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Reputation Rebound

7th February
2009
written by Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross

See full size imageAlthough I still have a lot to share re what we learned about managing online reputations, I thought I would  refer back to how Maple Leaf Foods’ fared since the listeriosis outbreak in August 2008 among their deli meats. The CEO of Maple Foods handled the crisis with aplomb and straightforwardness – CEO apology on air, recall of all meats, progress reports, Q&A, etc. I have covered the remarkable transparency on this blog several times. Therefore I was pleased to hear that Maple Leaf Foods’ reputation rebounded and risen even further than pre-crisis levels within five months. According to research from Leger Marketing and mentioned in the 2.2.09 issue of PRWeek, positive opinion of the company went as follows:

 

 

May

2008

August 2008

January 2008

Good opinion

74%

57%

88%

Bad opinion

   7

34

 7

 

For those caught up in the throes of crisis, take a deep look at how this was handled. Reputation can be restored quickly if the leadership does the right things.

Tags: , , ,
Blogroll, CEO reputation, Leadership, reputation recovery, reputation redemption, Research

1 Comment

  1. GoC W2CC Event: How News Breaks Online « Spaghetti Testing | Peter Smith
    12/03/2009

    [...] leadership in dealing with the issue. Info on the extent of Maple Leaf’s reputation rebound: near 30% rise in opinion rating from August 2008 to January [...]

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