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www.
It’s easy to go viral.
Consider Villanova University’s crying piccolo
player. During the NCAA championships, a camera zoomed in on the pep
band member, who was sobbing as her team lost. But still, she played on.
Over the next few days, the college senior became a meme on social
media, with her picture altered to include a snuggling Joe Biden and the
mean teacher from the movie,
Whiplash
. It all turned out well, though, with
her 15 minutes of fame culminating in an appearance with Jimmy Fallon
on
The Tonight Show
and a pair of tickets to Taylor Swift’s summer tour.
Unfortunately, we all can’t be so lucky. One rude employee or a
careless remark by an executive could become the next Internet
sensation, and instead of fun on national television, your company could
be called out on Twitter and Facebook.
That’s why there’s a buzzword in communications today:
reputation
management
. And although marketing, communications, and public
relations types are taking the lead, they can’t do it alone. “You can’t hide
in your own silo if you’re going to thrive,” says Peter Roth, vice presi-
dent of marketing and communications for the American Resort
Development Association (ARDA). “It has to go across every area of the
organization.” When it comes to reputation management, you need a
really big tent, one with room for everyone.
COMMUNICATIONS
RESORTDEVELOPER.COM
vacation industry review
JULY – SEPTEMBER 2015
14
Reputation
Management
It’s Everyone’s Responsibility
By Judy Kenninger