Reflecting on the most common reasons why Reputation Communications was engaged by new clients in the last year, I realized those reasons have evolved since I launched this practice over a decade ago.
At Reputation Communications, we work with a select type of clientele: leaders in their fields, VIPs, and rising stars. They require highly customized personal branding on the internet that supports their existing (or soon-to-be) high reputations.
Increasingly, we are being engaged to support the desire of successful clients to curate their achievements and skillsets in professional biographies, websites, portraits, social media and thought-leadership content as they establish new professional or personal goals. In most cases they have built major careers without ever creating anything other than a LinkedIn profile (which we often expand considerably on their behalf), and a company bio.
This represents a growing trend online of taking proactive, rather than reactive, control over how you are perceived on the Internet, where the world-at-large researches you. There are many advantages of taking ownership of your online persona…which may or may not be low-key at the moment but might change at any time.
Our digital magazine, You(Online), features countless strategies we use to mitigate the issues described here, as well as the many content-rich options you have to curate your personal brand on the Internet. The Essentials: Online Reputation Management FAQs, is the best. Good reading.
At times like these, some of our thoughts turn to divorce. Divorce filings spike in times of duress.
The bigger the financial stakes, the deeper the reputational pitfalls before, during and after a divorce.
This is not a pleasant topic. But here is what you need to prepare for if you are a high-end reader and anticipate you may be one of those January statistics:
Media leaks favoring your partner
We have seen strategic media campaigns initiated by a spouse once s/he realizes a divorce filing is imminent. These include society profiles intended to elicit favorable public opinion and generate high visibility. This ensures their partner knows they now face a more formidable opponent.
False accusations via stealth blogging
Accusations of child, financial or substance abuse are just some of the insinuations that spouses can — and do — make anonymously on blogs and other platforms. The goal? Plant seeds of doubt among colleagues, friends and acquaintances before a divorce heads to court. Extortion to receive guarantees of financial awards or child custody before a hearing is often the reason.
Boasting or retaliatory claims via social media
Depending on the prominence of the couple involved, once a partnership ends, it’s the person “left behind” who might choose to air dirty laundry online. The one who feels scorned might share intimate details about the couple’s romantic life, live-blog about a reported mistress or cast aspersions upon the now-ex-partner’s financial or personal image. This could be real, or complete fiction. It doesn’t matter. The impact can be severe.
We’ve seen instances where attorneys representing one of the parties are aware of this planned reputation assassination. They might prepare appropriate actions to counter these reputation attacks to prove the rumors and allegations are untrue.
Too often, we have seen the fallout: Content about a contentious divorce still on the first page of Google results a year or more later.
We hope you do not need this information. If you do, please evaluate the level of reputation risk you, your board affiliations or your organization may face if you find yourself affected by this statistical trend. We’re here if you need us.
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.
The #MeToo movement has sparked a national conversation about sexual harassment. We asked Katherine Lemire about the investigations used by organizations in response to harassment and criminal behavior.
A Partner at StoneTurn, former Federal prosecutor and previously Counsel to New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, Katherine and her team of experts assist businesses, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and individuals in compliance, investigations, due diligence, risk mitigation, and dispute resolution.
You have overseen investigations into allegations of employee harassment. How common are they and at what point in the situation are you brought in?
It is difficult to say how common such investigations are because a proper investigation should be conducted in a confidential manner to the extent possible. If the facts uncovered in the course of an investigation do not support the allegations, it is of critical importance that the reputation of the accused employee remain untarnished. Even in those cases which result in findings supporting harassment allegations, the accuser also may voice concerns that he or she is not identified as the basis for the investigation.
In the best case scenario we are brought in soon after the allegations surface. Federal law requires a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into allegations in the workplace. Statutory requirements aside, prompt investigations serve as a bulwark against the inevitable erosion of witnesses’ memories. Acting in a rapid, thorough, and unbiased manner when responding to allegations can also serve to boost the morale of employees who might otherwise believe that management does not view these workplace issues in a serious manner.
You have said that organizations are becoming more proactive about weeding out potentially illegal and unethical conduct before and after the commencement of a criminal investigation. Is harassment considered “criminal?” If not, does it signal potential criminal behavior?
Harassment can be considered criminal if it rises to the level of conduct violating law. In New York State, for example, repeated unwanted contact, including repeated phone calls, can result in criminal charges.
Many corporations as well as government and non-profit organizations know they have harassment issues in the workplace. How could they have avoided that before making an important new hire?
Due diligence may reveal aspects of a prospective hire’s history which could serve as warning signs. A solid due diligence investigation might include, for example, a review of the candidate’s social media postings, litigation history, and complaints filed with regulatory authorities.
What type of internal investigations does StoneTurn recommend for organizations to minimize and prevent harassment and similar issues?
The key focus should be on a prompt and thorough investigation conducted in an impartial manner. Stalling in response to complaints and failing to interview particular witnesses could expose an organization to liability. Likewise, to insulate itself from charges of bias and failing to conduct the investigation in a thorough manner, organizations should engage a firm specializing in this work to conduct the investigation.
