Response to a Public Relations Crisis in the age of Social Media

This case study discusses a Greek Apple authorised service provider and reseller and the manner in which it responded to a customer’s complaint in a blog post. The company, instead of using social media to reach out to its customers, chose to pursue legal charges against the disgruntled customer, aiming to suppress the relevant blog post, which quickly resulted in the company’s viral defamation. Various lessons can be drawn from the case: Insights drawn from stakeholders’ comments illustrate that companies cannot afford to refrain from web 2.0, especially in the initial stages of a crisis, or ignore its principles, while developing a direct dialogue with on-line users can help a company be proactive in the case of a public relations crisis and avoid most negative outcomes in relation to a company’s reputation.