Flash mobs.
A seemingly spontaneous event that occurs in public spaces, ignited by one or two performers subsequently joined by larger numbers, dispersing as quickly as they start.
250 people dancing to the musical Grease at the Central Station in Antwerp, Belgium in 2016.
Not as common in today’s world gradually easing out of its COVID-19 restrictions. But flash mobs have been hugely popular over the years, particularly in the West, since its introduction in 2003 by Bill Wasik, senior editor of U.S. Harper’s Magazine.
More notably, as the age of social media and smart technology began in the early 2000s, it opened avenues for quick and easy connections that made organising these events increasingly simple.
From text messages to Facebook groups, time and physical space barriers were overcome. The event in itself could be posted on a variety of digital platforms, shared, liked and commented on.
Speed. Connection. Ease of engagement. Facial features of our media environment today.
Aside from advertising and promotion, performance-based flash mobs provide outlets for artistic and creative expression, entertainment and strengthen community bonds, when permission from authorities have been sought.
However, the misuse and abuse of media can have a reverse impact. The same technology has been used to gather both physical and virtual groups for harmful practices.
They range from public protests to virtual communities with content and comments spreading inflammatory information on a government, commercial entities and individuals.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, an NBC News article by Brandy Zadrozny reported that,
“Dozens of public and private Facebook groups totalling hundreds of thousands of members [had] become a haven for conspiracy theories, medical equipment promotion and unproven cures related to the new coronavirus” ~ NBC News Online, 6 March 2020.
The issue has become so rampant, it prompted Facebook Inc themselves to take “stronger action against people who repeatedly share misinformation on the platform” as reported in a Reuters article in May this year.
The power of new media is also evident when reviewing lengths certain parties have taken in attempts to control and limit its influence to protect their agendas.
In Myanmar, when the country’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) were deposed by Myanmar’s military the Tatmadaw, one of their first moves was to impose media restrictions.
Directives were issued “to mobile operators, international gateways and internet service providers to block Facebook. Other platforms including Twitter and Instagram were also shut down” ~ Nikkei Asia Online, 6 February 2021
These efforts aimed to stop communication and collaboration of protests against the coup.
In short, be it influential authorities on the national front to the small business vendor who has just opted to go online, media today can be a Marketing Communication or Public Relations (PR) team’s greatest advantage or its biggest liability.
Tips and Tricks to ‘Mob’ Management
As evidenced above, regardless of whether you work for a commercial or public entity, having a proactive approach to media monitoring is essential in protecting your reputation.
- 1# Consult an Agency
Media Monitoring and Media Intelligence agencies such as NewsSearch, act as the eyes and ears for organisations to monitor potential opportunities and threats to their reputation.
Assisting clients across diverse sectors, agencies such as ours are equipped with industry experience to better inform Marketing Communication and PR teams on reputation management strategies.
- 2# Monitor Non-direct Mentions
Among the common errors made with monitoring is looking primarily at direct mentions of organisations, brands, and spokespeople.
Organisations need to consider the context in which they function including key competitors, comparable entities and influencers for a holistic view of elements that could affect its reputation.
This is also subject to the organisation’s specific requirements.
- 3# Cut the Clutter
Filtering irrelevant information is time and labour intensive and could lead to an unnecessary cost increase for services.
It is paramount when working in cooperation with an agency to determine the right parameters within which to monitor and analyse news. This helps you uncover What Matters Most in your reputation management efforts.
- 4# Identify gatekeepers and influencers
When working within a particular region, it is vital to identify possible mainstream media outlets, journalists, forums, blogs, and other platforms rife with potential detractors or critics who could harm an organisation’s reputation.
Alternatively, identifying media gatekeepers who advocate your organisation, brand or cause provides opportunities to strengthen a reputation.
- 5# Ongoing monitoring
It is often too late to address a reputational crisis once negative information has been quickly disseminated across multiple media channels. Ongoing monitoring offers a solution to pre-empt late notice of a communications crisis.
Last Words
It only takes a few moments for media mobs to materialise and causes irreparable damage to an organisation’s reputation.
And it takes the same few moments to reach out and empower your Marketing Communications and Public Relations, teams.
Make the moments count.
NewsSearch Insights