What can you learn from the Paula Deen scandal?
Every day businesses, business owners and brands are negatively affected by things they say. The latest example of this is the recent Paula Deen story. For those of you that don’t know the story, Paula Deen is a celebrity chef in the US. Her area of expertise is in “Southern” cooking and in many ways her business empire (restaurants, books, tv shows, etc) is based on her image as a modern-day Southern USA icon.
Deen’s star has declined over the last couple of weeks due to some (to say the least) controversial comments she has made. She has admitted to using the “N” word, along with some other racist comments in various interviews as well as in her personal life, which has caused many of her corporate sponsors to drop her.
It’s understandable why companies like the Food Network and some major retailers would want to disconnect themselves from Deen, but the question is, could something like this happen to you and your business?
Sure, you probably aren’t a household name like Deen is and you probably don’t even have your own tv show…but you can destroy your own brand just like Deen did if you don’t know when to stop talking…or posting on social media…
Deen’s controversy came to light because she was being sued by a former employee at one of her restaurants, but do you consider what you are making public every day?
Are you appropriate and do you stick to business when dealing with the greater public or do you tell as many people as possible about how you feel about everything?
For example, you may feel you are doing a huge service by telling everyone who will listen what you feel about a particular candidate or idea during election season…but the reality is you are probably turning off as many potential customers as you are turning on when you make those kinds of statements.
In general, people tend to think that other people they like are similar to them. Have you ever been shocked when an artist or politician came out about a given topic that you were on the other side of? What did you think of that person afterwards? You might have thought they were brave for taking a stance, but if you disagreed with that stance you might have lost a little “mojo” for them. What was once your favorite singer might now be considered a nutcase or someone who should just “stick to singing”.
Paula Deen should’ve stuck to cooking.
What topics should you stick to if you want to ensure your business doesn’t suffer the fall that Deen’s empire has?
