A brand's reputation is a crucial element in business success, as it influences how customers perceive and interact with the company. However, in an era when news spreads rapidly through social media, a reputational crisis can cause irreparable damage to brand perception.
About 20 days ago, after Report's investigation, we learned about the earthquake that occurred at Fileni, Italy's third-largest poultry company.
The RAI3 program aired a full-bodied report on the investigation conducted by the animal welfare association Lav, which wanted to show that even on the Fileni group's organic farms, the conditions in which chickens live are allegedly unhealthy. From the footage, it would appear that the animals are raised in large sheds and that some operators even kick and pull the chickens' necks.
Despite Fileni's point-by-point rebuttal on its website and social channels, it would seem that "I choose organic," the positive advertising tune that has now entered the heads of several consumers, seems to be only a distant memory.
In the interesting analysis proposed Matteo Flora and Daniele Chieffi on ants.net, the negative impact on brand credibility is apparent.
The suggestion coming from the two experts is clear and is absolutely in line with Trusty's mission: "To regain reputation, food companies need to show transparency and actively engage in improving their farming practices. This means providing detailed and accessible information on how their products are produced, undergoing independent audits, and demonstrating that they follow rigorous sustainability practices. In addition, it is critical that the companies involved take concrete steps to address the underlying problem of the scandals to prevent a recurrence in the future.
In addition, companies must be able to communicate effectively with their stakeholders and the general public, providing a quick and honest response to questions and concerns. Effective communication is key to restoring the trust of consumers and business partners.In general, food companies must be able to demonstrate that they are working to ensure the food safety, ethicality and sustainability of their products. Only in this way will they be able to regain reputation and consumer trust."
Therefore, being transparent means being able to offer all the evidence necessary to prove that what is being told is true; having evidence means responding to these situations with processes and data that can be presented smoothly and verified by the recipient.
At Trusty, when we do a project we talk to clients about what claims they want to make and we study processes to give those claims a real underlying, whether it is a certification, a document, or an image.
And this is where Blockchain becomes an ally in that, processes, data or statements built on evidence that are authenticated through automated flows are evidence that can be shown when needed and carry a time stamp and proof of identity of the declarant.
Whenever an episode similar to the one in Filieni occurs, there is not only image damage for the brand but for the entire industry involved. Even after time has passed, it will be necessary to come to terms with what happened and work hard to rebalance a now compromised reputation.
It will therefore be increasingly common for companies to find themselves in the situation that sees many questions being raised about Fileni these days. Being prepared for these situations means having planned in the strategy a methodology (with evidence) to show that you do what you say.
To implement 🖐 Trusty in your company . contact us here.
