Reliving a crisis through a feature film : Corporate image from online user-generated versus official media perspectives

Kurzfassung/Abstract

A crisis presents a severe challenge for every company, particularly, when it has ethical implications. Previous research has shown how the presentation of a crisis in the media can negatively affect corporate image. After surviving such a crisis, its adverse connotations may resurface years later in the minds of stakeholders, for example, through a feature film. The consequences of how a crisis re-emergence affects corporate identity, especially in the digital age of media proliferation, is not yet sufficiently understood. Hence, this paper outlines how a crisis reemergence impacts on corporate image through a detailed literature review and the discussion of a case. This paper shows the need to appreciate differences between UGC (user generated content, outside company control), and official news media (potentially manipulable) in relation to corporate reputation management, and consequently, the importance of targeted image restoration in light of crisis re-emergence.