The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

184: Protest PR: The One Thing to Watch Out For When Someone Targets Your Business


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Social media has made it exponentially easier for activists to share their grievances and find like-minded individuals online to join their cause. In today’s episode, we take a look at the root cause of dissent, why it happens, and how you can respond. 

Learn how to identify the typical activist who might target your business and what you can do about it. Remember that it’s not necessarily about ego or malice, but rather, a desire for control. 

Tune in to learn more about what drives activists, how you should engage with them, and Molly’s Indestructible Tip for dealing with dissent! 

 

Key Points From This Episode: 

 

•    Learn about the primary reason that customers dissent. 

•    How to identify and respond to the underlying cause of the dissent. 

•    The role of social media and technology in the rise of customer dissent. 

•    How social media allows customers to make complaints and air grievances. 

•    The profile of the typical activist targeting businesses. 

•    Why the key driver of activism is a desire for control. 

•    Molly’s indestructible tip for engaging with activists: don’t take it personally. 

 

Tweetables: 

 

“What you need to do is identify and respond to the underlying cause of the dissent. What is the root cause?” — @MollyMcPherson [0:01:57] 

 

“The activist that I am talking about. These are the customers. The consumers, the members, the people. If you run a business or own the business, these are the people that you deal with.” — @MollyMcPherson [0:04:53] 

 

“They want to be in control of what you do. They may want you out of your job, they may want your board of directors out of their seats, but what we know they want is to be in control.” — @MollyMcPherson [0:08:09] 

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: 

Molly McPherson
Molly McPherson on Twitter
'NBA vs. Activists' - Molly McPherson on TikTok

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