Phillip Smith 

Offensive Greggs logo debacle: what are the lessons for other retailers?

Greggs’ proactive and humorous response to its logo mishap is a lesson in crisis management all retailers should follow
  
  

Greggs' strawberry and Cream cakes
Greggs’ response on social media to its logo mishap shows how retailers can have their cake and eat it. Photograph: Christopher Thomond Photograph: Christopher Thomond

It has already been an interesting week in the office for bakery giant Greggs. If you searched for the company via Google on Tuesday, instead of the brand’s official logo and slogan (“Always fresh. Always tasty”) an alternative image popped up, with the offensive strapline: “Providing shit to scum for over 70 years.”

While the cause seems to be a case of crossed wires with Google’s search algorithm, the company’s response on social media helped to defuse the issue and painted it as a hero on the web. Google has now fixed the problem but it does raise the question of the fragile nature of brands online.

Although the unfortunate incident may have left Greggs momentarily red-faced as the story went viral, there are important lessons to be learnt and brands need to act quickly if they find themselves in a similar situation. Ultimately, there is no immunity and, crucially, nowhere to hide online (Greggs customers themselves were quick to alert the company’s social media team to the issue) so savvy retail companies need to put measures in place so they know how to deal with potential nightmares like this.

By following these tips, brands can be on the front foot if they find themselves dealing with similar situation.

Proactivity first

Showing customers you are being proactive is key to reassuring them and rebuilding trust. If a brand’s reputation has been compromised, whatever the situation, it’s important you are seen to be taking action and communicating with your customers clearly to keep them informed.

Greggs has an army of brand advocates thanks to the presence it has built on social media and this has paid dividends with the logo mishap. Connecting with consumers through tools such as social media, customer reviews and blogs reduces the damage when an unfortunate event like this happens.

Reinstalling trust

Greggs took the right approach by contacting Google publicly (in a fun way), which really helped turn the situation around. It took an opportunity to show brand advocates that it’s proactive and by posting an image of a tray of doughnuts and offering them to Google if they fixed the problem (also using the #FixGreggs Twitter hashtag) they turned the situation into a positive piece of PR.

This will always reinstall trust in a brand. Retailers – online sellers in particular – should take steps to reassure their customers that it is still “business as usual” to alleviate any anxieties that despite the unfortunate incident, your website is still safe to purchase goods from.

By taking a zero tolerance approach to any attempts to compromise your brand, retailers can stand up to mishaps, hackers and hijackers. This won’t grant immunity but it will help keep faith with your customer and might actually foster a sense of brand loyalty. Keeping a watchful eye on your website is crucial, otherwise failing to act will simply add fuel to the fire.

Phillip Smith is UK country manager of Trusted Shops, which you can follow on Twitter @TrustedShopsUK

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