A Weber Shandwick production: The Good Book of Badvocacy is a brief compilation of what we at Weber Shandwick have learned about BADVOCACY. The PR agency firmly believes that companies and organisations should be sharply attuned to their BADVOCATES who are enthusiasts driven to influence others.

1. The Good
Book of
Badvo
cacy

3. The Good
Book of
Badvo
cacy

5. 01 Introduction
02 A Brief History of Badvocacy
03 The Power of Badvocacy
04 Deflating Badvocacy

7. intro
duction

8. Today's
World is
Filled WiTh
advocates...
6

9. ...people who talk or act on behalf of companies,
organizations, issues, brands, causes and products.
Sometimes quietly and sometimes loudly.
They do it among friends and families.
They do it at work.
They do it in chat rooms and on blogs.
They do it in their communities.
Some have broad-reaching platforms;
some are reaching just their own circle of friends.
And some Advocates are simply BAdVocAtES—
people who passionately criticize or detract from companies,
brands or products in all the above ways.

10. The Good Book of Badvocacy is a brief
compilation of what we at Weber Shandwick
have learned about BAdVocAcY.
We firmly believe that companies and
organizations should be sharply attuned
to their BAdVocAtES who are
enthusiasts driven to influence others.

11. The purpose of The Good Book is to provide
background and context on BAdVocAcY.
By calling attention to this new and
spreading phenomenon, we want to help
readers looking for guidance on protecting
their good names from BAdVocAtES.
9

13. A BriEf
HiStorY of
BAdVocAcY

16. ...people had limited power to make
their unhappiness with a company,
product or service known.
Nor did they have many options
for evaluating the reputation of a
company, product or service before
making a purchase.
People became easily frustrated
and often felt they had no
recourse when products or services
disappointed them. Their voices
often went unheard.
14

17. 15

20. 18

21. ...the Internet came along and
changed everything.
In the beginning, people went to
Web sites to research products, services
and organizations.
In time, Web sites evolved to allow
visitors to rate products and services they
bought and used. Customers could
now scan the Internet to find the
best prices.
19

22. PEoPlE Soon
rEAlizEd tHEY
HAd influEncE
likE nEVEr
BEforE.
Source: Weber Shandwick’s The New Wave of Advocacy™
20 study conducted with kRC Research

23. “Consumers have more power to influence company success or failure”...“It is
easier to make my opinion heard today”...“Consumers have greater say in what
companies sell now”...“It is easier to make informed decisions”...“Consumers ha
more power to influence company success or failure”......“It is easier to make my
opinion heard today”...“Consumers have more power to influence company suc
failure”...“consumers have greater say in what companies sell now”...“It is ea
make informed decisions”...“Consumers have more power to influence company
or failure”......“It is easier to make my opinion heard today”...“Consumers have m
power to influence company success or failure”...“It is easier to make my opinio
today”...“It is easier to make informed decisions”...“Consumers have greater sa
companies sell Now”...“It is easier to make informed decisions”... It is easier to
more informed decisions"...“it is easier to make my opinion heard today”...“C
have more power to influence company success or failure”...“It is easier to make
my opinion heard today”...“It is easier to make informed decisions”...“Consume
have greater say in what companies sell now”...“It is easier to make informed
decisions”...“Consumers have more power to influence company success or
...“consumers have more power to influence company success or failure”...“I
heard today”...“it is easier to make informed decisions”...“Consumers have gr
in what companies sell now”...“It is easier to make informed decisions”...“Consu
have more power to influence company success or failure”......“It is easier to ma
opinion heard today”...“Consumers have more power to influence company suc
failure”...“It is easier to make my opinion heard today”...“It is easier to make inf
decisions”...“Consumers have greater say in what companies sell now”...“It is ea
make informed decisions”...“Consumers have more power to influence company
or failure”......“It is easier to make my opinion heard today”...“Consumers21 have m
power to influence company success or failure”...“It is easier to make my opinio

24. conSumErS’ nEwlY found VoicES
helped accelerate the use of online social
media, where they could, with enormous
detail and emotion, describe their
positive and negative experiences and
opinions while reaching mass audiences
worldwide.
People could act on their strongest
beliefs and join others with similar
convictions.
Unprecedented power had been put into
the hands of the consumer and the world
was forever changed.
22
&
BoTh advocates
Badvocates
Were unleashed.

