When Brands Are Criticized: SeaWorld

Mark Di SommaApril 9, 20153 min

Branding Strategy Insider helps marketing oriented leaders and professionals like you build strong brands. BSI readers know, we regularly answer questions from marketers everywhere. Today we hear from Michelle, a journalist in San Francisco who asks this about brand criticism…

I’m working on a story on this week’s news about SeaWorld’s new ad campaign ‘#AskSeaWorld’, which takes the company’s opponents head on by addressing its care and concern for killer whales at a time when there has been considerable backlash on that very topic.

I want to gauge why SeaWorld might be taking this approach while in the midst of crisis (attendance and revenue are falling), what’s at stake and how and whether SeaWorld might gain or lose with this approach. I would love to get your insights into this one!

Thanks for your question Michelle. Every brand is subject to potential criticism. It’s part of participating in the hyper-connected world in which we all do business. SeaWorld needs to see the documentary and the campaign that followed as part of the atmosphere of scrutiny that all brands are under today.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that not for profit organizations such as PETA have added social media tools to their communications arsenal to publicize the things they care about.

SeaWorld needed to respond to the criticisms that had been leveled against them through the Blackfish documentary. That film did the company a great deal of reputational harm. They needed to respond because if they didn’t they risked an ongoing conversation that would do them no favors. SeaWorld’s reaction time has been slow by today’s standards.

SeaWorld needs to be clear about their motivations for responding. If their response is seen to be one of supporting their staff and speaking up for what they believe in, that is more likely to be publicly acceptable than if their response is seen to be motivated by a fall in their stock price. Inviting social response through a social media campaign though is a two-way street. On the one hand, it projects openness and a willingness to engage. On the other, it provides a platform for critics to continue to state their case.

Having chosen to engage with their critics, SeaWorld will need to be patient, clear, assertive and honest in their approach. People tend to take criticism personally and become defensive and aggressive. SeaWorld needs to state the facts as they see them, be as objective as they can be and avoid getting into a “we say, they say” line of argument.

Even if they succeed in this campaign, SeaWorld will not stop the criticism of their activities by those who disagree with what they do. They may however persuade those who are less adamant that they are not as bad as the way they have been portrayed and they may be able to get across their side of the story in terms of why they do what they do. Thus improving their reputation. If they do not succeed in this campaign, the public pressure on SeaWorld to stop doing what it does or to curtail some of its activities has the potential to grow and that will continue to affect their bottom line. This could force SeaWorld to undertake a more far-reaching review of their purpose and business case.

Keep us posted on your story Michelle. We will link to it in the comments section when it’s published.

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