rebeccakeen.com

Brand names are being tarnished, client images are being ruined, and competitive bidding is occurring at alarming rates. Several offline factors are affecting the performance of client brands online. It is not uncommon in a competitive landscape for the search campaigns of competing companies to buy branded terms or media to profit from an attack on a client’s product. It is imperative to take action to defend against this practice.

Being proactive is the answer. This makes it easier to defend the client’s reputation if something negative is reported, and it protects the brand against misrepresentation. Reputation management cannot be an afterthought. It needs to be discussed during a crisis, when a new competitor emerges, recalls of a product are necessary, or negative press is occurring.

Read further… http://razorfishsearch.com/2010/02/18/avoiding-an-online-crisis/