Facebook: the lobbying boiling pot

Posted Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 10:28am in Blogging, Business, Media, PR General |

People often talk about the potential of Facebook as a platform for PR professionals. Who wouldn’t? With 62 million active members around the world the potential of reach is phenomenal and every PR professionals wet dream. Thing is though, I’m unaware of any large successful PR campaigns that’s used Facebook at the core of its activities. Sure, there are a few creative apps which have provided success in terms of a viral point of view but my thoughts are (unless someone can tell me otherwise) Facebook is more of an advertiser’s medium.

However…

As we’ve seen in the UK, Facebook is being used as a platform for the public to lobby against companies and the establishment. Remember the Facebook group “Stop the Great HSBC Graduate Rip Off“? In a nutshell, HSBC, the world’s local bank (as they like to be known) changed the policy on their graduate overdraft accounts which would result in charging graduates fees if they were ever overdrawn. Two senior members from the National Union of Students set up the Facebook group in protest of the policy and within a matter of weeks the group had 6000 members. Negative media coverage ensued and no prizes for guessing that HSBC made a complete U-turn on the policy.

Graduates were happy and all is good in the world.

This example should be a warning sign to all companies that consumers now have a platform to lobby against any initiatives or, in HSBC’s case, policies they introduce. Which leads me on to my next point.

PR Week’s (sub req) What the Papers Say details the latest news about Egg, the credit card provider’s withdrawal of some 160,000 cards from its customers. PR Week includes a number of comments from both the national press and the blogosphere. However, if you do a quick search on Facebook you’ll find a few groups dedicated the issue. I’ve found four:

⇒ Egg credit card protest

⇒ Egg and Citigroup can shove their credit cards up their arses!

⇒ BOYCOTT EGG INTERNET BANK THEY HAVE DONE SOMETHING REALLY STUPID….

⇒ I’m one of the 7% ‘risky’ Egg customers…NOT!

Admittedly these groups don’t have a lot of members and would probably not cause any reputation damage as they stand. However, if the pot began to boil, then Citibank (owner of Egg) will have another medium to address in their reputation crisis.

At the Don’t Panic Guide to Crisis Comms in London last month, Rob Skinner, head of PR at First Direct (part of HSBC) said that financial PR pros used to only worry about what had been said in the money pages of the newspapers, magazines and trades prior to social media. Now, however, they have many new platforms to consider. Including Facebook.

After all, its greatest PR use (for good and bad) is a lobbying boiling pot.

Disclosure: I bank with HSBC and have an ISA with Egg. I’m more than happy with them both.

Bit of this bit of that 08.15.
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Edelman release 2008 Trust Barometer survey 01.22.
Information overload in the Knowledge Economy 06.16.
The growing European internet 10.18.

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7 Comments

Giles

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 2:36pm

Power to the people!

Surely that means instead of trying to utilise Facebook for PR, it is a nightmare medium for companies as they come under huge pressure by the masses…maybe PR should avoid Facebook!

Stephen

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 2:37pm

Get back to work! ::lol::

Phil

Monday, February 18, 2008 at 9:54am

Good point Stephen. I’ve noticed that reporters have started to quote Facebook groups when talking about lobbying and citing examples of people voicing their objections. I don’t know if it really shows that Facebook is making an impact or if it’s laziness on their part…?

The problem is is that it takes no effort whatsoever to join a Facebook group. It hardly represents a burning anger inside someone.

What happened to a good old fashioned rally?

Tor Martin Nilsen

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 12:29pm

Well written, Stephen!

But do you think Facebook will last as we know it today?

Is there any real danger that companies will “take over” Facebook and front their own causes, just for the sake of getting publicty?

I mean, will the 62 million active member really bother to enter facebook pages which only purpose is to try to affect you in some way?

Wouldn’t it only be like tv ads today? People just zaps over to the next channel when it’s a commercial break?

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 12:39pm

However, do you think Facebook will last, as we know it today?

Is there any real danger that companies will “take over” Facebook and front their own causes, just for the sake of getting publicity?

I mean, will the 62 million active members really bother to enter facebook pages which only purpose is to try to affect them in some way?

Wouldn’t it only be like TV ads today? People just zap over to the next channel when it’s a commercial break?

Emma

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 9:57am

Hello,
Just saw your postings. I am the owner of the facebook group “Egg and Citigroup can shove their credit cards up their arses”, I thought you might like to look out for The Times money section either saturday 19th April or saturday 26th April, as there will be a feature on “revenge” consumer groups.
I set up the group really to allow a place for people to have a moan, I understand my group will never have the global impact we would ideally like, however, the past few weeks I have been thinking about closing the group, when I get another call from a reporter from somewhere or another wanting to know more.
I will eventually close the group, but only when it has really run it’s mile.