Failing to control your brand’s story is one of the most common, and most dangerous, mistakes in the corporate world. With the amount of credence now given to information on the Internet, a few vocal people with time on their hands can cause a serious problem. Manufacturer Proctor & Gamble is finding out first-hand after customers raised a furor over them launching a revamped version of their Pampers diapers before launching the marketing that would explain the changes. This quote from an AdAge article sums up the issue:
Pampers’ breakthrough new Dry Max diaper is 20% thinner and way more absorbent than its predecessor or the competition in tests, leading Procter & Gamble Co. executives to hail it as the iPod of baby care. But a vocal group of internet critics compares it to another marketing milestone: New Coke.
A small group of grumblers have turned what had been overwhelmingly positive reviews at Diapers.com highly negative, jammed Pampers.com with negative reviews and created by far the most active thread on forums at the PampersVillage.com site.
Although the offense was totally unintentional and unexpected, P&G is now finding itself doing major crisis management that includes handling negative conversations on nearly 75 websites and on several major social media sites.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/