25. 23

27. tHE PowEr
of BAd
VocAcY

28. wE dEfinE BAdVocAtES as people
who stand on a virtual soapbox to criticize
or detract from companies, brands or
products. They represent a considerable
segment of the global online adult
population (20 percent).
They are passionate enough to share
opinions.
Their influence reaches far and wide…on
average, they tell 14 other people about a
bad experience.
Source: Weber Shandwick’s The New Wave of Advocacy™
26 study conducted with kRC Research

29. 27

30. BAdVocAcY
comES in
mAnY formS

31. ...from personal conversations to petitions to rallies
...from old fashioned boycotts to blogs
...from calling in to radio shows to creating podcasts
...from wearing a T-shirt denouncing a company
to discontinuing loyalty to a brand.
29

32. Just as Advocates
find each other easily
and quickly online,
BADvoCACy is now
fueled by this new
technology.
30

33. “The pitchforks and axe-handles of the day
are BlackBerries and iPhones.”
— Advertising Age, March 18, 2008
31

34. "It's not the actual complaints,
comments or blog posts that hurt
the most. It's the lingering Google
search results that represent real
death by a thousand cuts."
— canada.com, february 7, 2008
32

35. BAdVocAcY
HAS StAYing
PowEr
33

36. BAdVocAtES
ArE oftEn
fEArEd
34

37. Nearly four in 10 global
executives fear that a
dissatisfied customer or critic
will launch an online campaign
against their company.
Source: Weber Shandwick’s Risky Business:
Reputations Online™ study conducted with
the economist Intelligence Unit, 2009
35

38. "Armed with little more than a
Web connection and a keyboard,
these detractors can do everything
from irritate, via a scathing review, to
causing serious business problems
by using message boards to reveal
company secrets or spread rumors
of unethical behavior."
— The New York Times, october 4, 2007
36

39. SomE BAdVocAtES
cAuSE conSidErABlE
mAtEriAl HArm
to A comPAnY'S
rEPutAtion And
Bottom linE.
37

40. psssssssst…
tHE moSt
dAngErouS
BAdVocAtES cAn
SomEtimES BE
Your EmPloYEES.
38

41. “employees talk about their work. They have an opinion on your business, your management, your bra
your products and services. When you were last at a bar, a function or barbeque, what did you talk abo
did many people bag their work places or companies? did many people recommend their company’s
services or products?”— Nudge Marketing Blog, “employees…Advocates or Badvocates,” June 5, 20
More than one third of global executives know of a colleague who has written something negative abo
their company online. —Source:talk about their work. They haveonline™ study condu
“Employees Weber Shandwick’s Risky Business: Reputations an
with the economist Intelligence Unit, 2008. “employees talk about their work. They have an opinion on
opinion on your business, your management, your
your business, your management, your brand, your products and services. When you were last at a bar
function or barbeque, what did you talk about?and services. When you werecompanies?
brand, your products did many people bag their work places or
many people recommend their company’s services or products?”— Nudge Marketing Blog, “employe
Advocates or Badvocates,” June a 2007. More than one third of global executives know of a colleague
last at a bar, 5, function or barbeque, what did you
has written something negative about their company online. —Source: Weber Shandwick’s Risky Busin
Reputations online™ study conducted with thepeople bag theirUnit, 2008. “employees talk ab
talk about? Did many economist Intelligence work places
their work. They have an opinion on your business, your management, your brand, your products and s
or companies? Did many people recommend their
When you were last at a bar, a function or barbeque, what did you talk about? did many people bag th
work places orcompany’s services or products?”
companies? did many people recommend their company’s services or products?”— Nu
Marketing Blog, “employees…Advocates or Badvocates,” June 5, 2007. More than one third of global
executives know of a colleague who has written something negative about their company online. —So
— Nudge Marketing Blog, “Employees…
Weber Shandwick’s Risky Business: Reputations online™ study conducted with the economist Intellig
Advocates or Badvocates,” June 5, 2007
Unit, 2008. “employees talk about their work. They have an opinion on your business, your manageme
brand, your products and services. When you were last at a bar, a function or barbeque, what did you t
about? did many people bag their work places or companies? did many people recommend their com
services or products?”— Nudge Marketing Blog, “employees…Advocates or Badvocates,” June 5, 20
More than one third of than executives know ofglobal executives know of negative abo
More global one third of a colleague who has written something
their company online. —Source: Weber Shandwick’s Risky Business: Reputations online™ study condu
with the economist Intelligence who has written talk about their work. They have an opinion on
a colleague Unit, 2008. “employees something negative
your business, your management, your brand, your products and services. When you were last at a bar
function or barbeque, what did company online. people bag their work places or companies?
about their you talk about? did many
many people recommend their company’s services or products?”— Nudge Marketing Blog, “employe
Advocates or Badvocates,” June 5, 2007. More than one Weber Shandwick’s Risky Business:a colleague
Source: third of global executives know of
Reputations Online™ study conducted
has written something negative about their company online. —Source: Weber Shandwick’s Risky Busin
with the economist Intelligence Unit, 2009
Reputations online™ study conducted with the economist Intelligence Unit, 2008. “employees talk ab
their work. They have an opinion on your business, your management, your brand, your products and s
When you were last at a bar, a function or barbeque, what did you talk about? did many people bag th
work places or companies? did many people recommend their company’s services or products?”— Nu
Marketing Blog, “employees…Advocates or Badvocates,” June 5, 2007. More than one third of global
39
executives know of a colleague who has written something negative about their company online. —So

