#BrandVandals and Dealing with Reputation Wreckers

It was said that the most accomplished communicators could deal with anything thrown at their brands.

Times have changed. A new book, #brandvandals, released today that I’ve co-authored looks at some of the most dangerous threats to brand reputation that now exist, and why trying to dodge to a wrecking ball once it’s swung in your direction may not be enough. Preparation and advance consideration have become crucial, as communicators can no longer survive on guile alone.

The vandals in question are people or groups that deliberately set out to sabotage a brand’s reputation. They can have carefully-prepared and cunningly-orchestrated plans – meaning brands have to consider their threats in advance in order to try to get into the front foot.

#brandvandals is also a world first – a book with a hashtag as its title, meaning the online conversation and commentary about it can be captured easily.

It’s a book of two halves. The first part looks at how bad the reputation wreckers can be, what motivates them and what techniques they are using. The second part, which I wrote over the early part of this year on many flights and trains, explores what can be done by brands to build better defenses. It looks at risk assessment, operational response practices, building advocacy groups and what action may be required  to get “battle-ready” in just 90 days.

The book has already attracted pre-launch publicity and yes, it’s a little spooky that it’s available in the UK from Hallowe'en – with the US edition to follow in January.

Critics have looked at its pragmatic advice, its implications for internal communications and its relevancy amongst current challenges facing brands.

We have some free copies at Zeno, so if you’re interested do get in touch and we’ll try to keep one aside for you.

Please share any views online with the hashtag #brandvandals.