Challenge
A food service business was facing a fast-moving cancellation campaign after a video of workers not properly handling food went viral and drew widespread criticism online. The clip spread quickly, sparked a wave of negative attention, and put the company’s reputation at immediate risk. The business needed to respond fast and take real accountability, without pouring fuel on a story that was already burning hot.
Solution
Red Banyan® was engaged to guide the response and manage the online fallout.
- Rapid, Accountable Response: Red Banyan® helped the company respond quickly and take real accountability, striking the balance between addressing the concern head-on and not amplifying the story beyond what it warranted.
- Response Calibration: Red Banyan® guided how much to say and where, so the company met the moment without extending its life through overreaction.
- Review Integrity: The full Red Banyan® team worked to identify and report reviews that were part of the pile-on rather than real customer experiences, and had them removed.
Results
The response contained the damage and then turned it around. The reviews driven by the pile-on were reported and removed, clearing away the manufactured wave of negativity. More notably, the person whose post had sparked the backlash came around after engaging directly with the company, walked back the original criticism, and publicly spoke to how well the business had handled the situation. The critic who had set the campaign in motion became a voice in the company’s favor, and a moment that began as a cancellation ended with the company’s standing repaired and, if anything, stronger than before.