A brand is a connection between an organisation and its publics or audiences. It exists in the mind of the audience through the reputation it earns by what it says, and how it acts. The Internet and two-way forms of media are helping brands engage with internal and external audiences in a two-way dialogue. It is taking the business of public relations back to its roots. The audience has started to answer back and that dialogue is seldom easy. You can see the evidence of those organisations getting it right, and wrong, scattered across the web. Who are #BrandVandals and how bad can it get?

1. Who are they
and how bad
can it get?
1 | 21.11.2013
Stephen Waddington

2. #BrandVandals
A brand is a connection between an organisation and its publics or
audiences. It exists in the mind of the audience through the
reputation it earns by what it says, and how it acts.
The Internet and two-way forms of media are helping brands
engage with internal and external audiences in a two-way
dialogue.
It is taking the business of public relations back to its roots.
But the audience has started to answer back and that dialogue is
seldom easy. You can see the evidence of those organisations
getting it right, and wrong, scattered across the web.
2 | 21.11.2013

3. #BrandVandals
Brand Vandal
An individual or group of people
that calls an organisation to
account with the likelihood of
causing reputation damage.
3 | 21.11.2013

4. We’re all potential #BrandVandals
Source: Banksy on Advertising, The Fox is Black
4 | 21.11.2013

5. People answer back
5 | 21.11.2013

6. Hashtag #fail
Source: Media Sensational
6 | 21.11.2013

7. Be careful what you ask for
Source: Mashable
7 | 21.11.2013

8. Twitter chat backfires: #AskBG
8 | 21.11.2013

9. J P Morgan sees trouble ahead
Source: Guardian
9 | 21.11.2013

10. Hacked Conservative party ad
10 | 21.11.2013

11. Wikileaks: Cable leaks
11 | 21.11.2013

12. Crowdsourced BP rebrand
Source: Greenpeace
12 | 21.11.2013

13. Tesco Tumblr
Source: Haggerston Tesco Tumblr
13 | 21.11.2013

14. WH Smiths carpet Twitter feed
14 | 21.11.2013

15. Staff revolt: hmvXFactorFiring
15 | 21.11.2013

16. Staff go rogue: Asda chicken licker
16 | 21.11.2013

17. Corporate behaviour called out
Source: PETA (via YouTube)
17 | 21.11.2013

18. Pissed-off passenger 2.0
Source: Disgruntled Passenger 2.0, SimpliFlying
18 | 21.11.2013

19. Bodyform responds
Source: Disgruntled Passenger 2.0, SimpliFlying
19 | 21.11.2013

20. Fake TripAdvisor restaurant
Source: TripAdvisor removes fake restaurant, BBC News
20 | 21.11.2013

21. Dealing with #BrandVandals
Assess
publics &
risk
21 | 21.11.2013
Plan and
prepare
team
Listen &
monitor
Test plans
Build
advocates
Engage
with
publics
Address
attacks
head-on
Evaluate
and modify
plans

22. Praise for #BrandVandals
“If you have any interest whatsoever in brand
reputation, and the vandals who threaten it, beg, borrow
or steal this book. It should be your public relations
bible.”
Francis Ingham Director General, PRCA and Executive
Director, ICCO
“If you work in marketing, public relations or as an
executive, this book is required reading.”
Andrew Grill Partner, IBM Interactive at IBM
“There is a Tahrir Square moment waiting to happen for
a business or a brand. #BrandVandals grapples with
these new truths and tries to make sense of it all...
suggesting what might in fact be done.”
Robert Phillips, Cass Business School
22 | 21.11.2013