Prepare, Promote, Respond
When your business is faced with an incident or situation where transparency or only certified facts will sway a mass of rumour or negative sentiment for your product or brand sometimes the only way forward is the promotion of a webpage that you manage. A page that allows for public comments, a page that can be promoted on all social profiles to drive traffic (funnel) to an area that presents the facts as they unfold.
Having developed the “Dark” or “Resilience” web page back in 2005/6 for a particular incident it is now becoming an industry standard – often quoted back to me as a route to follow it has developed into something much more agile than I would ever have imagined. It is something that every great web agency should ensure is included, waiting on the sidelines for its moment (generic wireframe picture above).
Today I learn of a situation with Macmillan Cancer Support involving their supporters adoption of the #icebucket challenge (from The Drum magazine). The attempt to communicate through Twitter is not managing the conversations on other platforms nor is it providing the whole story. Macmillan continue to have a web page to promote the challenge with no reference to the developing situation and their promotion of the ALS/MND in association with their own activity.
To donate to MNDA Text ICED55 followed by an amount (such as £5) to 70070. To Donate £3 to Macmillan text ICE to 70550
— Macmillan Cancer (@macmillancancer) August 25, 2014
As was shown by Greggs the Bakers last week, the Dark or Resilience web page is not always required.
Hey @GoogleUK, fix it and they're yours!!! #FixGreggs pic.twitter.com/d5Ub7qtrLG
— Greggs (@GreggstheBakers) August 19, 2014
Full story courtesy of the Telegraph