NYPD: Taking the Rough with the Smooth
You may have already seen or heard about the recent NYPD Twitter campaign that has gone off the rails where the police department tried to encourage New Yorkers to share great photos of their local officers doing great things. Alas, whenever you plan to create something cool on social media, there is always a chance it will come off the tracks. Yep, a similar situation to McDonalds back in 2012 when theirs went pear shaped too.
Promoting the hashtag #myNYPD, tweeters were quick to show the ‘wrong’ side of the police, posting pictures of rough handling and adding their own commentary, not of what was actually happening but their sarcastic version of it. A woman being dragged away by her feet had the caption of “Police help couple do Yoga with proper form! “#myNYPD . (You’ve got to ask though why the woman was being dragged away? Police don’t generally do so without a good reason).
There were also some positive photos posted too, the ones that the NYPD wanted you to post, those of regular people interacting with the men and women that protect the city everyday, spreading a bit of love not the other. These didn't make the headlines though.
Anyway, as McDonalds also found out to their cost with #Mcdstories back in 2012. it doesn’t always go to plan. At peak they were getting about 1600 mentions using the hashtag but when they realized it was going badly wrong, they had the sense to pull it, limiting the mentions to not much more than a handful. With comments about food poisoning and pigs kept in crates, it was bad publicity they didn’t need.
But keep things in perspective, the overall McDonalds mentions that day were in the 10’s of thousands, so a few negative comments was really only a tiny percentage. They were super quick in realizing the promotion of the #hashtag needed to stop then and there which they did minimizing any further damage.
The internet and social media bring a voice to the world that we are all still getting used to, and just about everyone now has the opportunity to express themselves online to millions of listeners, making publicity both good and bad an everyday occurrence.
My advice? If it’s your brand that is the butt of bad press, minimize the damage as quickly as you can, then move along. It will be someone else’s turn tomorrow, welcome to 2014 and beyond.
Have you had bad press online? How have you handled it?
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Independent Insurance Agent, Pawnshop, Retail, Sales and Loss Prevention/Security Management
10 年Brendan Maddern, I completely understand where you are coming from. There are many people that distrust the police because of their upbringing, demographics and past experiences. The majority of all law enforcement officers are good, honest people that want to make a difference in their community. Unfortunately, not all sworn officers adhere to those standards. The bottom line is that all individuals are ultimately responsible for their own actions and safety. The police are nothing more than a tool that can be used for good intentions or bad. To not avail yourself of their services is a personal matter that may come with a high cost. Nothing and no one is perfect in this world, and all must realize this fact. Remember that negative thoughts will always permeate society more deeply than positive. The NYPD is aware of this, and using this campaign may be just one way that they are approaching their status in an attempt to turn it around. There are always a few bad apples, but you don't throw away the whole bushel because of that.
Tesla Analyst
10 年"My advice" - be open to review and have the capability to respond. Customer service is not a buffet where you opt out of the unpalatable
Project Management | Strategic Planning | Data Analytics | Team Leadership
10 年Ms. Coles makes the incredibly snarky comment, "You’ve got to ask though why the woman was being dragged away? Police don’t generally do so without a good reason" regarding the photo of the woman being dragged by the NYPD. This not only shows an incredible level of arrogance on her part, but also an amazing lack of awareness of reality. The NYPD is notorious for infringing on the civil rights of citizens (their race-based frisking policy, spying on muslims), using extreme (sometimes lethal) force when unnecessary, and generally overstepping the bounds of their responsibilities. It strikes me as very amusing that a so-called "expert" in marketing could be so out-of touch and cavalier about making a ludicrous statement in an article in which she supposedly chides another entity for their social media blunder. Just how on earth did she become an "influencer" is beyond me.
Former Agent at Farmers Insurance & Financial Svcs- CA, AZ, ID, NV (909)792-1665
10 年Epic fail! Using social media, you need to be prepaired to take the good with the bad.