All posts by Shannon M. Wilkinson

About Shannon M. Wilkinson

Shannon Wilkinson is the founder and CEO of Reputation Communications.

Crisis Management, , , , , , ,
Reputation Diligence

This month I sat down with RANE Network for a webinar discussing the evolving landscape of reputational diligence. It highlighted the ways organizations can mitigate the risk to their brand.

          We all agreed that the landscape of reputation management has changed considerably in recent years. For one, reputational threats—both real and fake—can develop and spread faster than ever before through social media. There is also a marked “dispersion of gatekeepers.” Where years ago there were only a few sources “gatekeeping” information and determining what was worthy of publication, now anybody can publish information that can go viral. I restated a point I have made often on this blog and elsewhere: anyone can contribute to a business leader or an organization’s reputation on the internet.

Anyone can contribute to your reputation

“Anyone” can also mean employees within the company itself, as seen in countless #MeToo cases. I emphasized the importance of gathering employee feedback through regular town hall meetings and employee surveys where employees can safely and anonymously speak about the firm’s culture. When an organization doesn’t take the time to hear from its employees, I warned: “…They will become frustrated. They will then go to employee or consumer review sites or publish their frustration on social media.”

We also discussed the balancing act that leaders, CEOs and C-suite managers face between when and how to address crises and the burden of legal liability that falls on their shoulders.

Strategic crisis management options

Facing crises without a plan is not an option. I highlighted several actions companies or individuals can take in scenario planning, the first of which is acknowledging the incident. Having a statement that acknowledges the incident is very important, even if the crisis is ongoing. Deciding how to disseminate the statement is important, too. Facebook posts form a direct, easy connection to the public, with no third parties necessary. Companies can also put the statement on the front page of their website, or designate a special page on the website just for that statement and any further updates. Larger or enterprise organizations can acknowledge and possibly address the issue by creating a video using an empathetic spokesperson.

My talk with RANE demonstrates that the discussion on reputation diligence will continue indefinitely. In a world where personal reputations and company revenue can be seriously harmed with just a few clicks, keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of reputation management is essential.

 
 
Online reputation management, , , ,
Reputational Diligence in the Digital Economy

In today’s highly connected world, reputations can be attacked with just a few keystrokes. Misinformation can quickly spread, doing real damage to even the most respected businesses.

When an unfavorable incident goes viral, revenue and brand value can take a hit. Studies have suggested that on average more than 25% of a company’s market value is directly attributable to its reputation.

In response to these pressures, companies are striving to improve their capabilities for managing reputation risk by investing in brand monitoring tools and crisis management and scenario planning, among others.

Join Us: Free Thursday, April 25, 2019 RANE Webinar

In a free, Thursday, April 25 webinar, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET, experts from the RANE (Risk Assistance Network + Exchange) Network will explore the evolving landscape around reputation diligence. We also will spotlight ways companies can mitigate the risks to their brand. You can learn more details about the webinar and register here.
 
I am pleased to be participating in this webinar with other specialists in the crisis, PR and reputation management fields, and look forward to sharing insider intel with you and your colleagues.

 
 
Crisis Management, , , , , , , , , ,
college admissions scandal

“College Admission Scandal’s Other Big Names Are Titans of Finance and Law,” announces a New York Times headline.

The article describes a federal investigation into U.S. college admissions fraud—an investigation of “prominent parents who stand accused of paying bribes to give their children an edge.”

“While two Hollywood actresses were the most recognizable figures to face charges, they were outnumbered by business titans who are not household names.”

Among those charged are high net worth business leaders, including one of Silicon Valley’s most powerful investors, and a mergers and acquisitions attorney who was co-chairman of a major law firm. Those leaders have been publicly “outed,” in lists often featuring their photographs. They are losing jobs and board positions, are being pilloried on social media and could be the subjects of lawsuits. Their children are also named, and they may be permanently expelled from the colleges their parents arranged their acceptance to (the degree of the children’s involvement is under active debate).

Managing this crisis

What happens in such a spiraling situation is that attorneys and crisis experts are consulted and a reputation management firm like ours is likely engaged. As they discuss options with firms, the parents should first understand that they can’t bury this type of crisis with an online reputation or SEO (search engine optimization) strategy. The scandal is too big. It has become a focus of coverage across the most highly ranked and powerful media platforms. Simply put, SEO will not be able to displace those stories in Google searches.

What you can do, if you are a target of the investigation, is to follow the classic crisis response playbook:

• Acknowledge your role.

