e.politics: online advocacy tools & tactics

Good Lessons on Damage Control from Google

April 19th, 2007

Steve Rubel recently pointed to an article from Google’s “Consumer Packaged Goods” blog (a niche most of don’t contemplate regularly) that covers the question of damage control in a crisis, a situation that absolutely never ([cough] Macaca [cough]) arises in the political world. The article is aimed at companies trying to recover from a product recall or similar brand-disaster, but campaigns can learn from it as well. The author’s observations:

• Breaking news fuels online searches
• Breaking news fuels growth of online content
• Nimble companies, or competing interests, are often the first to react

What can you do to take advantage of your or your opponent’s stumble?

• The moment information is publicly available, make it findable
• Target Searches and Content in Post-Event Proactive Branding Campaigns
• Use Site, Sound and Motion for Maximum Impact

Despite the occasionally painful prose (Proactive! Maximum Impact!), it’s a useful article. Remember, it ain’t the crime that kills you most of the time, it’s the cover-up — Joe Bob says, check it out.

– cpd

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