{"id":3220,"date":"2013-01-24T06:08:14","date_gmt":"2013-01-24T13:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/?p=3220"},"modified":"2018-07-23T10:03:09","modified_gmt":"2018-07-23T17:03:09","slug":"attack-of-the-customers-press-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gillin.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/attack-of-the-customers-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Attack of the Customers<\/i> Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve read thousands of press releases over the years but don’t believe I ever wrote one until now. It was more difficult than I expected! Links and tweets are appreciated, but Amazon reviews will get you undying devotion.<\/em><\/p>\n

New Book Explores Recent Epidemic\u00a0<\/b>Of Online Customer Assaults on Businesses<\/b><\/h1>\n

\u00a0<\/b>\u2018Attack of the Customers\u2019 Helps Marketers and Business Owners Manage and Prevent\u00a0<\/b>Reputation Threats Carried on Blogs and Social Networks<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Attack<\/a>Customers are taking their complaints about companies and products to the Internet in record numbers, and a new book tells what is driving this trend and how businesses can avoid being victims of customer attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttack of the Customers<\/a>,\u201d by award-winning author Paul Gillin and customer relationship management pioneer Greg Gianforte, arrives as online attacks are becoming a top concern for business and government leaders.<\/p>\n

“A lot of attention has been focused on social media\u2019s capacity to aid in awareness, marketing and positive brand perception,” said co-author Paul Gillin, \u201cbut little has been written to date about its dark side. Brands have been piling into Facebook expecting to reap a bounty of positive PR, but they forget that these channels can be used to tear down as well as to build.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent research has shown that 70% of large companies have experienced an attack on their reputations during last two years.\u201cDecision-makers believe that social media has made managing crises more difficult and more expensive,\u201d Gillin said. \u201cWe wrote this book to address the increasing need for corporations to understand how people express dissatisfaction online and how to distinguish between everyday complaints and potential crisis scenarios.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attack of the Customers <\/i>analyzes the motivations and goals of people who drive negative campaigns and offers guidance for how to respond to and prevent online attacks. Using dozens of case studies from consumer and B2B brands, the book classifies attackers into four categories \u2013 Casual Complainers, Extortionists, Committed Crusaders and Indignant Influencers – and provides coping strategies for dealing with each.<\/p>\n

The book also documents step-by-step how some recent notable attacks developed and the critical factors that transformed them from minor brush fires into international news stories.<\/p>\n

Capacity to Destroy<\/b><\/p>\n

Attack of the Customers <\/i>analyzes customer-driven negativity campaigns like the 2010 Pampers Dry Max Facebook crisis and the 2012 beef-industry \u201cpink slime\u201d hysteria to identify lessons brand owners can apply to understanding customer motivations and preparing response strategies. The book also looks at the growing influence of online customer reviews sources like Yelp and Amazon on businesses ranging from electronics to hospitality services and tells how business executives can use peer reviews to their advantage.<\/p>\n

Readers will learn:<\/p>\n