously. Reviews may be good or bad, responding to them adds to the credibility of the company. It is also a part of your online reputation management that sustains your online image. To remain aloof to reviews is an unprofessional approach which reflects on the reputation of the company.
But what needs to be dealt with care is how you respond to reviews, as part of your business goodwill you need to understand that you are addressing the issue brought up in the review. The review may criticize your way of doing business, and as a responsible business house you need to take it from there while clarifying your position. This move will induce confidence and respect and customers feel privileged that you responded to their likes. Review sites are great platforms to build a solid rapport with your business associates. Responding to reviews generates a feeling that you are taking seriously what is been said, and that you intend fixing the issue.
Reviews are a mirror to your business that shows where your business or brand stands. It clearly shows how people perceive your company. A chance to amend flaws or even mend what is lacking. Lately it has been seen that nearly every company in today’s era pay attention to what is been said online. The race is in keeping the company customer friendly and leaving no stones unturned to achieve that goal. Nevertheless doing so surely enhances the friendliness of the company and builds a positive image. One should be really objective when replying to the reviews, as it’s a part of official dialogue.
Being pro-active in answering to your reviews shows the users that you care about them and this enhances your goodwill. So companies need to take every chance to respond to reviews and critics as this is an integral part of your reputation management.
Reputation management- A useful way to track the competition
Back in the day, if somebody wanted to bad-mouth your business, they had to risk their own reputation to do so. Nowadays they can do it with the aid of thousands of social networking and blog sites with complete animosity. If someone posts a false or a malicious comment or blog, they can go without being noticed – being one among the numerous sites online. So, it’s tempting and easy to be malicious.
Reputation management is more than a service simply for those people who have had negative content levelled against them online. ORM is predominantly for protecting your reputation and keeping it consistent for the entire duration. By paying attention to your customers, you can ensure that you are always offering them what they want, and can adapt your advertising as to attract other potential customers to your custom.
When you open the social media floodgates, you create a channel for people to come and ask help for their various issues. So they may either ask you questions about the various products or services, or it might be a disgruntled customer who is posting negative comments about you, because they are dissatisfied about your product or service.
It is important to monitor your business online:
If you cannot monitor your brand on your own, then you need to make use of the services of an online reputation management firm like Reputation Management For.com, who will do the trick of helping you build, regain and protect your brand name. We offer various services and packages and have great tools and systems in place to protect your name online; it will ultimately help you to have complete control of your business.