Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

I see pros and cons on both sides of this fence.

First, I would immediately address the rumor internally with your employees. Nothing like a doom & gloom rumor to add fuel to the fire of a restructure, declining economy and uncertain election. So .. be upfront and truthful with your employees, sales reps. Let them ask frank questions and supply them with only honest, frank answers.

Then, I would start a 'positive' ad campaign. Talk about the future - not the past. Do not give the 'rumor gang' any fuel to add to their position. Don't bash your competitor publically, but certainly (and loudly) proclaim your strengths. Take the high road -- you will never regret it.

Rumors within an industry are not unusual - however often when the 'real world' hears it, it turns out to be much smaller than first imagined.

I’d go with Frank and disagree with the route of positive and pro-active denial. If we are going to get all literary about this then I’d like to outvote Mark Twain with a William Shakespeare card: From Hamlet, spoken by Gertrude of an act by the Player Queen, “The lady doeth protest too much, methinks” Meaning that she’s proclaiming her innocence so strongly that she must have done the murder.

In this climate and in general, regardless of the current market problems, that is the immediate conclusion people will come to, for right or for wrong. i.e. “You are probably going bust”

My advice is to go for a positive statement in your adverts and PR about your strengths and plans without ever referring to your competitors. Carefully communicate the misinformation to all staff and put in place a plan to personally phone every existing account and every prospect on your books to outline your positive plans. Don’t mention the rumours unless the clients and prospects mention them. Note who does mention them and only then rebut them in a single sentence.

Then move back on to the positive messages. After this, from your notes of the conversations (On the CRM system??!), see how many people actually raise the issue themselves – then you will actually know how big your problem really is,

Tell the world that you have had a record quarter and use PR to announce new products, new relationships and new strategies.

If your suspicions are true about false rumours, were you to be a public limited or quoted company; you could take them to the cleaners for distorting the market. As your company is probably not quoted, you always have the option of taking out a contract on the perpetrator, but this can be a bit messy and rather illegal as well as plain immoral. Better to expose them to ridicule by exposing them to the wrath of the market by being found out via your blog!

Find a way to make the world laugh at them without mentioning this silly and vicious rumour and you win hands down.

Best of luck


Steve Alker
Xspirt