Paperchase Twitter storm just won’t blow over
Paperchase’s scramble to diffuse yesterday’s roiling Twitter storm and cap serious damage to its brand shows the risks of business snubbing people with “friends in high places” – make that Twitter followers in high places.
Allegations of plagiarism on the part of an artist called Hidden Eloise exploded into a public relations nightmare for the U.K. high street stationary chain. It was forced to respond with a statement of clarification on its site, and to hastily build a Twitter feed to present its case.
Less than 24 hours old, Paperchase’s Twitter feed now has a meager 90 followers. Meanwhile, the Paperchase did-they-or-didn’t-they? Tweets continue to stream through at a rate of a few hundred per hour.
It’s pretty clear Paperchase is losing the credibility war on Twitter this morning, and much of the reason for that is it simply cannot deflect away the heavy volume of doubtful Tweets it still faces. Yes, over 100 Twitter users have pointed to Paperchase’s belated Twitter clarification of what happened, but that’s simply no match for the barrage of negative Tweets streaming in.
Paperchase is learning a hard lesson: brands ignore Twitter at their peril. Paperchase is engaging with this community only now, just as a crisis arises. And it shows. They snatched up an awkward handle: @frompaperchase. Why? Because @paperchaseUK was already taken, set up ostensibly by the Tech PR Allan Edwards who describes, “In contact with Paperchase, attempting to encourage a Twitter presence and response.”
They are aware of you now.
11 Comments »
SMI blog post: Paperchase Twitter storm just won’t blow over http://bit.ly/b763nf
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Hello there,
Paperchase has not given any satisfactory response. They are blaming others when they themselves refused to take down the infringing work months ago. Now they are desperately seeking for a scapegoat while being unapologetic.
Paperchase care about the mess, not what caused the mess.
Bear hugs,
Hidden Eloise
Social Media Influence: Social Media News & Intellegence … http://bit.ly/bfKXzL
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Social Media Influence: Social Media News & Intellegence …: Paperchase’s scramble to diffuse yesterday’s roiling… http://bit.ly/bKDIz2
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Social Media Influence: Social Media News & Intellegence … http://bit.ly/9mcTs6
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
[...] interesting coverage around their use of social media in the face of a crisis (Eurostar, Toyota and Paperchase for example) I’m wondering what’s the least social media you need for crisis [...]
The “least” case option? Interesting question. Of course it will depend on what type of organisation you operate/work for — i.e. are you a visible Main Street brand or more B2B? Questions like that will have to be factored in before you invest the time, resources and money in, say, a Twitter or Facebook presence. But there is common ground for all companies, and it’s a pretty simple truism. If you aren’t yet part of the community where your customers, shareholders, employees are congregating daily then you’re putting yourself at a big disadvantage. You learn not just their likes and dislikes, but invaluable tips can be gleaned from such a community — think of it as a customer focus group where you don’t have to lure in people off the street with the promise of tea and biscuits. It’s a way to stay relevant with your most vocal customers. Secondly, don’t wait for some PR flap to arise before entering these communities. You’ll be late to the game and treated with less credibility.
Social Media Influence: Social Media News & Intellegence … http://ow.ly/16B4bH
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
[...] recently had a Twitter incident with a member of staff tweeting somewhat inappropriately; as did Paperchase when they were accused of ripping off independent designers. Organisations need to be tapped into [...]
This gave me food for thought, definitely. The fact that most of this was new to me proves your point, about making use of the connections available to us. Ive got a brand new committee meeting tomorrow and will definitely think, about how we use social media to gain support for our new event. No, not think – do!
This comment was originally posted on Lucyinnovation’s Blog
[...] lumii ?i pe bloguri de social media sau tehnologie, despre acest caz scriind nume ca boingboing, socialmediainfluence sau [...]
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