Managing and protecting a company’s brand is one of the most important jobs of the chief marketing officer, the chief executive officer, and the board. It used to be that marketers’ greatest challenge was convincing a consumer to try their product and stick with it—beer, apps, cars, what have you. But the challenges facing brands have gotten far more complex, and the stakes have grown higher when marketing in the #FakeNews Era. Leaders must now address a highly polarized marketplace, in which consumers are energized by their tribal affiliations to take action for or against brands based on their perceived values, beliefs, and biases. They also face grim potential consequences—ranging from share loss to job loss—when things go wrong.
Should your brand take social and political stands or keep quiet? What are the benefits and risks of weighing in versus sitting on the sidelines? Is embracing brand purpose good for business or wasteful self-indulgence? Can a CEO’s misbehavior in a taxi cab one day bring a PR crisis the next? What happens when the public calls you out on a political position you didn’t even mean to take? This book tackles questions like these, outlining how a company must carefully navigate the waters of the #FakeNews Era, where moral scrutiny and consumer outrage abound. Here you’ll find strategic and tactical guidance on how to prepare yourself for what may lie ahead, because you won’t have time to puzzle it out when you get that dreaded late-night call from PR.