In the Internet era, a small "Erlang leg" can cause a huge storm of public opinion
Daniel Zhang, the head of Nezha Automobile
Who would have thought that a seemingly innocuous Erlang leg could set off such a big storm? On April 18, Daniel Zhang, CEO of Nezha Automobile, randomly stomped Erlang's leg in the live broadcast room, which immediately attracted netizens to spray wildly. Some netizens ridiculed "Lei Jun has learned home", and some people directly scolded him for being "high up" and "no one in sight".
Of course, Daniel Zhang did not expect that his small action would cause such big trouble. He hastened to post an apology video the next day, explaining that his stilts were just a habitual action and did not mean anything condescending. Netizens didn't eat this set, and questioned whether he was sincerely apologizing.
Some people say that Daniel Zhang is not handing Lei Jun a knife? After all, Lei Jun has always been known for his low-key humility, which is very different from Daniel Zhang's "high and superior" style. Some people also believe that the reason why Daniel Zhang is like this is because Nezha Auto's recent financing has been blocked, and he is deliberately creating a topic to attract attention.
How big is the impact of the public opinion crisis on enterprises?
It is undeniable that the impact of the crisis of public opinion on enterprises is huge. Take the Daniel Zhang Erlang leg incident as an example, in just a few days, Nezha Automobile has suffered unprecedented public criticism. Some netizens bluntly said, "I will never buy a Nezha car again."
This is not alarmist. Let's look back at the public opinion crisis encountered by other well-known companies: in 2008, Yahoo's CEO was exposed to falsifying academic qualifications, and the stock price plummeted, in 2015, Unilever's brand was exposed to racist advertising, which triggered a wave of protests around the world, and in 2022, Starbucks was once in a public opinion crisis when a horrific "stolen formula" incident occurred in a store in the United States.
It can be seen that no matter what size of the enterprise, once there is a public opinion crisis, the impact on the brand image and business development is huge. For emerging car-making companies like Nezha Automobile, it is even worse.
How to efficiently resolve the crisis of corporate public opinion?
In the face of a crisis of public opinion, enterprises must respond quickly and take the initiative. Just like Daniel Zhang posting an apology video, this is the right first step. It is not enough to apologize, it is more important to explain the reasons honestly and dispel the public's doubts.
Enterprises should also improve their crisis public relations mechanisms and provide relevant training to employees, especially senior executives, so that they can be cautious in their words and actions. We might as well make an interesting comparison between Daniel Zhang's Erlang leg incident and Lei Jun: Lei Jun was known for being low-key and pragmatic as a front-line employee, while Daniel Zhang's "high-up" style probably needs to be studied well.
Resolving the crisis of public opinion will not be achieved overnight. Enterprises must pay attention to brand image management and establish a good public image in ordinary times. In the event of a crisis of public opinion, it is also necessary to maintain positive interaction with the public in a timely manner, actively communicate, and win understanding and support.
In the Internet era, how can enterprises maintain a good reputation?
In this "self-media era", everyone is a potential "big complainer". If you're not careful, your small action can be magnified into "infamy of the century". Enterprises should pay more attention to their own brand image management.
It is necessary to strengthen the training and education of employees, especially senior executives, so that they can always be cautious in their words and deeds to avoid low-level mistakes. It is necessary to establish and improve the crisis early warning mechanism, assess the possible risks in advance, and formulate response plans.
Enterprises should also actively maintain positive interaction with the public. In this era of "unabashed", only by taking the initiative to embrace the public and humbly listening to opinions and suggestions can we win the understanding and support of the public, so as to truly establish a good brand image and reputation.
Although the Daniel Zhang Erlang leg incident caused some "moths", it also taught enterprises an important "oral morality" lesson. In this era of "trolls", if companies want to win a good reputation, they must always be "cautious". Only in this way can we truly resolve the crisis of public opinion and win the trust and respect of the public.
Under the crisis of public opinion, how can Nezha Auto save itself?
For Nezha Automobile, the Daniel Zhang Erlang leg incident is undoubtedly a heavy blow. As an emerging car manufacturer, it has already fallen into financing difficulties, and now it has encountered such a public opinion crisis, which can be said to be worse.
Nezha Automobile is not without a chance to win back the trust and goodwill of the public. Let's take a look at how it can be done:
Daniel Zhang himself must once again release a sincere apology video, explaining in detail the circumstances of the incident and promising to be cautious in his words and actions in the future. He must prove his sincerity with practical actions, such as taking the initiative to participate in public welfare activities, or donating one's income to public welfare causes.
Nezha Automobile should increase the training of employees, especially senior executives, so that they can deeply understand the weight of their words and deeds, and avoid such low-level mistakes again. The company should also improve the crisis early warning and response mechanism, and assess and prepare for possible risks in advance.
Nezha Auto must actively interact with the public and listen to opinions and suggestions with an open mind. It can open official accounts on social media, regularly post the latest developments of the company, and respond to the queries of netizens in a timely manner. At the same time, it is also necessary to invite authoritative figures and media to conduct interviews and reports, restore the truth of the incident, and dispel the public's doubts.
Nezha Automobile should firmly grasp the precious opportunity in this crisis, thoroughly reflect on the company's management model and corporate culture, and truly establish the concept of people-oriented and respect for the public. Only in this way can it finally win back the trust and goodwill of the public and make steady progress on the road of future development.
The Daniel Zhang Erlang leg incident taught Nezha a profound lesson. In this Internet era where "trolls" are rampant, any small mistake can be infinitely magnified, thus brewing into a devastating crisis of public opinion. Enterprises should always be "cautious", pay attention to brand image management, maintain positive interaction with the public, and win the public's understanding and support. Only in this way can we truly resolve the crisis of public opinion and win a lasting good reputation.