• Apologize.

• Make restitution and be transparent about how you are going about that. (Done well, that becomes the story.)

Reputation resets of this nature take about a year, from your initial public statement to completing restitution. There are no shortcuts, but the way you face this crisis may provide an unexpected silver lining. Publicly facing a crisis with sincerity and authenticity can yield surprising results—and finding a means of restitution that aligns with your values will be satisfying. Every crisis, even this, can be an opportunity.

 
 
Online reputation management, , ,
#MeToo

We’ve recently seen a growing number of prominent citizens arrested in human trafficking-related sting operations, resulting in dozens or hundreds of news articles. That follows the rising number of #MeToo-related sexual harassment reports in the news. Once such arrests and accusations are made, they dominate search results. 

From a reputation management standpoint, two facts stand out. The first is that when news occurs, it instantly appears online. Also, anyone can say anything about anyone on the Internet, with few repercussions. There is no “Right to be Forgotten” law here as there is in Europe and Argentina —so such claims, whether credible, false or subjective, can usually not be removed from the Internet on legal grounds.

The second is that, despite the claims of many online reputation agencies, it is extremely difficult for such information to be “buried” online (as in, displaced so it does not appear on the first or second page of Google). The truth is that there is no magic wand that can quickly cover up unwanted results. Promises and guarantees of this nature are simply false.  

In our Reputation Reboot column, we address the reasons why changing search engine results is difficult, and offer suggestions for alternative ways to approach and respond to such claims made about you online.

 
 
Online reputation management, , ,
online reputation maangement

As some world leaders’ tweeting habits indicate, there is definitely such a thing as too much exposure online. That includes social media. But it goes way beyond.

You may not realize it, but computer “bots” continually scan the Internet and collect your personal information…including information you don’t even realize is online. Like your address and phone number. It is scoured from such public records as online telephone directories, driver license bureaus and the local courthouses that maintain legal records of property ownership. That has an impact on your physical security as well as your privacy…especially if you are a high-profile CEO.

Losing Control Over your Public Image

Maintaining a low profile in business or in their personal lives is a longstanding tactic used by individuals with high professional positions. Minimizing the visibility that results from too many media interviews or too frequent a presence on social media prevents overexposure and can add longevity to careers. Many celebrities and industry professionals in all sectors have maintained their standing for decades because they — and their managers — have carefully ensured they never become overexposed.

Unfortunately, in the Internet culture, such tactics also means that there can be little online about them that they or their representatives have placed online and have control over. This means that whatever else is said about them online rises to the top of searches and stays there. When you are responsible for the majority of the factual information about you or your organization that appears on the first two pages of a Google search, you ensure that no matter what else is said, it is counterbalanced. When you don’t do that, you have lost control over your public image. It is far harder and more time-consuming to regain it than to establish it in the first place. As a specialist in online reputation management for “influencers,” including advising Fortune 500 and other clients, many of the issues we have resolved for our clients result from exactly that situation.

If You Don’t Tell Your Story, Someone Else Will

Bottom line: telling your story is a vital aspect of managing the reputation of an individual or an organization online and off.

If you don’t tell your story, someone else will.  Effective online reputation management entails “telling your story” online in an authentic way, then making sure that story appears in appropriate online platforms. Your story may be as short as you want it to be. If and when someone attempts to establish a different story, yours will provide a more factual and credible reference.  If you are a high-visibility individual and your story has already been told, there are many ways to add a fresh page to it – or a new chapter.

Celebrities have a range of options to do so. With TMZ paying a reported $5,000 for tips and paparazzi following many 24/7, they face continuous privacy challenges online and off. That is a great motivator.

Related reading: 

Angela Hrdlicka on Protecting CEOs, Private Citizens & VIPs

 
 
Internet Legal Issues, , , , , , , , , , ,
reputation management for lawyers

Despite frequent outcries about data breaches affecting millions of Internet users, U.S. citizens continue to have the lowest level of privacy protection in the world. Not surprisingly, the U.S. law governing online content is also outdated.

Our article,  Right2Remove: Bringing the “Right to be Forgotten” to America, highlights the work of an important organization focusing on changing that. The issues it faces are nothing new.

A 2011 ruling in a New York City court of appeals that would still stand today illustrates why the law needs to be updated to reflect current Internet use.

The court dismissed a businessman for filing a suit against a competitor for consistently posting “false and defamatory statements of fact” online that were clearly intended to injure the claimant’s reputation.

