I have Google Alerts to thank for this topic. This is proof that sometimes we lose sight of the forest for the trees. With all of our discussion and study on corporate reputation management, it is easy to overlook the importance of your industry’s reputation. Truly, all the individual ORM in the world won’t make a difference if the public opinion of your industry reaches record lows.

Perfect example: oil and gas drilling/development. It is a critical industry for the continuation of global industry and society as we know it. Despite the obvious need and limited supply, oil and gas companies get a bad rap for more than a few reasons: oil spills, gas pipe leaks, water conservation, unsightly rigs in suburbia and in nature, the price of gas, and the announcement of record ExxonMobil profits during the price increase.

EnerMax Inc. recently posted an article about the popular misconception of gasoline price gouging in the past few years. It was a wise move on the part of the company since protecting the good name of their industry is in the best interests of their business. When public perception of oil and gas companies is unfavorable, investing and partnering with these companies on new drilling projects can reach all-time lows. Rebuilding customer confidence is essential to corporate success.

Very few companies concern themselves with strengthening the reputation of their industry. Those who do, however, are the thought leaders of their industries. They are the pacesetters. Whoever does go public will affect public perception. If a company is going to turn the tide in favor of your industry, don’t you want that company to be you? After all, wielding that influence will surely set you apart from the competition when it comes to conversions as well.

When public opinion is down, conversion rates drop. When consumer confidence soars, stocks rise. Developing an industry reputation management strategy is a win-win scenario. The only question remaining is: will you be a leader in your industry?

Popularity: 7% [?]

I’ve spent my fair share of time scouring the Web in search of the perfect WP theme. The truth is, I’m no designer, and I’d rather use a theme I can make minor adjustments to for just the right look. As the number of blogs I’m involved with continue to expand out of control (currently 7), your feedback is needed.

Point me in the direction of themes you think would fit the Reputation Advisor content. Heck, we might even award a prize to the person who helps me find the perfect look.

What do you think?

Popularity: 12% [?]

In Australia, a restaurant critic produced a “scathing review” of Coco Roco, a fine dining establishment on the harbor. The owners of the restaurant sued for defamatory remarks. A jury found the critic innocent, so the restaurant owners appealed the decision. The High Court of judges ruled in favor of the Coco Roco recently, stating that the comments about “unpalatable and overpriced food” were explicity defamatory.

Hmm… That’s one way to combat criticism. It’s also a good way to show how your government is corrupt and on the take. No way does this happen in the U.S. One blogger asks how this will affect everyone’s next blog post. Will it prevent you from stating your opinion because you can be taken to court and thrashed soundly?

Well, I see no reason in the United States for this to be a concern despite all the problems with our judicial system. God help Australia, though. I would hate to be in their shoes right now.

Popularity: 10% [?]

TheAge.com posted an article by Leon Gettler about six steps to crisis management. He started by discussing Johnson & Johnson and the poisoned Tylenol fiasco. Gettler continued with a series of pr nightmares, beginning with the dreaded and infamous Exxon Valdez disaster.

It is a shame that more CEOs and Directors of Public Relations won’t heed the wisdom embodied by Johnson & Johnson those years ago. True, it cost hundreds of millions in recalls and such. Undoubtedly, this is why most executives refuse this humble and expensive path. It is, however, the only way to avoid looking the fool and risking permanent failure.

Why is it that so few executives have the foresight to protect the public and the company? The PR disasters of the past twenty years simply prove that it takes less savvy and ingenuity to create a company than to sustain one.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Whether you’re a fresh new Web 2.0 corp. or a 100+ year old banking institution (stagecoaches come to mind), the policies you set for your employees will affect your corporate reputation as sure as an online scandal. For example, I worked for the home mortgage division of a nationally recognized bank. My time at said institution was a mixture of fun and torture - fun for all the interaction with my coworkers and torture for enduring the non-sensical policies of a massive, impersonal corporation.

After my tenure there (and after being turned down for a home loan by my employer), I chose to never use a single product - banking, investment, or otherwise - from this company. Not only did I go to the competition, I veered at least ten people away from that company as well. Not out of spite, mind you, but because I wanted to share my good fortune of a better deal with my friends, family, and acquaintances.

Granted, this bank has thousands of satisfied customers, whose existence I cannot deny. I don’t pretend that they’re the devil. But friends and family tend to stick together. Screw over one person, and you’ve just offended anywhere from 2-50 people. Not only will you lose their business, but you will earn yourself a reputation for being a poor employer. Employers with bad reputations tend to lose their customer base. We, the consumer, want to reward companies who treat their employees well because 1) we feel a level of kinship with employees everywhere and 2) a happy employee treats us better and makes our experience better.

