Will the controversy over politically charged clothing related to President Donald Trump help or hurt Walmart? Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
The multinational retail chain Walmart found itself embroiled in controversy after USA Today broke a story that Walmart was selling apparel for adults and babies on its online marketplace with the words 'Impeach 45' blazoned on the merchandise. The outcry was swift from supporters of Donald Trump who called for a boycott of Walmart.
Walmart has faced criticism in the past for selling apparel with logos and phrases many consumers found offensive. Walmart's response is usually to offer an apology and pull the offending products. Supporters of President Trump were able to use social media to immediately begin casting Walmart as anti-Trump and within just a few hours, the story had been picked up by major news outlets globally.
After being accused of joining the "Far Left" the offending merchandise was pulled by Walmart. Walmart tried to diffuse the situation by pointing out third party sellers were selling the merchandise and that the apparel was not a Walmart selected item.
Like it or not, fair or unfair, Walmart just convinced millions of President Trump's supporters that Walmart is a foe and not a friend. Walmart has effectively been labeled as being part of the resistance against President Trump.
The Risk Of Offending Is Real
In this day and age of hyper political partisanship and 24/7 social media, retailers are at an increased risk of offending and alienating customers. The smallest misstep can quickly grow into a full-scale media circus and Public Relations nightmare. Retailers are aware of the dangers of a scandal occurring and most believe they have invested the appropriate time and effort to design and implement strategies for how best to respond to a PR crisis.
I disagree.
I have reviewed risk management and crisis management policies and programs from retailers globally, and I find that most fail to adequately offer the protections desired. Instead of being focused on preventing PR incidents from occurring, most retailers focus on how to respond when a PR incident becomes a reality. This is dangerous and unnecessary.
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