- CASE STUDY -
Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)
Background
A large corporation in the food industry operating globally with its main market in North America had its reputation tarnished by a report that drew a possible link between an ingredient used and a possible health condition. While any evidence of harm turned out to be circumstantial in the end and the consumer lawsuit over this issue was dismissed, the damage to the company's name had already been done.
Challenges
1
A large number of the negative results on Google search pages came from reputable high ranking publications.
2
The corporation had no open channel and little direct communication with distributors of its products.
3
Many separate agencies were involved in various aspects of the corporation’s crisis strategy (one for social media, one public relations, one for online communications), making collaboration necessary between different working parts.
Strategy Implementation
We changed the conversation to regain trust by:
- Building online resources and a specialized website with accurate information about the health condition discussed in the report and the court case as well as other food-health related issues.
- Shifting the tone of the company’s communications from one that was less reactive and defensive to one that was more personable.
- Utilizing existing industry relationships to create a network which supported and amplified the company’s messaging.
- Focusing on brand perception to create a culture of openness and transparency.
We optimized the company’s online real estate by:
- Implementing creative SEO practices across all company-owned web assets to maximize their Google ranking potential.
- Providing recommendations to the client’s PR agency and inhouse communications team on how to best publicize new press releases and articles.
- Promoting existing positive links to rank higher on Google’s first pages.
- Enhancing the client’s official social media channels to rank higher on Google.
We managed the client’s customer relationships by:
- Building and maintaining an open positive relationship with customers.
- Creating online assets directed at customers and encouraging user-generated content.
- Engaging with customers directly across all platforms, forums and social media sites, from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to Reddit, Quora, and Pinterest, thus creating an unmediated open channel for communication.
We collaborated with partner agencies by:
- Developing close relationships with the other teams and working synergistically throughout the entire project
- Improving the client’s online image by exploring more opportunities to utilize real-life events, conventions, product launches and philanthropic activities.
Results
Average Increase of Controlled Results Out of First 20 on Google (%)
Increased control over first two pages of Google with double the number of client-controlled links.
Activity in Online Conversation (%)
With more open channels, the client was able to communicate directly with distributors, invest more time and effort in customer engagement, and control/temper the conversation.
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Initial
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After 6 Months