If you have seen “Blackfish” you are probably not surprised
to hear that SeaWorld is taking a dive in sales. Yes, that pun was intended.
The company reported a 28 percent drop in profits in this past year and is
working to bring back its previous admiration.
In order to alleviate this PR crisis, SeaWorld rolled out a
$10 million marketing campaign, which I believe managed to do everything wrong.
First, the company created a website to rebuttal “Blackfish.” However, the
webpage just continues to manipulate and lie about the truths uncovered through
the documentary. Not to mention, the website just draws more attention to the
problem. Shouldn’t SeaWorld attempt to change the conversation?
Second, SeaWorld is attempting to control the crisis throughits social media channels. The company is pushing ads on Facebook claiming
“Blackfish” is a lie. SeaWorld is also taking the time to respond to tweets
about “Blackfish” and orca captivity. However, it appears that all of this is
backfiring on the company, because SeaWorld is not trusted and has zero
transparency.
Third, SeaWorld thinks it can solve its issues by moving to
Asia and Russia where animal rights is less of an issue. So, the company is
going to flee the country instead of correcting its ethics. I can see this plan
blowing up in flames.
With technology at everyone’s fingertips, society won’t
stand for the spin SeaWorld continues to unveil. No matter how hard the company
tries, people will discover the truth through Twitter, Facebook or YouTube. Thecompany made a mistake, and it happens to involve 29 orca whales. I’m not sure
there is a PR firm capable of correcting this catastrophe, but what the company
is doing now is not working. SeaWorld needs to change its messaging and move on
from the disastrous documentary.
Meredith,
ReplyDeleteI had not heard about this "Blackfish" crisis SeaWorld is having. It makes me sad because I have been to SeaWorld, and it really does offer up close encounters with marine life you can't get anywhere else. The fact that SeaWorld is running from the problem instead of addressing it, and declaring the documentary a lie instead of confronting the issue is very immature for such a successful company. I can think of a number of ways this crisis could have been better dealt with in the beginning, but as you mentioned now it might be too late. ) :
Meredith,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your evaluation of SeaWorld's response to this social media nightmare. However, I believe there is one and only one solution if SeaWorld genuinely wants to restore it's reputation. My advice is that they acknowledge their mistakes and publicize their efforts to correct these issues. Then create a social buzz around their efforts to correct their mistakes and promote the well-being of all creatures involved with their shows, with that be humans or animals.