Nestle found itself on the defensive after an attack lodged by Greenpeace first on YouTube and then on its Facebook page. The source of the environmental activist’s ire was over Nestle’s palm oil sourcing activities - activities that Greenpeace says palm hurts the habitats of endangered species, specifically Orangutans. Nestle, which has weathered its share of corporate crises and protests over the decades, handled this one poorly, in large part because the company was caught off guard by the viral and social media elements to the campaign - which played out in full view of the watching world in real time.

Nestle quickly conceded to Greenpeace on its palm oil sourcing policies by promising to end a contract with a specific company - but the lessons over its response to the social media attack are going to resonate for some time. Truth is, most companies are vulnerable to coordinated or viral attacks. But a few commonsense measures should keep damage to a brand to the minimum - and perhaps even build up its image if handled correctly.

Stupid Mistakes

Nestle, to be blunt, handled the event in a stupid fashion.  The incident began when environmental activist group Greenpeace launched a new video campaign targeting Nestle about its activities. According to a statement from Greenpeace on their website, Nestle then tried to have the video removed from YouTube, writes Smart Company. Greenpeace supporters then moved their protests to Nestle’s Facebook page, where the company first responded with the tepid: "we welcome your comments, but please don't post using an altered version of any of our logos as your profile pic - they will be deleted". Activists had apparently used image altering software to change the company's logo.

More protests followed, to which Nestle said: "Oh please… it's like we're censoring everything to allow only positive comments". Nestle has since back peddled with apologies: "This (deleting logos) was one in a series of mistakes for which I would like to apologise. And for being rude. We've stopped deleting posts, and I have stopped being rude".

Plan for Protests

Social media has become an excellent vehicle for customers - or highly engaged and visible protesters - talk to companies and vice versa. Given the nature of social media, companies are not so easily able to brush off critics with platitudes or press releases. With that in mind, companies that have a social media presence need to have a plan ready to put into action should, or rather when, they are on the receiving end of complaints - complaints that can quickly go viral no matter how minor.

1. Don’t assign a social media campaign to a junior staffer or inexperienced agency.  "Had Nestle's social media team been experienced in crisis management and properly trained, Greenpeace’s attack on the Nestle Facebook page could have been made to fizzle out in under an hour," writes Brand Builder. "Corporate communications isn't about creative copy and pushing it out through a breadth of channels. It's professional chess."

2. Identify a larger group of company stakeholders you can tap in case a PR crisis.  " When you introduce a social networking campaign, it has to involve a larger set of stakeholders than just the marketing department but also HR, risk managers and so on – because it can become out of control,” says James Griffin, chief executive of online reputation management group SR7. (via Smart Company). These people have to have a rough idea of how they will proceed in certain circumstances."

These people need to decide in advance whether to delete comments, or if a legitimate criticism is made, then how to approach it.

3. Don’t give critics additional rope to hang yourself. Nestle might - might - have been fine if it had kept its comments brief, writes Miami Herald.  Nestle should have left it at its first set of comments, as inadequate as many perceived them to be. "But as the protesters cried that Nestlé doesn't support freedom of speech, the Nestlé voice showed its annoyance, saying, ‘Oh please, it's not like we're censoring everything to allow only positive comments.'"

Companies can learn something from this moment, the Miami Herald said. “ Social media voices need to have personality to engage with Fans — but NOT in this situation. When being attacked, show that you're listening and keep it professional. But don't talk back.”

Being defensive gets you nowhere, agreed All Facebook. “There might be a lot of apathy about many important worldwide concerns, including the environment, but the social media makes it easy for those who like to be vocal to actually be vocal and instigate concern. … Once grassroots concern goes viral, social media can turn anti-social as far as your business is concerned.”