Shengyuan: The Most Successful Enterprise Network Crisis PR Case of 2010
Author: Source: Sina Blog Updated: October 21, 2010
When it comes to corporate crises, the most influential case in 2010 was probably Shengyuan infant formula. Phoenix News and Tencent News both set up special sections, while posts on Sina, Sohu, Baidu, and NetEase forums were everywhere. "Victims" were shouting for compensation, and netizens demanded explanations every day. The level of corporate crisis was unprecedented, comparable to the Sanlu melamine scandal.
However, if you were to search "Baidu" today (August 24), you would find a strange phenomenon: there are almost no negative news articles. Instead, what you see is Baidu promotion for Shengyuan and positive information, as if the incident never happened. Want to know the secret? In one sentence: it's all thanks to network crisis public relations.
According to an expert from Anonymous Network, network crisis PR is another emerging form of corporate crisis management. In today's internet-driven world, after a corporate crisis occurs, negative information spreads like a virus across the web at unimaginable speeds. Shengyuan is a great example. Within just a few days, various negative reports about Shengyuan spread throughout the entire network—forums, blogs, websites, and search engines were filled with nothing but negative information. This phenomenon often leads to enormous or even catastrophic consequences for companies. The Sanlu melamine scandal is a perfect example.
At the beginning of the milk powder incident, Shengyuan acted impulsively like a young, inexperienced company. It actually announced on its official website that it had commissioned a law firm to sue Phoenix Television and Phoenix News, claiming that Hong Kong's Phoenix Television misrepresented the facts. Already facing a trust crisis due to quality issues, suing Phoenix Television, which has always been known for its fair and objective reporting, would undoubtedly plunge Shengyuan into another public opinion whirlpool. If this continued, how could Shengyuan restore its high-end brand image in the minds of consumers?
Fortunately, not long after, Shengyuan suddenly became clear-headed. Subsequently, the company began implementing planned measures for handling the network crisis:
1. The first post supporting Shengyuan appeared on the Baidu Tieba "Shengyuan Bar," with countless people liking the post.
2. Negative posts on major forums gradually sank or decreased.
3. Promotional links for Shengyuan started appearing on Baidu.
4. Positive reports about Shengyuan rapidly increased on search engines.
Anonymous Network said: These are all common tactics in network crisis PR. The posts supporting Shengyuan on Baidu Tieba were written by members of the online PR team, who also liked them. The purpose of this is to ensure that netizens don't just see negative information about Shengyuan.
The negative posts on major forums gradually sank or decreased. This is the result of the online PR team members' efforts to sink or delete posts. The goal of this is to minimize or prevent netizens from seeing negative information about Shengyuan.
Promotional links for Shengyuan started appearing on Baidu. This was undoubtedly the idea of network PR experts. The purpose is to ensure that when concerned netizens use search engines, they first see Shengyuan's official website, which naturally contains favorable information for the company.
As for the rapid increase in positive reports about Shengyuan on search engines, this is due to these network PR professionals publishing or reposting large amounts of positive content on various websites and forums. Search engine spiders crawl everywhere, discover related text, and index it (if the spiders are bribed, the effect is even better). The spiders gather all kinds of positive information from websites, so what people see naturally becomes positive information about Shengyuan.
Shengyuan's success cannot be separated from network PR. Experts from Anonymous Network said: Actually, all companies should not ignore network crisis PR. With today's advanced networks, you never know when you might need this strategy. It's necessary to learn methods for handling network crises and consult professional crisis PR personnel early!
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