Party Rocker said:
Question, how does a company improve it's image if most people refuse to believe anything they say?
I think PR raises a good point here. By reading comments on social media or talking with people, it seems like combating even the most blatant falsehood fails because people immediately dismiss any pro-SeaWorld fact as "lies." And when a large chunk of the public already finds you incredible, it is difficult to get them to believe the positive message about your company. You can push hard-hitting facts all day, and true as they might be, they serve no purpose if the public refuses to believe them.
I've seen people dismiss the rescues SeaWorld posts as part of their #365DaysOfRescue campaign as "staged" or "fake," and I've read comments under SeaWorld's "Truth Team" videos calling them "lies" or "bullshit". Indeed, it does seem frustrating to be making legitimate points but not have them go anywhere because people refuse to believe them.
I like using Superize Me-era McDonald's as a parallel to what SeaWorld is going through now. Following the film's 2004 release, vicious rumors swirled about the company, some true, some not. In address to the true rumors, the chain quickly worked to change what they could. For those that were false, they tried telling the public exactly that: that rumors X, Y, and Z were all untrue.
Are their chicken nuggets really made with "pink slime"? No, and that's a point they tried to make. But try telling that to people, and people respond, "Ha, you actually believe those lies?"
So McDonald's didn't just keep telling the public the truth, because that clearly wasn't working. They
showed them the truth. Not uncommon were three-minute-long infomercial style commercials that demonstrated exactly how a McNugget was made. The company
showed the public what they did. They put everything out in the open.
A very important step, in my eyes, is that they backed their info with universally credible sources. They supported their facts with FDA statements, government records, and research from well-known institutions. McDonald's made it clear to the public that they weren't making stuff up.
Most importantly, though, is that they took their initiative beyond just marketing. Marketing is an extremely important part of the process, yes. But you can only spin some things so far. Just because the nuggets aren't made of pink slime and the burger patties aren't pumped with chemicals, still doesn't mean eating at McDonald's is exactly healthy. That's what may people were stuck on. Indeed, it's difficult to distance yourself from the "unhealthy" label a film has given you when you're a burger-and-fry joint. So they didn't stop there. They worked to change their image- not just on paper, not just online- but within their restaurants. They lowered the caloric blow of their menu items, added salads and fresh produce, and in doing so, they could then
market themselves as a changed company.
This is what SeaWorld needs to do. Don't mention Blackfish directly; let the film itself die off. Don't be rude to those who oppose you, because that will never inspire them to click through your turnstiles. Don't just tell people what you do;
show them what you do. Set up webcams around the orca tanks so people can see that they aren't actually "torturing" the cetaceans (which, sadly, is a claim that appears frequently). Videotape and broadcast your rescues, emphasizing the return process. Show the public what you feed your animals. Document your veterinary care through video. Most importantly, back up your statements! A cruise around the NOAA's website shows that SeaWorld's claims are indeed credible.
Tell the public that. They're more likely to believe the facts of a government agency than a company they already hate.
But, just like McDonald's, don't stop there. Improve your image within the gates. And this is where I think SeaWorld is doing a good job. People say the tanks are too small? Good, we're expanding them! People say taking orcas from the wild is wrong? Good thing we haven't done that in decades! Keep going, though. Stop doing the things that people use to argue against SeaWorld (because, unfortunately, not everything they do seems 100% right). Take away the material of the anti-SeaWorld crowd. Leave them with nothing to hold against you.
In summary, show, don't tell. Seeing is believing. And if there's something you'd rather the public not see, then you'd better change it.
