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Posts Tagged ‘brand protection’
New Model Scam Law
October 1, 2010 | 
Author There aren’t many people who wouldn’t be flattered to hear that somebody thought they had the potential to be a model. In a society that tells you that unless you buy in to the cosmopolitan culture of perfect bodies and catalogue fashion, fraudsters have been left for years to prey on girls and women seeking affirmation on their appearance. Now though, ‘Pretty Protection’ rules have been put in place to crack down on rogue modelling agencies looking to capitalise on the vulnerable.
The modelling scam is fairly straightforward – through various mediums girls are being approached, courted, and being assured that they have what it takes to make it in the modelling industry. They’re asked to attend photo shoots or registration events where they’re pampered and treated like royalty. They’re led to believe that paid work will be forthcoming from an extensive list of clients, and just when the ‘mark’ is about to sign on the dotted line, the trap is sprung.
In order to sign up to these agencies, the girls (ok, so guys are just as susceptible to this too, but statistically speaking the main demographic of those affected are female) have to come up with a ‘signup fee’ or an ‘agency retainer’ on the expectation of making the money back on modelling work. By the time the session is over, victims might have handed over sums that reach the high hundreds. And unfortunately, save for an occasional email or letter informing them they’ve had no interest yet, this is often the last time most people hear anything.
The new rules are as follows:
As of 01/10/2010, it is now illegal for model agencies to charge any type of upfront fee before finding a client work.
Any company caught trying to do that could face an unlimited fine or be banned from operating for up to 10 years.
A 30-day cooling off period has been introduced for photographic work.
If you fall for that trick and pay for a portfolio of pictures you no longer want, you have a month to change your mind and ask for your money back.
Critics though have already said though that the new regulations aren’t sufficient to adequately protect against rogue modelling agencies, as there are still several loopholes still left gapingly wide open. There are however people you can speak to if you feel you are still being scammed, and they can be found here.
The problem now though is that people who genuinely want to make it in the modelling industry are left wondering who they can trust. With so many rogue agencies out there, it’s hard to identify who’s genuine and who isn’t. And now with awareness being raised as to the potential pitfalls of putting your trust in modelling scams, the legitimate agencies risk being tarred with the same brush. An unfortunate but classic case of ‘guilty by association’.
When you have a legitimate business of any ilk, you should look to protect your reputation and disassociate yourself from scammers in the same trade. At reputationmanagementfor.com, we’ve already spoken to spoken to modelling agencies over the last year who are concerned with being caught up in the negative light their ill-intentioned counterparts have been casting. If you have a business whose reputation is being questioned due to matters outside your control, then get in touch with us to find out how we can help you to protect your brand name and reputation. In fashion more than most industries – your name is your lifeblood.
email: info@reputationmanagementfor.com
Call: UK +44 (0) 845 862 1893
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Pears Soap retains its originality thanks to Facebook campaign
Social networking sites are wielding more power than ever now, people are having a say in nothing less than corporate decision making. A Facebook campaign has forced the makers of Pears transparent soap to scrap plans to change the 221-year-old formula. Never have people had so much power over businesses, brands and even celebrities.
In an attempt to re-invent the brand, the manufacturers decided to add a host of new ingredients which got the public up-in-arms on Facebook. Campaign ensued with people saying that they hated the new smell after finding that only the new soaps were available in the stores. Once the old soap vanished people missed the old herbal smell of Pears and gave a big thumbs down for the new.
This is a classic example of quick review or feedback and a change in corporate decision. People are conditioned to certain smells and flavours and sometimes a change is just not appreciated. The soap-makers should have introduced new soaps along with the classic ones that consumers have always appreciated. Anyway Pears have bowed to the wishes of the masses and gone into quick brand protection mode – reputation management overdrive even!
Are you still on the fence about social networking sites? Time to join and make the best of its power is what we say here at Reputation Management For.com.
Bad press, damage limitation, PR, crisis management, brand protection
Bad press, damage limitation, PR, crisis management, brand protection, call it what you like, the minute you put online in front of any of these phrases changes the requirements of a company who can help. So who do you need to help mange your reputation on the net?
When you find you have negative content appearing in the search engines where do you go? Sure negative comments can be a positive thing if you have had a serious issue and have shown to have dealt with it after listening to your customers. More often than not however it can be an ex employer, competition or customer who has taken a particular disliking for the company and very difficult to show you have dealt with the complaint.
Reputation Management is about showing your company in the correct light and create understanding. It is unlike advertising, whose main goal and focus is to generate sales and awareness. Like PR, reputation management should be a planned exercise, with the goal of making the public, customers and suppliers see that the company understands the needs and wants of all parties involved. You can’t do this if there is only negative content showing on the first page of the search engines.
How you go about producing this positive content must be done honestly and in a manageable structure, otherwise you could take the wrong path. See this example from the NY Times
Lifestyle Lift, a cosmetic surgery company, has reached a settlement with the State of New York over its attempts to fake positive consumer reviews on the Web, the New York attorney general’s office said Tuesday. The company had ordered employees to pretend they were satisfied customers and write glowing reviews of its face-lift procedure on Web sites, according to the attorney general’s statement. Lifestyle Lift also created its own sites of face-lift reviews to appear as independent sources.
One e-mail message, discovered by the attorney general’s office, told employees to “devote the day to doing more postings on the Web as a satisfied client.”
So it’s important that you get the right advice, having an online reputation management strategy can save you a lot of time, effort and money. Leaving it till its a big issue can sometimes hurt you and damage your reputation beyond repair.