43. BAdVocAcY
AgAinSt
countriES iS
incrEASing
duE to
gloBAlizAtion
BAcklASH.
41

44. It did not take long for French
pundits to elevate the Société
Générale trader allegedly
responsible for billions of fake
transactions, Jérôme Kerviel, to the
status of anti-capitalist folk hero.
— The Economist, february 2, 2008
42

45. SomE EntErPriSing
BAdVocAtES find
wAYS to uSE Humor
to drAw AttEntion
to trouBlESomE
nEwS.
43

47. reMinder:
Badvocates can
also make a
difference for the
greater good.
45

48. But comPAniES HAVE littlE timE
to waste in curbing BAdVocAcY against
their brands and products.
on average, nearly one out of two global
adults (45 percent) take one week or less
to express their dissatisfaction.
Source: Weber Shandwick’s The New Wave of Advocacy™
46 study conducted with kRC Research

49. “New consumer opinion gets posted about
every five seconds.”
– Rob Crumpler, chief executive of BuzzLogic
47

51. dEflAt
ing BAd
VocAcY

52. Companies now accept
the harsh reality of
BAdVocAcY
and are developing
strategies to counter and
leverage it to
their advantage.
here is our advice
on what needs
to happen.
50

53. 6 actions coMpanies
can take now
Be PRePARed
defeNd yoURSeLf
eMBRACe dISSATISfACTIoN
APoLoGIze
doN’T IGNoRe
INoCULATe
51

54. 1 Be prepared
ƒ establish processes to
minimize threats
ƒ Monitor comments about
your company
ƒ Leverage Seo
(search engine optimization)
ƒ establish employee guidelines
for social media
ƒ Register e-mail addresses and
“gripe” domain names
ƒ Trademark your company name
52

55. don’t wait around
for Badvocacy to
strike your coMpany,
organization or
Brand.
53

56. 2 defend yourself
Stand up to BAdVocAtES, but do it in
a well-planned and non-combative or
threatening manner.
ƒ hire reputation managers
ƒ Respond rapidly
ƒ disclose communications with Badvocates
ƒ Make the facts available
ƒ Address myths head-on
ƒ enlist your fans
54

58. 3
eMBrace dissatisfaction

59. open your virtual doors to the public,
allowing BAdVocAtES to comment
directly.
ƒ Invite transparent dialogue
ƒ Ask Badvocates to “step outside” – host
face-to-face events with senior executives
ƒ Ask for ideas
ƒ Solve problems together
ƒ Respond thoughtfully
57

60. 4 apologize
ƒ Admit when you’re wrong,
hard as it is
ƒ don’t email or comment on a
negative blog posting, pick up
the phone
ƒ establish an advisory council
of Badvocates
58

61. if warranted,
apologize directly
to Badvocates
and seek a Mutual
solution.
59

62. 5 Don’t
Ⅴ
ignore
Ignore BAdVocAtES at your own peril.
Unacceptable excuses...
“We didn’t know about
the criticism”
“They’ll go away eventually”
“They just want publicity”
“We don’t respond to bloggers”
60

65. inoculate 6
ensuring a loyal fan base helps protect your
company from BAdVocAcY.
ƒ Identify your Advocates
ƒ Recruit your Advocates
ƒ Reward your Advocates
63

66. for more info on Badvocacy,
or any of Weber Shandwick’s Advocacy services,
please contact :
goodbookinfo@webershandwick.com
©2009 Weber Shandwick