An incident happened on marketing blog Web Ink Now last week that is a textbook case of how to handle bad PR online.
According to Web Ink Now’s author, David Meerman Scott, after he signed up to receive e-mail alerts from the Kennedy Space Center on upcoming Space Shuttle launches, he received an e-mail from the “Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex” with the subject line: “Last-minute summer escapes from Delaware North.”
Uh oh.
“At Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, we realize what summer is all about,” began the pitch. “It's our chance to get away from work and home as we search for a little adventure, reconnect with nature and forget about some of our responsibilities. That's why you'll find a number of affordable summer packages, unforgettable events, fun activities and more at all of our destinations this summer.”
What does this have to do with upcoming Space Shuttle launches? Why, nothing, of course.
Delaware North is the firm that runs the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. By signing up for e-mails from the Kennedy Center, Scott had apparently unwittingly opted into messages from Delaware North touting its other properties, as well. What’s more, to opt out of the messages, he had to check 14 boxes.
“I feel abused. This is not what I signed up for,” wrote Scott.
“Delaware North should re-think their e-mail marketing strategies. Or perhaps NASA should re-think Delaware North,” he concluded.
Ouch.
According to Scott, about three hours after publishing his post, he received a message from Deb Collins, Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts’ vice president of sales and marketing:
“Dear David:
“I want to thank you for helping us catch an issue that is counter to our intent and practice. Upon reading the blog, and researching the situation, we immediately pulled all other scheduled sends of this format and are taking corrective steps to remedy the problem.
“As a way of background, we are very proud to operate in some of the world's most special places and place high value on dealing with our guests with integrity and transparency. Our research has shown that a majority of our guests are looking for other unique life-enriching experiences. Toward that end, we issue a quarterly e-mail that provides information and value-added offers for the location to those who have signed up. In these e-mails, we also introduce our other locations, unless the person has opted only for that location.
“We recently redesigned the e-mail format and the e-mail you reference was the first send of that architecture. In reviewing the e-mail, I can see how you came to your conclusions as it does not follow our typical content standards – where the content is focused on the original location, not generic about all locations.
“Add insult to injury, we recognize that the opt-out process is cumbersome and are in the process of changing over our e-mail service provider for a more user-friendly process for both the opt-in and opt-out actions.
“While no marketing professional likes to read something like this about their own company (in fact ‘horrified’ describes it at best!), I appreciate your insight that will help us look more closely at this practice and make quick adjustments to something that could have damaged our relationship with other guests. My only regret is that our normally rigorous QA and internal data-integrity process didn't catch this before this version was issued in the first place.
“Deb Collins, VP of Sales & Marketing, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts”
Before Collins’s response, the comments on Web Ink Now were all negative. After Collins’s post appeared, the comments were mostly positive, commending her for her speed and forthright response.
“Probably the best damage control response to a blog / email / hidden camera TV show or other public rant, that I have ever seen. Well done,” commented Tom Butlin.
The incident also helped Collins make some progress internally on upgrading the company’s e-mail permission practices, she said.
“The opt-in/opt-out tool we have been using has been very clunky,” she said in an interview with this newsletter. “This let us push through an internal system debate [about changing the opt-in/opt-out mechanism] There wasn’t the sense of urgency that there is now.”
See the whole post here.
