This week there was a online reputation management crisis that hit a local bakery. The online reputation management part of the equation was handled so poorly that now all that exists is the digital tire tracks.
There’s a lot of talk about how the bakery handled their problem poorly and how Twitter and Facebook filled up with comments from people saying they’ll no longer support them. But what about someone who moves here tomorrow, how does today’s blowup transfer?
Here’s how Google answers a query for crumb bakery raleigh tonight:


This means that eventually the “bad press” will overwhelm their other run of the mill search results. Since they have basically gone silent since the shit started hitting the fan, they have allowed others to totally define the entire event, including how they should respond.
I love the advice Lisa Barone gave LeBron James during his reputation management problem.
Here’s my advice. Constantly feed the bear. If you aren’t the one feeding the bear, someone else will feed him for you.
Awesome Alaskan Coastal Brown bear photo by: Alan Vernon.
Or the bear will eat you.
Ooh… Great reminder. Thanks, Phil..
@Dierdre – I need a good photo of a bear gnawing on a carcass.
As a side note, I’m actually planning to check out this Crumb Bakery simply because I’m finding out about this after the apology. I had no idea they existed prior to this tempest. So, does this mean I’m a data point on the PR is weighed [1] by the pound? Also, here’s a nice Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic from Flickr of a bear eating a human head (NSFW!!! WARNING: BLOOD AND GORE) http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisstrouth/1604197525/
[1] not a purposeful play on words
@Jay – geez, don’t link to stuff like that! Now Google will think I run a “Faces of Death” site or something.
This is why I run a site that is inherently negative. Things really can’t get worse.
Right on Phil, gotta feed the bear.. So many facets to this issue. Thanks for sharing.
What’s interesting is how several comments including Jay’s above talk about visiting Crumb’s bakery. At this point there is no storefront so there is no ability for any customer to visit them. Their business has been to supply events and the short lived ShotBox coffee house.
Good insight Phil into how we can let others control our image and how important it is to Feed the Bear!
@Brian – they must be talking about the time they spent at Shotbox last winter.
I absolutely LOVE Crumb’s cakes. Oh. My. GOODNESS.
To be honest, though, I haven’t followed them on Twitter and I’m not a fan of their Facebook page nor did I pay attention to their tag line. I’ve met them a couple of times in person and they seemed quite nice.
BUT…after this fiasco…and as @Cord said… they need to earn my business (back). To be even more honest, I don’t know that they can. As much as I love, love, LOVE the product, I don’t support anyone with such a lack of professionalism. I get being on the cutting edge but I too find the tagline offensive (now) and I definitely do not appreciate their rudeness, insincerity, and quite frankly, their stupidity in their Twitter responses in the initial fall out. I still say WOW. Really? Just absolutely uncalled for. It would take an awful lot for this Crumb fan to be a fan again. Seriously.
With that said, I completely agree from a marketing strategy that they definitely need to come out from behind the curtains they’ve crawled under and start making things right again, if not for their product, then at the very least for themselves. I’d be so embarassed if it were me.
Again, WOW *as I shake my head*
@Lisa – I agree, I think Cord nailed it when he called this a social media / online reputation management “case study”. Unfortunately it’s what NOT to do.
I think this is fantastic! I’ve never heard of this bakery until yesterday and I actually took a couple of minutes to google their address so I could go buy 100 cupcakes for my office just to support these folks. However, they don’t have a storefront and I would have lost interest by the time they were delivered next week. People are too sensative. If you are overweight, the chances of you getting offended, unfortunately, aren’t pretty slim 😉
Just saw this in your Twitter stream and compared latest Google Search results. The poor reviews still come up in top SERPs! Proof that what you do lives forever on the net and that one poor decision can linger longer than it would have before search + social!