A Partner with StoneTurn, Katherine Lemire is a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, where she investigated complex federal crimes. She also served as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office where she investigated and prosecuted a broad array of criminal cases from grand jury proceedings through trial. As Counsel to Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, she provided advice and counsel on a wide range of sensitive matters affecting the NYPD, while overseeing management initiatives. Katherine and her team joined StoneTurn in 2018 after successfully operating Lemire LLC, a New York-based certified woman-owned business enterprise (WBE) specializing in compliance, risk and investigative matters, which she founded in 2013.
This is the seventeenth in a series of interviews with experts whose work relates to online reputation management.
The Internet has made the security industry far more complex. For celebrities, CEOs and VIPs, it means pictures of their homes can be online, their office addresses are public knowledge and pictures of their cars and children are available for anyone to see. That contributes to their risks at home, while traveling, or attending large-scale events. When they lead major organizations or champion controversial causes, they can become targets for many types of crimes. We asked international security expert Scott Alswang what VIPs need to know in today’s environment. A former Secret Service agent, he has provided protection services for every U.S. president from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush as well as for dignitaries, high profile global executives and prominent individuals.
You work with many celebrities. What are examples of what they should not do?
My first rule is, never drive a car. Because of the ubiquity of the paparazzi and other intrusive types of people, always use a driver who is a trained security specialist. When you are a celebrity, you are your own intellectual property. You must protect that. Don’t become complacent. Realize your children are targets for kidnapping and you are a target for faux lawsuits and other financial crimes. So don’t rely on your instinct or your friend’s opinions when you hire people: check references and conduct due diligence checks. When you are not proactive on these fronts, it can affect your public image and you can lose control over your story. That can harm your brand, although your safety is my main concern.
CEOs and C-Suite executives face special issues, especially when they travel out of the country.
Too many continue to broadcast their locations on social media. That makes them vulnerable to carjackings when they travel. They often also lack computer security on their laptops and other devices, which increases their vulnerability to hacking. When they are associated with publicly traded companies that can severely impact a career and impact a reputation that has taken years to build. Many are targets for Russian or European hackers. Rogue groups put spyware in place to obtain confidential or private information that may affect stock price or ruin a reputation. Express kidnappings in Mexico and Brazil, cloning of computers in China, audio countermeasures in your hotel room spying on you when you’re most at ease, spiking your drink — these are all things that can and do happen to business people while traveling, especially when they are associated with a well-known organization.
What are some other areas that folks with high visibility should be aware of?
Celebrities and high net worth folks, especially C-suite types running a publicly traded company, sometimes forget that the most mundane thing makes news and can bring unwanted attention with potentially embarrassing consequences. Folks with high visibility must conduct themselves differently in this TMZ environment. Most know to be courteous in public. Many forget that their private life on the web may not be private. It’s a dangerous world out there and becoming more so. Many high net worth individuals and celebrities don’t see any ROI employing security professionals, executive protection specialists, reputation defenders or vetted staff to ensure trust and security with sensitive matters. It is important to realize that not everyone loves a movie star or the CEO of a company that conducts animal testing, or whose stock has plummeted and lost money for stakeholders while the CEO receives an eight-figure salary and bonus. Some people are resentful, some are unhinged and some are downright dangerous. Emotionally disturbed people or sane people set on kidnapping or blackmail for profit are risks that the security experts can help thwart. Just as you dress for success, prepare and protect your future physically, at home, at work and online. Live a safe, conflict-free life. Coordinate security and safety with a professional.
Scott Alswang is the CSO of Titan HST. He served for 20 years in the United States Secret Service and retired as the assistant to the special agent in charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Secret Service. During his service he protected every U.S. president from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush. Mr. Alswang also conducted protective advances for every major foreign head of state that visited the United States of America.He is director of the Association of the Former Agents of the United States Secret Service, a fraternal and charitable organization comprised of 6000 former U.S. Secret Service agents. He regularly appears on national/international TV and radio to speak about security issues.Mr. Alswang graduated from William Paterson University with a BS in Public Safety Administration and completed a MA in Criminal Justice at City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice.This is the eighteenth in a series of interviews with experts whose work relates to online reputation management.
London-based risk management provider AON recently released its Global Risk Management Survey. Damage to reputation/brand remained the top ranked risk by businesses. While defective products, fraudulent business practices and corruption continue to be key threats to reputation, social media has greatly amplified their impact, making companies more vulnerable. Additionally, risks that are traditionally uninsurable are becoming more volatile and difficult to prepare for and mitigate.
“We are living in a challenging new reality for companies of all sizes around the world. There are many emerging influences that are creating opportunity, but at the same time, creating risks that need to be managed,” said Rory Moloney, chief executive officer for Aon Global Risk Consulting. “As the risk landscape for commerce evolves, businesses can no longer rely solely on traditional risk mitigation or risk transfer tactics. They must take a cross-functional approach to risk management and explore different ways to cope with these new complexities.”
The explosive growth of the Internet has dramatically changed the demands of reputation management. The manipulation of search engine results—what used to be considered the central activity of ORM firms—has lost its utility as search engine algorithms have grown more sophisticated.
The National Cybersecurity Institute Journal has published my new paper addressing this topic. “The New Demands of Online Reputation Management” provides an overview of the leading online reputational threats faced by companies in the United States, as well as an explanation how such events unfold, the motivations behind them, and how they can be protected against and resolved.
