If you spend time online, you’ve almost certainly seen instances of public figures being called out. Sometimes it’s something as small as an insensitive comment or a social faux pas, and sometimes it is regarding serious allegations that could end careers. If you’re a business that will at any point have a web3 spokesperson, it is important to have a contingency plan should this happen.
How do you go about addressing the controversy? Do you fire the spokesperson? How does is impact your business? All these issues and more will be tackled within this article.
Assessing The Damage
When your web3 spokesperson gets called out, it is worth looking at the extent of the backlash and its possible effects. If your spokesperson is being called out for something relatively minor, there is the chance that it will blow over. At the same time, it is worth examining whether this callout could eventually impact your business. If your business deals in crypto assets and your spokesperson was caught implying that crypto is a scam, it is not something you want to take lightly.
Even worse is if your web3 spokesperson is being accused of serious crimes or is having their reputation significantly tarnished with the public. In some cases, the backlash is reserved only for the person. In others, businesses that choose to continue to deal with them could also face criticism. Another angle to consider is whether the audience that is criticizing them overlaps with the audience that buys your products. Say you hire a lifestyle influencer to represent your crypto brand, and they are being called out for something that has to do with makeup. That specific audience might not be the same that buys your crypto products and thus, could have zero effect on your sales.
Ultimately, this has to be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
To Respond Or Not
One of the first things to consider when it comes to your web3 spokesperson being under fire is whether or not your business should respond. As we’ve said in a previous blog post, there are situations where a response is appropriate from you and where it is not. If the spokesperson is being called out for something that has nothing to do with cryptocurrency, you might not be expected to make any public comment. If it overlaps with your industry, however, you should probably say something.
A good way to decide this is to take some time to engage with the public response. Have a member of your team look through the comments section where discourse is being had. A good idea would be to search your business name specifically and see if there’s been any mention of you. If there is none, and businesses associated with the person do not seem to be under fire themselves, you can get away with not responding. This is also true if the callout is relatively minor and you believe that it will pass soon.
On the other hand, if your business is being implicated in the drama or there is mounting pressure for associated businesses to take a stand on the web3 spokesperson, you might want to say something. Being silent could be seen as complicity, and you do not want this.
In all of this, it is always important to speak to your legal team to avoid putting yourself in hot water. If your web 3 spokesperson is being accused of crimes, you could put yourself in a bad position by publicly commenting on it before a verdict has been reached.
What To Say
If your business decides that speaking out is its best course of action, it’s important to decide what you are going to say. While there is no one-size-fits-all for the sort of statement you should put out, a few key points should be noted.
- Acknowledgement Of The Development: In the statement, you should always say explicitly that you have been made aware of the situation, whatever it is. Businesses have been called out in the past for being vague in their statements, and you want to avoid this.
- Sympathizing With Any Wronged Parties: If anyone has been harmed by your spokesperson and their actions, it is worth offering your sympathies to them, if advised by your legal team. Say your web3 spokesperson has been accused of assault. You’re best off stating that you send your sympathies to all victims or anyone affected. Again, choose your wording very carefully to avoid any legal drama.
- State Your Course of Action: People do not want a statement from businesses during this time for the sake of it. Instead, they want you to state what you intend to do. This could be suspending your working relationship with the web3 spokesperson, holding off on any decisions while investigations are done, making a donation, or announcing an investigation yourself. Whatever you choose to do, state it explicitly to avoid any vagueness.
It is also important to put out the statement at the right time. If the web3 spokesperson begins receiving backlash on Monday, you might want to wait a few hours or days to see how public perception swings and for all the facts to come out. Putting out a statement too quickly could put you in an uncomfortable spot, so it is best to wait a little bit. It’s also worth looking at how other businesses the web prescriptokesperson is attached to behave. If they are all rushing to disassociate themselves, you might want to do the same. You also don’t want to wait too long to put out a statement lest you look careless about the matter.
Conclusion
A Web3 spokesperson can come under fire from the public for a variety of reasons, and it is best to prepare if it happens. As we’ve noted in this article, it is important to assess the situation before you act and always have your legal team advising you. If you do decide to speak about the issue, consider the guidelines we’ve noted to avoid coming under fire yourself.