opinion

In 2012, It's All About Brand Protection

Once upon a time, a company had little more than its copyrights and trademarks, product safety and the CEO’s indiscretions to worry about in regards to the consumer brand protection arena. Today, however, every voice is heard — from the highly paid CEO sitting in his executive boardroom, to the lowliest janitor, who spends his dreary days swabbing out the company’s dirty toilets. Both are given equal weight online.

A side effect of the democratization of thought enabled by the Internet, social media makes it infinitely harder to stay on top of your brand’s image, by allowing friend and foe alike to be seen as “a representative” of your company — whether authorized or not.

A side effect of the democratization of thought enabled by the Internet, social media makes it infinitely harder to stay on top of your brand’s image.

Many online adult entertainment companies have grappled with this issue, usually in the form of an owner, employee, affiliate or other “representative” making inappropriate or otherwise ill-advised message board posts; underlining the importance of maintaining strict corporate communications policies and monitoring employee forum postings and overall board behavior — among other factors that may reflect poorly on a brand.

Sometimes, however, it’s your competitors, disgruntled employees, “social activists” and other enemies that are to blame for a public relations black eye. At other times, it is a company’s own negligence that opens the door to its woes. Occasionally, it’s both.

For example, by not securing a desired domain name when the opportunity presented itself; or by ignoring various (but admittedly transient) “it” venues, such as Facebook; or underutilizing the latest features of other outlets, such as Google+ — a lesson that corporate giant Bank of America recently learned the hard way, when an imposter took the brand’s vacancy from the platform as an opportunity to attack, using a bogus profile.

Among the satirical posts on the spoof page were messages to the OWS protestors:

“Starting tomorrow, all Occupy Wall Street protestors with Bank of America accounts around the country will have their assets seized as part of BofA’s new Counter-Financial-Terrorism policy,” one malicious posting read. “You will sit down and shut up, or we will foreclose on you.”

The site also displayed unflattering photographs of former Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis and is, according to experts, an example of “brandjacking” — a term that describes unauthorized persons or groups impersonating the online identity of another.

Writing for Social Times, CJ Arlotta explains that while Bank of America shares in the blame for its own failure to keep up with the times, Google is the real culprit for not protecting the authenticity of brands on its social networking platform.

“Even though Bank of America is mostly at fault for its failure to protect its own brand, Google will eventually need to address the authenticity issues at hand,” Arlotta states. “Google cannot afford to lose large brands on its social networking platform, if it wants to compete with Facebook.”

“Instead,” Arlotta adds, “Google needs to put together a plan to authenticate brands.”

The author opines that above all, a brand needs to lookout for its own self-interest.

“Google, as most of us are aware, is to blame for its lack of oversight on the authenticity of brands, but to protect your brand from future platforms, be sure to make your presence known,” Arlotta concludes. “If not, be prepared to deal with the Bank of America scenario.”

Google removed the fraudulent page at the bank’s request. You may not be so lucky.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

To Cloud or Not to Cloud, That Is the Question

Let’s be honest. It just sounds way cooler to say your business is “in the cloud,” right? Buzzwords make everything sound chic and relevant. In fact, someone uninformed might even assume that any hosting that is not in the cloud is inferior. So what’s the truth?

Brad Mitchell ·
opinion

Upcoming Visa Price Changes to Registration, Transaction Fees

Visa is updating its fee structure. Effective April 1, both the card brand’s initial nonrefundable application fee and annual renewal fee will increase from $500 to $950. Visa is also introducing a fee of 10 cents for each transaction, and 10 basis points — 0.1% — on the payment volume of certain merchant accounts.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Unpacking the New Digital Services Act

Do you hear the word “regulation” and get nervous? When it comes to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), you shouldn’t worry. If you’re complying with the most up-to-date card brand regulations, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

The Perils of Relying on ChatGPT for Legal Advice

It surprised me how many people admitted that they had used ChatGPT or similar services either to draft legal documents or to provide legal advice. “Surprised” is probably an understatement of my reaction to learning about this, as “horrified” more accurately describes my emotional response.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
profile

WIA Profile: Holly Randall

If you’re one of the many regular listeners to Holly Randall’s celebrated podcast, you are already familiar with her charming intro spiel: “Hi, I’m Holly Randall and welcome to my podcast, ‘Holly Randall Unfiltered.’ This is the show about sex, the adult industry and the people in it.

Women In Adult ·
trends

What's Hot Now: Leading Content Players on Trending Genres, Monetization Strategies

The juggernaut creator economy hurtles along, fueled by ever-ascendant demand for personality-based authenticity and intimacy — yet any reports of the demise of the traditional paysite are greatly exaggerated.

Alejandro Freixes ·
opinion

An Ethical Approach to Global Tech Staffing

One thing my 24-year career as a technologist working to support the online adult entertainment industry has taught me about is the power of global staffing. Without a doubt, I have achieved significantly more business success as a direct result of hiring abroad.

Brad Mitchell ·
opinion

Finding the Right Payment Partner

Whenever I am talking with businesses that are just getting started, one particular question comes up a lot: “How do I get a merchant account?” It’s a simple question, but it has a complicated answer.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

The Taxman Cometh for Every Business

February may be the month of romance, but it is also a time when we need to think about something that inspires very little love: taxes. April is not far away, and the taxman is always waiting. This year, federal and most state income taxes are due Monday, April 15.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

The Continuous Journey of Legal Compliance in Adult

The adult entertainment industry is teeming with opportunity but is also fraught with challenges, from anticipating consumer behavior to keeping up with technological innovation. The most labyrinthine of all challenges, however, is the world of legal compliance.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
Show More