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“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” –Warren Buffet


The only thing constant in our lives is change. And change we must especially so in today’s digital world, where the norm is no longer sustainable. The buzz word these days is disruptive.  Technology is in everything and everywhere.  It is disrupting our lives -- disrupting the way we work, live, play and communicate.
We are moving into an era of major transition just as the revolution that happened after the 1st world war. This transition is happening as you are reading this and it is moving fast. Technology provides convenience and with convenience, our lifestyle changes.
We are communicating more on social media platforms rather than face-to-face. We are speaking to people who are distant rather than the people who are sitting next to us.  We no longer wait for news to come to our doorstep via newspaper, we send out the news ourselves and viral it. More and more people make their own news nowadays and send it out to their communities and their friends. Reaching out to thousands and millions of people can now be done in a matter of minutes not days or weeks.
 We buy goods online and pay online. It is faceless. We write more than we speak. Our ‘voice’, be it happy, sad, dissatisfied or angry can now be heard. Technology has changed customers’ experience and customers’ response rate is now expected to be faster than before.
Hence, the quote by Warren Buffet is even more fitting in today’s digital world than ever before. In quick time, we can lose all the reputation we have built if we do not change the way we think and act and follow the transitional movement. It is therefore pertinent for one to do things differently and act upon it differently.
Let’s take a look at the digital scenario here in Malaysia. According to Global Web Index 2014, online population in Malaysia are the most digital oriented, consuming 8 hours and more of  a person’s time. Google, Facebook and YouTube are the Top 3 visited websites, with the majority of Malaysians being socially active online. For instance, according to a new research by TNS Research and Google Malaysia, most Malaysians turn to Internet video platform YouTube as their first choice for video content instead of the traditional television.
Furthermore, by percentage alone, Facebook reveals that 80% of all Malaysians who have access to the internet are also on Facebook. They spend 12 hours daily on the phone and online. According to Deputy Multimedia and Communications Minister, Datuk Jailani Johari, out of the 12 hours, 3 hours 3 minutes were spent on cell phones, 5 hours 36 minutes on computers and 3 hours 27 minutes on social media.
Moreover, 94% of Malaysians discover products and brands on Facebook. They were looking for the latest news and updates from the Facebook page itself. And, they will share and voice out their opinions directly on the social media platforms. Therefore, if any issues or crisis happened to the organization, the organization must be able to respond faster. Now, news is just at our fingertips. More than half the world now uses a smartphone. We no longer flip through newspapers to look for latest news.
As Malaysian Airlines CEO said recently following the Melbourne incident on flight MH128, airlines have only 15 minutes or less to say sorry in response to incidents.  To me, this holds true not just for airlines but for any other organizations operating in today’s new digital world order. Any delayed actions in addressing the issues via social media platforms will only harm the brand credibility and brand integrity. It allowed the issues to be prolonged and more complaints to surface resulting in unnecessary negative talk or comments amongst netizens and the public.
Let’s not wait for it to happen, take pre-emptive measures to be prepared for such incidences and be able to react and respond in quick time. Social media PR is the next wave that will be hitting the communications industry where content is the next king.
Look out for my next blog on tips  to manage crisis on social media.
This article is contributed by Ivlynn Yap Cheng Theng, Managing Partner/ Crisis Communications Lead Counsel.


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