Reputation Management

February 1, 2012

It’s all over the news – Gold Coast mayor candidate David Power revealed as a ‘love rat’ – a term current affair programs thrive on, and a story that’s unlikely to die until the mayoral race is over. Reputation ruined.

Once you’re in the public eye, your skeletons are only a few bored reporters away from being out of the closet. Similarly, if you’re a public figure, you’re only as good as your last project / event / damaging appearance on ‘Today Tonight’.

So, what do you do if you mess up? You do what Eamon Sullivan did. Remember what he did? No? And that’s our point.

Unless you’re a huge fan, you probably don’t remember (or probably never heard of) Eamon short-changing a taxi driver after a boozy night with team mates, as the next morning he was in damage control (i.e. reputation management), before the media had even finished their Weetbix. He had called and apologised to police, and had tried to do the same to the taxi driver. He subsequently hosted a media conference, telling everyone how disappointed he was in himself, and that there’d be no more boozy nights for a while. This is before the newspapers had printed the story. Reputation managed.

If you’re a public figure, you need to protect your personal brand. Your reputation is what sets you apart, so here’s how to manage it:

• Don’t do stupid things. Easy. A good barometer – if the news got back to your family, would they be impressed by your behaviour?
• If you do something stupid – apologise immediately. Be proactive, not reactive.
• Don’t offer pitiful excuses. Stay on-message – you’re sorry and this won’t happen again, and mean it.
• Follow up the misstep by doing something positive. Remember, you’re only as good as your last project.

If you or your business is on public display, and there’s a potentially contentious issue – contact us immediately. We’ll manage your reputation effectively and pro-actively. We’ll help you avoid a media frenzy.