One of the topics we discussed during recent social media training was the notion of credibility and transparency in a world where everyone can be a publisher. A recent example of how not to do it is the Edelman/Wal-Mart debacle. Earlier this week, Edelman apologized – a move that was met with a chorus of “Too little, too late! and “So, what are ya gonna do about it?” (For Jesse's thoughts on the matter read the first two posts here.) The firm today outlined its initial steps.
As more and more clients are calling on Matter to advise them in this arena, it can feel like quite dangerous territory. Certainly, look at what Edelman did and learn from it. But, really, if you apply common sense and act as you would in any other medium – with integrity, honesty and openness – it shouldn’t be all that hard."
The question now remains whether we are being too simplistic in accepting this response from Edelman. On one hand, we as an agency (and individually as seasoned PR professionals) understand the significance and value in making mistakes, learning from them, and using the newfound expertise to improve. On the other, if someone (or a collection of someones) proclaims to assume a position of leadership in a given territory, and then is found to have made questionable judgment calls, can't we expect more than a simple "I'm sorry, and I've learned?"