How should brands respond when being cyber-bullied?

Many brands are struggling with the burden of social networking and the power it has put in the hands of the consumer. In days of old, you phoned a customer complaint line, and they told you that they were recording the call for quality assurance. Your complaint usually fell on deaf ears, because brands weren't that worried about a private phone call between the company and an individual.

By Rob Dickens

22 Nov 2010

Now imagine broadcasting that recorded message to a possible listenership of 500-million users on Facebook. Imagine thousands of people agreeing with your complaint and voicing their own on this public platform for everyone to see.

It is a PR nightmare and it sees brands getting a crash course in crisis management.

Often these complaints and concerns are valid and people use social networking platforms for activism. The outcry over the BP oilspill, for example.

But what if your brand becomes the target of cyber-bullying? What if the outcry is unwarranted, factually ignorant, emotive and malicious?

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Source: Memeburn

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