The judge noted that the comments about the claimant were “unquestionably offensive and obnoxious,” but held that the defendants were protected under the Communications Decency Act, which shields Web site operators from liability when they publish and edit material that they did not create.

In plain English: nothing could stop the poster from continuing to publish libel that, were it in print, would probably make him the subject of a successful lawsuit.

We Support the Right to Be Forgotten

Situations like the one above influence reputations in a way that is unfair (and in our view, should not be legal). That is why establishing and maintaining a strong online reputation is an asset for individuals and businesses alike. It is also why an update of internet laws is far overdue.

We support the Right to Be Forgotten on Google. Increasing numbers of other concerned Americans are raising their voices to demand that option come to America, too. Why Americans Need And Deserve The Right To Be Forgotten, by security expert and Inc. columnist Joseph Steinberg, presents a compelling reason why it should. With Dan Shefet’s help, it will.

Dan Shefet is a Paris-based attorney who forced Google to remove links to defamatory information about him in 2014. The case made worldwide headlines and led to the Right to be Forgotten law in Europe, which allows citizens to request Google remove links to certain types of personal information about them online. He has since established the Association for Accountability and Internet Democracy (AAID) Its goal is to to make search engines legally responsible for the information they publish. Dan’s goal is to establish a chapter of AAID in the U.S. You can learn more about his views in our interview with him: Dan Shefet: Creator of the Internet’s Ombudsman.

Related reading: An Attorney’s Advice for Removing Negative, Defamatory and Infringing Material from the Internet.

 
 
Privacy, , , , , , ,
Google

The European Union has introduced some of the world’s strictest online privacy rules. The “Right to be Forgotten” on Google — not yet available in the U.S. — is a notable example.

Now, according to The New York Times, the French data protection authority has fined Google 50 million euros for not properly disclosing to users how data is collected across its services. That includes its search engine, Google Maps and YouTube and other platforms. (If you’ve seen personalized advertisements following you around when you are using the internet, that is where they originate. Tech companies make massive profits from collecting and selling your data to marketers.)

Organizations like Facebook and Google make strenuous efforts to keep such laws from entering the U.S. Nonetheless, Europeans who have spearheaded such efforts are laying the groundwork here to begin bringing more protective laws to U.S. consumers.

We support bringing the “Right to be Forgotten” to America…along with better privacy laws. These are articles we have published about the issues:

Protecting the Privacy of High Net Worth Families

Right2Remove: Bringing the “Right to be Forgotten” to America

Electronic Frontier Foundation Primer Helps Protect Your Online Privacy

How Google’s Content Removal Request Process Works

For more insight, read this Times’ article: What the G.D.P.R., Europe’s Tough New Data Law, Means for You.

 
 
News, , , ,
Howard Schultz, Presidential candidate?

In 2018, when Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announced his plans to step down from the company, it fueled instant rumors of a possible run for U.S. President. We weren’t surprised: for years, he has called on American CEO’s to provide the economic leadership that our government has at times been unable to.

Now he is exploring a possible Presidential run. His plan is to explore  it during the three-month promotional tour for his new book, “From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America.”  That is a perfect cross-marketing strategy. He will sell more books while using the multi-city appearances to reintroduce himself to the American public. 

As founder of one of the most popular companies in America, Schultz has proven to be an effective agent of change. A classic American success story, he is a master of the practice known as “personal branding.” He has a compelling origin story and an authentic image.  He has also long expressed his concern over the state of America and its politics.

In 2011, he made headlines when he called on fellow CEOs to boycott Washington by stopping all political campaign contributions. “The CEO of Starbucks wants Washington to wake up and smell the coffee,” reported Huffington Post writer Dan Froomkin.

In television interviews that week, Schultz was praised for showing more decisive leadership than any elected official in Washington had in recent months. He was calm, focused and respectful toward Washington leaders as he presented solutions to address a then-growing crisis. Estimating that “a third of the states are facing a crisis of insolvency,” he said that Washington’s political infighting is causing great damage and harm to business in America. He also warned that businesses are “going to have to do more to provide the kinds of services to the communities we serve, and a safety net for the people that we employ, because the federal government is not going to have the resources.”

Howard Schultz has stumbled at times. Who hasn’t? As a citizen activist, he is an inspirational role model for other CEOs. Starbuck’s popularity reflects it, as does the company’s responsive handling to its 2018 racial discrimination case in Philadelphia. We look forward to reading his book.