There’s a saying in some areas of business that all publicity is good publicity. While it’s unarguable that good publicity has a positive effect on your business, can the same be said about other types of publicity?
Your company may be in the press for negative reasons, but you could also end up there for something called “neutral press”. This is when you’re not explicitly receiving good press – like through a news story about your company – but you’ve been mentioned in passing. In these instances, will press coverage be a good or bad thing? Is all publicity truly good publicity? Let’s find out.
What is bad press?
Bad press – or bad publicity – is when your business is embroiled in a negative news storm. There could be multiple stories online or through traditional media slamming your company. We’ve seen many examples of negative press stories for businesses – one that springs to mind is the awful BP oil crisis a few years ago.
In this case, bad press was the result of a significant error from the company. This error led to environmental damage and many marine animals got killed. However, bad press can be the result of other issues too, such as:
- Being exposed for unfair working conditions
- Evidence of not paying your employees a fair wage
- Sexual misconduct cases
- Health & safety regulation breaches
- Terrible work policies
As you can see, it’s almost easier to receive bad press than good press. If you wanted to get journalists to notice your company, they’d 100% be more interested in a negative news story. It sells more papers, gets more clicks, and generates way more views.
Is bad press a good thing for businesses?
The final line above is what sparks the notion of “any press is good press” because you gain so many eyes on your business. Imagine your company gets picked up by local news websites or you’re trending on social media for something negative. All of a sudden, thousands of people are talking about your company and a massive light has been shined on it. Before, nobody knew nor cared about you. Now, everyone knows that you exist.
In theory, this is a positive step. You’ve sparked interest in your business, meaning brand awareness is at an all-time high. It’s easy to see why some people think this is a good thing, but there’s more to it than that.
Realistically, your sole aim shouldn’t be to get people talking about your business. The negative press will have huge consequences that can undo any potentially positive aspects like improved brand awareness.
For more context, here’s what’s likely to happen to your brand when you go through periods of bad publicity:
- A decline in customers – You might be able to hang onto your loyal customer base, but many regular punters might stop using your business. Especially in a B2B situation as the companies you work with won’t want to be associated with you if you receive lots of bad press. New customers are less likely to pick you because they’ve seen you in the news or on social media and don’t like the reports.
- A loss of sales – Losing out on returning and new customers means your sales figures will decrease. Nobody wants to support a business with negative publicity, especially if you’ve done something really bad. Sure, your name is in the news everywhere, but it almost works as a warning sign. People are now aware of your brand, but they’re aware that it needs avoiding!
- A damaged reputation that’s hard to rebuild – Businesses rely on good reputations to be successful. You need people to trust your company and rely on it to provide products/services. Whether you operate via B2C or B2B, your reputation means everything. Bad press can seriously damage it and cast a dark shadow over your company that’s hard to move away from. You’ll always be thought of in a negative light unless you work extremely hard to improve your reputation.
Is all bad press necessarily…bad?
You can’t argue that bad press has negative consequences for businesses. Having said that, will all forms of bad publicity actually be considered “bad”?
Are there cases when bad press ends up being a good thing for your business? Well, it depends on why you’re receiving this publicity. If your company has been found guilty of multiple health & safety infractions and dozens of employees have been made sick or injured, then you’re definitely receiving bad press. You’ll be dealing with personal injury lawyers and loads of lawsuits, all of which will be covered by the press.
In another example, let’s say you’re in the news because of a particular political stance. Maybe you refused to serve a customer because they were spouting political ideologies that didn’t align with your brand. Some news stations or social media commentators may pick up on this and present it negatively. However, there could be loads of other people who see this negative news story and take your side. They agree with what you did, while others don’t.
So, this is an example of when “bad” press ends up being a bit good. People learn about your company for the first time and see your values, possibly encouraging them to pay you a visit.
Conclusion: Is all publicity good publicity?
In conclusion, can we say that all publicity is good publicity?
No.
There are numerous instances and examples of when bad press leads to bad outcomes. If your business is caught doing something unethical or extremely bad, you will receive backlash. The court of public opinion will chastise you for your actions and you may never recover. Bad press has ruined you, which is why you should never seek it out.
The only time that bad press is somewhat good is when your story divides opinions. If one section of the press frames what you did in a negative light, others may see it positively. Obviously, this doesn’t refer to clearly unethical things or stuff that’s never up for debate.
To stay on the safe side of things, focus on good publicity. Get your name in the news or on socials for positive things. This is how you cultivate a great brand image and build trust with customers.