A lot of people build their business on the assumption that all kinds of exposure are positive, and this can lead to some issues when you’re on the right track for success. Bad reviews, damning news stories, and even word of mouth can all have a terrible impact on a business, and a lot of people make the mistake of ignoring this. Of course, this doesn’t mean that all bad press is going to hurt you; it just means that you have to be careful. To give you some real-world examples of this, this post will be exploring several industries which have been negatively impacted by the media and public opinion, giving you the chance to put things into place so that you never have to deal with this yourself.
Vaping
E-cigarettes have had a rocky road since their introduction to markets less than a decade ago, with a lot of people being skeptical about their health benefits. Some people assume that these devices are just as bad, if not worse, than cigarettes, despite a lot of studies showing that they can have a positive impact on your health. Most recently, though, a spate of deaths has made e liquid a lot harder to sell. These deaths aren’t connected to normal e liquids, instead being the result of products which are bought on online black markets and on street corners. This doesn’t change public opinion, though, and a lot of people are actively against this sort of product, even if it won’t cause them any harm.
Video Games
People have been playing video games for years, and there have always been arguments that these applications are negative. The Columbine school shooting, for example, was perpetrated by people who had a history of playing video games, launching the media into a frenzy blaming various titles for the event. In more recent times, companies like Activision Blizzard have faced major boycotts because of the obviously political stances they’re taking with their games. While these issues rarely ruin companies, they can waste a lot of hard work, with customers refusing to buy things from companies which they view as immoral.
Clothing
Clothing is one of the most important products which people make, and folks from across the globe like to wear a variety of outfits in their daily life. Of course, though, these garments are often made in different countries, resulting in very low working standards for those who are making them. This can cause a lot of problems, and businesses which have been seen doing this will often lose a lot of their customers. There is a lot of social pressure for businesses to act compassionately, and failing to do this can often result in huge outcries, with companies like Primark serving as a prime example of this.
Social Media
If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last year or two, you will have probably heard about the issues which Facebook has had in keeping user information safe. Thanks to data being leaked to a range of companies, this social media giant has had to go through a range of senate hearings, and politicians all over the world have been asking questions. Most importantly, though, this made a lot of users delete their accounts. For a company which uses advertising as its main source of income, it makes sense that this would have a negative impact on them, with the amount of users they have directly influencing the money they can make.
Food
No one likes the idea of eating something dirty, and even fewer will entertain the thought of eating something unknown. Just a couple of decades ago, though, this was the case for customers of companies like Bernard Matthews. With huge waves of their cows suffering from diseases, not only did they have to kill off a lot of their stock, but they also had to deal with the fallout of customers being scared to buy their products. Food can be a very volatile market, and a company doesn’t have to do anything wrong to face negative press, with natural issues being a major cause of their downfall.
With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to avoid the negative press which can fall onto your company when you don’t put enough time into managing your public relations. A lot of companies have felt the strain of issues like this in the past, and this is something which you need to fight against when you’re in the public eye.
