The Determined Detractor
The NY Times is exploring "determined detractors" -- you know, the brand-busting folks responsible for things like ipodsdirtysecret.com, ihatestarbucks.com, Supersize Me, and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Below is an excerpt from the full article (registration required).
Determined detractors are persistent critics of a company or product that mount their own public relations offensive, often online. They have roiled corporate plans at least since Ralph Nader famously attacked the Chevrolet Corvair and other cars in his 1965 book, "Unsafe at Any Speed," which prompted General Motors to hire a private detective to investigate him.
But the Internet and affordable digital technology have made its far easier for detractors to contact and mobilize sympathizers, as the presidential candidates found this year: MoveOn.org was critical of President Bush, and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth posed a challenge to Senator John Kerry.
Now some public relations agencies and research companies are studying determined detractors, dividing them into different groups defined by motivation, monitoring their complaints and trying to help corporate clients decide how to react.
1 Comments:
Oh, thanks to Adrants for the heads up.
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