Whole Foods Market is an excellent example of a company with a solid reputation for treating their employees well, and it shows on the faces of almost every employee I’ve encountered. The people that work at Whole Foods are the happiest, most helpful, and friendliest employees I’ve ever encountered. I love the experience because these people care about what I want. They’ll go so far as to offer free samples of healthy products to help you decide whether said products are worth purchasing in the future.

Cici’s Pizza is an example of a company that apparently forces its employees to act happy regardless of their circumstances. Upon entering the establishment, I am greeted with a booming shout, “Welcome to Cici’s! Thank you for coming!” This greeting comes from ridiculously unhappy and rehearsed faces at the front counter who are obviously quoting the lines they are required to say. While the first greeting can almost be appreciated for its novelty, the 10th time you hear that greeting to other customers entering the building, you’re ready to pelt somebody with green olives and salt shakers.

WAPT, an ABC affiliate, posted an article online about adverse affects of blog monitoring by employers today. While it’s always a good idea for a company to monitor its online reputation through news, blogs, forums, articles, and other websites, there is a point when invading the privacy of an employee breaks down the sense of free speech among hard working employees. There’s a big difference between a disgruntled employee and a corporate traitor. If an employee is saying something negative online, respond to the issue online. Consider that your employees have an audience who will know if you enforce a gag order or even fire someone for having their own opinion.

We’ll cover the delicate balance between corporate reputation management and free speech in an upcoming post. In the meantime, keep in mind that 75% of complaining employees do not complain for no reason. If you’ve found a blog that discusses negative practices within your organization, look at fixing the problem. The best way to solve a complaint is to fix the problem. It’s not unfair for you to be criticized for something you are actually doing.

Yes, do invest in full-time reputation management. Yes, do monitor what is being said about your company and executives. But by all means, take advantage of criticism by adjusting your organization to become an even better place to work. The resulting positive press and effects your decisions will make are well worth the effort and inconvenience.

Popularity: 4% [?]

The Wall Street Journal posted an article online today about reputation management and the negative impact of certain unrecommended tactics. Unfortunately, the WSJ journalist, Andrew Lavallee, didn’t take the time to locate and/or cover a successful reputation management agency. Ironically, reputation management - the industry - gets the shaft.

The difference between advisable practices and inadvisable practices can easily be summed up in one word: intent. I had this exact same conversation with a client yesterday. When someone defames your reputation online, you face the choice between “attack and defend” in more ways than one. When dealing with online defamation of character, the rule of thumb is to respect freedom of speech. Companies like Reputation Defender make the mistake of contacting the blogs, websites, and forums responsible for allowing negative comments to be made and they politely request removal. If the party refuses, the language becomes decidedly less polite and friendly.

The problem is that a service is charging customers for something it cannot guarantee. Reputation Defender will try to persuade these webmasters and content managers to withdraw ugly content, but it is at the sole discretion of the owner. Sometimes the owner or person in charge will comply out of sympathy. Other times, the requests for content removal evoke other emotions, and the owner will post additional inflammatory remarks or actually post the requests for removal in an attempt to mock the parties involved.

Two lessons must be learned from this WSJ article:

1. Reputation Defender only serves individuals - NOT companies. They are not equipped for professional corporate reputation management and are therefore a bad example to look to as a corporate professional when determining the need or validity of the reputation management industry
2. Promoting positive content and addressing negative statements online is a more effective and worthwhile pursuit for a corporate reputation management company

Sure, you might somehow have an unwanted photo on someone else’s MySpace or Flickr account. Sure, something said or exposed may affect a child’s ability to get into private schools or colleges. But this is a far cry from the realm of corporate reptuation management. Even when dealing with the individual executives themselves, this simple manner of attempting to “destroy” negative content is unrealistic and carries the potential of making a bad situation worse.

Ineffective reputation management practices can harm the business image of a credit card. A good example to follow the suit is amex credit card that takes its public image as seriously as it does new product development. Certain business credit card offers come with enhanced features and premium service level for a charge in addition to the credit card fee. The same applies, at a relatively high cost, to the bad credit credit cards.

Organic search engine optimization is a power tool in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing. I have seen SEO alone do wonders to the contribution of the search reptuation management. 90+% of all searchers never pass page one in their searches. Dominate that real estate, and 90% of your reputation problems are history. Then and only then should you consider the possibility of requesting content removal. Dominate search first. That way, even a negative response won’t crush your ORM efforts.

Popularity: 18% [?]