Reputation Management Online

If there’s one show that’s guaranteed to generate headlines, it’s Simon Cowell’s The X-Factor, screening on ITV in the UK. And while we’re all used to the stories of grief that the shows contestants claim as their motivation, this year has seen a couple of disturbing stories that are attracting all the wrong kinds of attention (forgetting momentarily that all publicity is good publicity).

It started a couple of weeks ago when Gamu Nhengu’s performance was adorned by audio-enhancement techniques. This created quite the ruckus amongst viewers who were upset that they were not getting an unbiased exposure to the contestants. But, as well as the folks at home not being all too pleased, Gamu’s troubles didn’t end there. A long with hundreds of thousands of disgruntled fans of the show, Ms Nhengu’s performance was also being watched the UK Border Agency.

It turns out that Gamu’s mother Nokutula was in the UK on a working visa which had actually expired without the possibility of extension. Yes, that would make Gamu, her mother and her two younger brothers illegally residing in the UK.

I’m sorry, but if you’re not entitled to live in Britain, and you’re staying in the country illegally… why in God’s name would you make an appearance on national television? If only Simon’s troubles ended there…

Other former X-Factor hopeful Chloe Mafia has already had to put up with articles popping up all over the news and media about her ‘professional life’ (the oldest, thereof), and now self-proclaimed misfit has openly admitted to taking drugs (cocaine). She also failed to make it past the ‘boot camp’ stage of the show, after arriving unprepared for her audition. Again.

No loss, she was rubbish anyway.

But, all the while contestants like Gamu Nhengu and Chloe Mafia are making headlines for all the wrong reasons though, the X-Factor is going from strength to strength. It seems nothing can touch this music behemoth’s reputation, but the same can’t be said for the contestants. These girls (assuming both are still in the country this time next week) are going to suffer from their auditions more than they stand to gain.

Everywhere they turn they’re going to be facing bad press. It’s not just the papers, which tend to go away and be forgotten about, but more and more frequently employers are ‘Googling’ potential employees and so every negative story about a person or company is available at the touch of a button. And now, with new Google Instant, users don’t even have to be searching for a negative story for one to come up via Google Suggest. Online Reputations are at an all-time vulnerable, and unfortunately for these X-Factor entrants – there’s very little they can do about theirs.